Friday Roundtable: Cascadia High-Speed Rail and I-5

Posted Friday, November 13, 2026 8:52 am

Michael Smith (via Seattle Transit Blog)

To plan the next generation of north-south travel in western Washington, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is working on the I-5 Master Plan and the Cascadia High Speed Rail project. These two projects have been integrated into a combined Cascaida Program. WSDOT is asking for your feedback on what should be prioritized as the program progresses. The survey closes tonight so be sure to fill it out today.

The Cascadia Program is focused on the transportation of people and goods between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver (BC). While this corridor crosses two states and an international boarder, 88% of the route is located in Washington. As a result, WSDOT is leading the effort while working with agencies in Oregon and British Columbia.

The survey asks about how and why you travel throughout the megaregion today as well as your priorities for I-5 and HSR. For I-5, WSDOT is in the process of identifying potential solutions to congestion, aging infrastructure, freight mobility, and connections to communities and other transportation modes. These projects will be prioritized in the Master Plan based on the following goals:

System resiliency, preservation and environmental: Prepare for earthquakes, climate impacts and other disruptions. Maintain and modernize aging infrastructure.
Safety: Reduce serious and fatal crashes.
Mobility and accessibility: Make trips on I-5 more reliable and improve connections to transit, rail, walking, biking and communities.
Equity and community: Promote equitable access to the projects’ transportation, economic and community benefits.
Economic vitality and movement of goods: Keep people and goods moving efficiently.
Innovation and future readiness: Prepare the corridor for future technologies and transportation needs.

WSDOT expects to publish the I-5 Master Plan in 2028. Implementation of the recommended projects will start in the following years.

The other half of the Cascadia Program, high-speed rail, is still in the early stages of development. HSR would use trains that travel up to 160 mph/260 kph, more than double the current top speed of Amtrak Cascades. WSDOT has confirmed that a HSR route would not replace Amtrak Cascades. The Cascadia HSR program has six guiding principals:

Connect the region.
Provide and advance opportunities for communities in the corridor.
Grow the economy.
Enhance infrastructure resilience and operational efficiency.
Use resources efficiently.
Bring public and private partners and people together.

The WSDOT team is working on a Service Development Plan that will outline potential route options, explore operational components such as the number of stops and service frequency, and identify potential governance and funding options. The plan will be published in 2028 and will be followed by at least a decade of environmental review, design, and construction (depending on funding).

Provide your feedback on the Cascadia Program today via this survey. The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete and closes tonight.

This is an open thread.

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