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On Saturday, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) signed a grant agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), securing the state’s $590 million high-speed stimulus funding to improve the Amtrak Cascades corridor between Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

In addition, WSDOT signed an agreement with Amtrak and BNSF Railway Co. that outlines how rail investments will be made based on service outcomes and passenger-rail performance benchmarks on rail lines shared by freight and passenger trains, including on-time performance, faster travel times and service frequency.

The stimulus funds will enable WSDOT to:
• add two daily round trips between Seattle and Portland, for a total of six, by 2017;
• improve on-time performance from 62 percent to 88 percent;
• maintain more consistent speed along the corridor, resulting in faster travel times;
• construct bypass tracks and complete upgrades to existing track; and
• construct grade separations and install advanced-warning signal systems to reduce passenger/freight congestion.

Late last year, WSDOT received an additional $161.5 million in high-speed rail funds originally intended for Wisconsin and Ohio. The state expects to sign an agreement with the FRA obligating the additional funds in the near future, according to a press release.

WSDOT also is making a bid for stimulus funds that likely will be rejected by Florida. The money could be used to add even more service between Portland and Seattle. WSDOT originally applied for $1.3 billion in high-speed stimulus funds.