Vancouver won’t be gaining rapid rail service to Seattle anytime soon, federal transport minister Chuck Strahl told Business in Vancouver in a recent interview.
“You can’t presume that ‘if you build it they will come,’” he said. “These things are hugely expensive and you need to know that when you build it, it’s a success.”
For now, Strahl said, the federal government is examining the viability of Vancouver–Seattle train service.
“The reason why the [Canada Border Services Agency] has extended their border facilities pilot project for another year is to evaluate how many people want to use it, what’s it look like, how can we improve it, should we make it permanent, what part do we play, what part does Amtrak play and on and on it goes,” he said, referring to the second Vancouver–Seattle Amtrak train Vancouver gained during the 2010 Olympic Games as a pilot project.
Last October, federal public safety minister Vic Toews announced the second train would continue to operate for a further year, but during that time it would need to demonstrate its post-Olympics viability.
“There’s lots of work yet to be done,” Strahl said. “In North America, typically the way these things evolve is it moves from train service to higher-speed train service to maybe, one day there’ll be a case made for a truly high-speed train.”
But Strahl stressed the process won’t be quick.
“It will be an evolutionary process,” he said. “And it starts with evaluating the need, evaluating the pilot projects, doing the studies required to see what would be required both service and speed, and then specific proposals will come from that. But it’s a ways out.”