Today, the BC Government announced that they are supporting the feasibility of a high-speed rail service connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland with a $300,000 investment in the next phase of the Ultra High Speed Ground Transportation Project.
“The Surrey Board of Trade applauds the BC Government on further investments to the High-Speed Rail project,” said Anita Huberman, President and CEO, Surrey Board of Trade. “This next step is essential to seeing this project succeed. Governments should ensure that relevant stakeholders are at the table to assist in public outreach and engagement to articulate its economic benefits. Additionally, other levels of government must be at the table to specify their commitment to this project.”
The Surrey Board of Trade attended the two-day Cascadia Innovation Corridor conference in Blaine, Washington from September 12-13. At the conference, high-speed rail project was a topic of major interest, along with a focus on climate, energy and alternative fuel sources.
The next phase of the study, led by the Washington State Department of Transportation in partnership with BC, Oregon and other regional and local agencies, intends to:
- address the roles, responsibilities and future funding requirements of the project;
- develop a regional public outreach and engagement strategy;
- explore opportunities to integrate ultra-high-speed rail into regional transportation and land-use planning; and
- develop plans for future environmental review processes, engineering and design requirements.
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Anita Huberman, 604-634-0342, anita@businessinsurrey.com
