WATCH: A new high-speed rail line in California has some wondering if the time is right to build a bullet train that would link Oregon, Washington state, and B.C. Jeremy Hunka reports.
With California recently breaking ground on a new high-speed rail line, some are wondering if the dream of a bullet train between Portland and Vancouver may someday become a reality.
The new California line, which will run from Los Angeles to San Francisco, won’t be completed for another 13 years, but it’s renewing calls to bring a similar rail line that will connect Oregon, Washington state, and British Columbia.
It’s an idea that’s been around for a while. The B.C. government years ago signed a wide-ranging agreement to connect California to B.C. within two decades.
But it’s a dream that could be derailed. Critics like Nathan Pachal says a bullet train would require a new rail corridor and a new bridge over the Fraser River, costing billions.
Pachal says a more realistic goal might be to support Washington state’s hopes to expand higher-speed rail–which is faster than conventional trains, but slower than bullet trains–rather than high-speed rail lines like the one being built in California.
-with files from Jeremy Hunka
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