Why Microsoft is getting behind a revolutionary plan for high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest
Imagine it’s derby day between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers, with the treasured Cascadia Cup on the line between these two MLS franchises and their passionate fanbases. In years past, the Timbers Army has caravanned up I-5 in a crawl, facing traffic as they leave the Rose City and yet more on the outskirts of the Seattle metro area.
But today, hundreds of green-and-yellow-clad fans stream out of King Street Station, just blocks from the Sounders stadium. They’ve zipped up to the Emerald City in 58 minutes on a high-speed train, topping out at 220 mph. They’ll be back home in Portland just as quickly for either a celebratory dinner or a defeated ride home.
That hypothetical game day is just one vision of how a newly proposed Pacific Northwest high-speed rail line will transform the Cascadia mega-region and its three booming main cities—Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver—which are currently in dire need of better transportation connections.
Today those trips can only be accomplished by traffic-snarled cars and buses, inefficient short-haul flights, or slower-than-driving and infrequent Amtrak service, all serving a region of 10 million people that’s expected to grow another 3.5 million by 2050. But sub-60-minute reliable high-speed trains could enable everything from sports rivalry day trips to remote workers commuting to the office just a few days per week to expanded audience reach for top-flight performing arts venues to easier business meetings for venture capitalists closing startup investment deals.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90445012/why-microsoft-is-getting-behind-a-revolutionary-plan-for-high-speed-rail-in-the-pacific-northwest?partner=feedburner&utm_content=feedburner&utm_source=Sightline%20Institute&utm_medium=web-email&utm_campaign=Sightline%20News%20Selections
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This is as close as it gets:
