Federal, local officials mark start of Pacific Northwest corridor construction

Yesterday, federal and local officials visited King Street Station in Seattle to mark the start of the Pacific Northwest Passenger Rail Corridor project, which is designed to modernize the station and increase its capacity.

Joined by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo toured the project, which received a portion of $814 million the U.S. Department of Transportation dedicated from the High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program to the Pacific Northwest, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) officials said in a prepared statement.

The funds will pay for upgrades to one of the busiest intercity passenger-rail corridors in the nation, which runs 466 miles between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Ore. Roundtrips between Portland and Seattle are expected to increase by 50 percent in five years, FRA officials said.