A long-term plan has been revealed for a high-speed railway that could eventually connect three of the Pacific Northwest's biggest metropolitan areas, linking cities across two U.S. states and Canada. The proposed Cascadia High-Speed Rail system would run through the wider Cascadia region, connecting Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. A conceptual map released by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) shows the corridor stretching from the Portland metropolitan area north through Washington to Vancouver.
The project remains at an early stage, and no final route or stations have been selected yet. Instead, the WSDOT is putting the plans to the public, with residents, businesses, and others who travel through the region invited to provide feedback through an online survey, which will remain open until November 13. Officials say the responses will help guide their planning for the region's future transportation system.
The high-speed railway is a long-term plan to improve connections between major cities in the Pacific Northwest as the region grows. The proposed network would connect the metropolitan areas around Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C., creating a high-speed north-south connection across the U.S.-Canada border. WSDOT is working on the project alongside the Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Metro, and British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation and Transit.
Rather than being treated as a standalone railway, the proposal is part of WSDOT's wider Cascadia High-Speed Rail and I-5 Program. Officials are planning for improvements to Interstate 5 alongside high-speed rail and looking at how roads, rail, airports, transit and other forms of transportation can work as one regional system. The Federal Railroad Administration awarded WSDOT $49.7 million in December 2024 to produce a Service Development Plan, while the Washington State Legislature provided another $5.5 million in matching funds.
That stage of the work is expected to continue until 2028. Although the map establishes Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver as the main metropolitan areas the system is intended to connect, there is not yet a confirmed list of stations. WSDOT's Service Development Plan will identify possible routes and examine different service options, including the number of stops and how frequently trains could operate.
It will also assess governance and financing options. However, WSDOT explicitly said the development plan, which is scheduled for completion in 2028, will not select a preferred route or identify station locations. That means places shown along or close to the conceptual corridor shouldn’t be treated as confirmed bullet-train stops yet.
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