High-speed rail route options for Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland due in 2028 | Daily Hive

Cascadia High-Speed Rail route options linking Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland expected by 2028

SNCF's TVG high-speed rail trains in Paris, France. (Markus Mainka/Shutterstock)

Potential precise routes for a high-speed rail line linking Metro Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland are expected to be outlined in a planning document due for completion in 2028.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is partnering with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit and the Oregon Department of Transportation to create a “Service Development Plan” to determine in greater detail whether the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project would be technically and economically feasible.

This would build on the early estimates and findings of the various previous highly preliminary studies completed for the project since before the pandemic.

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Washington state’s government is leading the planning effort, as the overwhelming majority of the proposed high-speed rail corridor would lie within its borders. Relatively short sections would extend north into British Columbia to reach Metro Vancouver and south into Oregon to reach the Portland area.

The study will examine where trains could run, how often they could operate, and how many stops they could make.

This planning exercise will examine potential passenger demand, train speeds, engineering and operating requirements, environmental considerations, and connections with existing transportation services. Their assessment will also consider population and job growth, protected natural areas, and geographic conditions.

Additionally, it will identify governing and financing methods for a service going through three jurisdictions, including the international border.

vancouver seattle portland high speed rail map 2025 2026

2025/2026 planning maps for the high-speed rail line corridor, linking Metro Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

However, the 2028 plan will not select a preferred route or determine station locations. It will identify possibilities for further future detailed technical study, with formal environmental review, design, and construction still ahead if the project advances.

The consultation covers both Cascadia High-Speed Rail and a separate master plan for the north-south Interstate 5 (I-5) freeway through Washington state. WSDOT is coordinating the two studies through its Cascadia Program to consider how different transportation options could accommodate the Cascadia megaregion’s growth.

Over the years, suggestions for the Canadian portion of the line have included stations in both Downtown Vancouver and Surrey, or a northern terminus in Surrey City Centre that comes short of reaching Vancouver’s city centre.

Earlier this year, Vancouver International Airport’s leadership suggested locating the northern terminus at Canada’s second busiest airport to create a multimodal transportation hub, following the example of other major airports around the world with high-speed rail connections. Within Washington state, there has also been discussion of enabling a route that provides Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a high-speed rail station.

Work on Cascadia High-Speed Rail’s Service Development Plan first began in January 2025.

The high-speed rail would offer much faster travel between the Pacific Northwest’s three metropolitan areas, with fewer stations than conventional passenger rail (to reduce the frequencies of deceleration and acceleration required) and new tracks dedicated to high-speed trains.

WSDOT describes high-speed rail as trains travelling at more than 260 km/h (160 mph), compared with the current maximum of 127 km/h (79 mph) on certain segments of the existing Amtrak Cascades service linking all three metropolitan areas. Specific speeds and service patterns for the high-speed rail service are part of this new planning work.

It is also noted that the high-speed rail line would complement, not replace, Amtrak Cascades, as this existing slower service provides more stops along the corridor. In September 2026, Amtrak Cascades began using its brand-new fleet of trains, which provides greatly improved passenger comfort but does not improve service speeds.

amtrak cascades airo siemens venture september 2026

Amtrak Cascades’ new Siemens Venture/Airo train fleet, September 2026. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

To perform this planning work, WSDOT has been given a budget of US$55.7 million (C$78 million). This includes US$49.7 million (C$70 million) previously provided by U.S. President Joe Biden’s Federal Railroad Administration in December 2024, another US$500,000 (C$700,000) in federal grant funding, and US$5.5 million (C$7.7 million) in matching funds from the Washington state government.

Beyond the scheduled 2028 completion of the most technically detailed study of the high-speed rail project to date, it is unclear when construction could begin, which depends on very significant funding sources. Previous preliminary estimates have pegged the project in the range of tens of billions of dollars, with much of those costs specifically for the infrastructure required within Washington state’s borders. Construction would also take many years.

The broader transportation effort is being driven by forecasts that the Cascadia region, encompassing the Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland metropolitan areas, will gain 3.4 million residents by 2050.

According to WSDOT, 80 per cent of the I-5 highway in Washington state is projected to experience medium or high congestion by 2050, compared with 59 per cent today. Truck trips across the state are also expected to increase by 50 per cent to 67 per cent over that period.

WSDOT notes that accommodating future demand will require improvements across transportation modes, including roads, rail, local public transit, aviation, and ferries.

Alongside the high-speed rail study, the I-5 Master Plan will identify and prioritize potential improvements along the highway’s approximately 446-km-long (277 miles) stretch through Washington, from the Canadian border to Oregon. It will address issues including traffic delays, crash risks, aging infrastructure, freight movement, and connections with other transportation options. Earthquake preparedness and resilience to climate-related disruptions are also part of the work.

The highway plan is also expected to be finalized in 2028, providing a guide for investments in potential upgrades and expansion through 2050, although its completion and implementation depend on future funding.

WSDOT’s online survey on both the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project and I-5 Master Plan is open through Nov. 13, 2026. This initial public consultation seeks feedback on transportation needs and priorities.

Vancouver Seattle Portland high speed rail

Highly preliminary concept for illustrative purposes only; Cascadia High-Speed Rail business case, July 2019. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

North of the border, the Government of Canada is currently in the process of advancing the Alto high-speed rail line project that would connect Downtown Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City. This 1,000-km-long (621 miles) project is being prioritized by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration, with construction on the first phase expected to begin in 2029 for a completion and opening in the mid-to-late 2030s. All phases of Alto could be built by the early 2040s.

In early 2025, following a bidding process, the newly created federal Crown corporation for Alto selected a private consortium called Cadence to design, build, operate, and partially finance the project. This includes SNCF Voyageurs — the French government-owned company that operates France’s high-speed rail network — and the French transportation engineering firm SYSTRA, as well as Canadian institutional investor La Caisse (formerly known as CDPQ and backed by the Québec pension fund), Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRealis (formerly SNC-Lavalin), and Air Canada.

Alberta’s provincial government, led by Premier Danielle Smith, has also prioritized creating an optimal passenger rail network. Her administration is in the process of creating a long-term, Alberta-wide passenger rail strategy, including an interregional rail service reaching Banff. Early this fall, the provincial government launched a bidding process seeking a contractor to design, build, partially finance, and operate a high-speed rail line linking Calgary and Edmonton.

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