The Oregon and Washington departments of transportation have received an additional $26.5 million in grants for development of a high-speed rail line between Eugene and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the award today along with $2.4 billion for high-speed rail development projects around the country - money that we don't have.
The Oregon state government agency will spend $4.2 million on planning and environmental studies between Eugene and Portland, and another $4 million on engineering and environmental studies related to rendering Portland's Union Station compatible with a high-speed line. Washington's state agency will waste the rest of the cash on similar planning and environmental studies in Seattle.
$26.5 million on "planning" and "studies". Heck, Portland could have built half an aerial tram for that kind of dough.
