Portland-Vancouver high-speed rail inches forward The dream of a high-speed rail line connecting  Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC , is moving closer to reality. A recent  $49.7 million federal grant  has been awarded to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to study the feasibility of this ambitious project. This marks a significant step forward for the Cascadia high-speed rail line. I have travelled on the existing Amrak line from Seattle to Vancouver and truly is one of the most scenic trips you can go on. It is doubtful for a number of reasons that is the line the future high-speed rail line would take. Riding the Amtrak Cascades train is a scenic trip and well worth it! Key Points Federal Funding:  The $49.7 million grant comes from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development Program. The Washington Legislature is also contributing  $5.5 million in matching funds , bringing the total to ...

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Groundbreaking Book Unveils the Untold Story of Bombardier's High-Speed JetTrain: A Lost Vision of North American Rail Innovation CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO - December 18, 2024 -  High Speed Rail Canada founder Paul Langan reveals the compelling narrative behind Bombardier's revolutionary JetTrain in his latest book, offering unprecedented insights into a transformative moment in North American rail transportation. Bombardier's JetTrain Book Highlights: The JetTrain's Promising Journey In 2002, Bombardier introduced the JetTrain, a cutting-edge locomotive designed to: Reach unprecedented speeds of 240 km/h on existing tracks Potentially revolutionize passenger rail transportation Demonstrate Canadian engineering excellence Why This Book Matters for Transportation Enthusiasts and Industry Professionals Langan's meticulously researched 112-page book provides: Comprehensive archival research Exclusive interview with Bombardier's form...

  Train Safety Crisis: Why Canada Lags Behind US in Implementing Life-Saving Rail Control Systems Every year that passes without Enhanced Train Control (ETC) systems on Canadian railways puts passengers and rail workers at risk. While the United States has fully implemented Positive Train Control (PTC) technology across all major rail routes, Canada continues to delay these crucial safety measures – with potentially deadly consequences. The Tale of Two Rail Systems: US Takes Action While Canada Delays In the United States, a tragic 2017 Amtrak Cascades crash that killed three people and injured 59 others sparked decisive action. By December 2020, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) successfully mandated PTC technology across all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route miles. Canadian National Railways (CN) proudly announced their compliance with these US requirements – but what about their Canadian operations? Canada's Troubling Track Record: A Timeline of ...

 CTV report by Dylan Dyson on the proposed high-speed rail line Toronto-Ottawa-Quebec.

Is the Wait for High-Speed Rail in Canada Finally Over! Will the decades of false hopes finally be over, and we finally see high-speed rail in Canada? Twenty-five studies and 40 years of federal government politicians have come and gone, and no action has been taken. I remember in 2009 when I went to Ottawa to speak at the Canadian Government Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities hearings on high-speed rail in Canada. I also went to Alberta to promote the Edmonton-Calgary high-speed rail proposal. Sadly, the events of 2009 did not differ from those before and after. Now, perhaps the time has come for high-speed rail in our country. I admit I was more than skeptical about this plan when former VIA Rail CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, now a Siemens Canada employee, first promoted the idea of high-frequency trains at traditional speeds. Desjardins-Siciliano continues to promote their Venture trains for the proposed high-frequency rail line, regardless of the real...

The long-promised book by High-Speed Rail Canada founder Paul Langan, on the history of Bombardier's JetTrain, will now be released on December 2nd, 2024.  What can we learn from the failed attempt to have high-speed trains in Canada and USA in the early 2000's? What has changed and what challenges still remain in 2024? Author Paul Langan, does a historical review of newspaper accounts from that time as well as an interview with Lecia Stewart, who was Bombardier’s Vice-President of High-Speed Rail at the time of the JetTrain project. It will be available worldwide on Amazon.