Oregon business and community leaders are calling on the Oregon Prosperity Council to make the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project a centerpiece of the state’s economic strategy.
A one-hour Portland–Seattle connection and a two-hour link to Vancouver, B.C. would create a unified labor and business market of more than 10 million people, comparable in economic scale to the Netherlands. Proponents argue that this kind of regional integration is essential for attracting corporate investment, research partnerships, and innovation industries to Oregon.
The letter also points to workforce impact: high-speed rail is projected to create over 200,000 jobs and generate $355 billion in regional economic impact, including 38,000 construction jobs alone. Supporters note that $55 million in federal and Washington state funding is already committed to planning and that Oregon risks being left behind if it doesn’t engage now.
Read the full letter to the Oregon Prosperity Council.
Coalition partners included the 1803 Fund, Albina Vision Trust, Oregon Metro, and Microsoft.
Learn more about the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project.