Lawmakers hear broad support for Cascadia high‑speed rail task force; amendment would appropriate $10 million to Metro

Members of the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation opened a public hearing March 18 on Senate Bill 715, a measure to create a Cascadia High Speed Rail Task Force to study and coordinate planning for a proposed high‑speed rail corridor linking Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle and Portland.

Supporters — including state and local elected officials, business groups and community organizations — urged the committee to back the bill and begin planning now so Oregon can shape routing, land use and economic benefits. The bill includes a -1 amendment that would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to Metro to support the task force’s work.

Why it matters: Witnesses said high‑speed rail would reduce highway congestion, open housing and job markets across the Cascadia mega‑region and support climate goals by shifting trips from cars to electrified rail. Several testifiers stressed that early state planning is necessary to ensure benefits are captured in Oregon neighborhoods and to avoid repeating past local harms when large…