To: Washington State Department of Transportation

From: Ricardo Alejandro Vara, WVC Student

Proposal to WSDOT:
Add a High Speed rail system to the Wenatchee - Seattle route

Introduction

The United States has the largest rail system in the world. (railway-technology) Our rail
system is more than double that of China; a country with a million more people than
ours. It is interesting that the United States has so much rail and yet as a country we
have the lowest passenger ridership. In 2010, the U.S. accounted for 17.2 billion
passenger-kilometers. (Economist) In that same year the European Union accounted
for nearly 400 billion [passenger-kilometers].(Economist) The question is why dont
more people in the U.S. ride trains?

Problem

The U.S. has a very large rail system,

but we have a very small high speed
rail system. You can compare figure 1
and 2 to see the difference. Since there
arent many high speed rail systems in
the U.S. many people dont ride.
Currently in Washington State we only
have one high speed railway; that goes
from Eugene, OR to Seattle, WA. If
someone wants to get from Wenatchee
to Seattle they only have a few options.
They can ride a bus, train, or plane, or
drive. The fastest and most expensive
way is by plane. You can get to Seattle
from Wenatchee in 40 minutes for
approximately $165. The problem here
is that the United States lacks an
adequate high speed rail system.
Therefore, making our country harder to
travel.
Solution

In 2009, President Barack Obama launched the High Speed Rail Strategic Plan.
(DOT) This plan called for the Federal government and rail holders to work together to
reach the goals of the High Speed Rail Strategic plan. The WSDOT has responded by
creating a plan to add high speed rail in Washington State. One of their program
outcomes is to develop the passenger rail corridor for future growth. (WSDOT) This
outcome aligns with my proposal; add a
high speed rail system to the Wenatchee
- Seattle route along highway US-2 W.

Plan of Action

For this plan to work a proper plan of

action is necessary. This plan of action
should include a budget and a timeline.

Funding

The WSDOT plans to invest $800

million into Washingtons rail system and infrastructure. According to the
Business Insider the cost of a high speed rail system is $2.4 million [per mile for
true high-speed rail]. (Business Insider) From Wenatchee to Seattle, along the
US-2 highway, it is approximately 140 miles. It turns out to be $200,040,000 to
build a high speed railway from Wenatchee to Seattle. According to Business
Insider in 2010, California purchased several high speed trains for $1.58 million
each car. If Washington State purchased 5 high speed trains it would cost $7.90
million; for a grand total of $207,940,000. This amount is well within the $800
million budget.

Timeline

Currently the WSDOT has a list of objectives to accomplish in order to reach their
goals. As of February 2017, 14 of the 20 high speed rail projects have been
completed. (WSDOT) The plan was developed in 2013, in the four short years of
this plan a lot has been accomplished. This plan has also included adding new
rail, however, This would be the biggest project taken on by the WSDOT. If the
remaining goals can be accomplished by the end of 2017. Then it is possible to
complete a high speed rail system by 2025.
Benefits of High Speed Rail

Enhance Rail Safety

According to the Department of Transportation, in 2006 across the U.S. 369

people died due to rail related causes. As newer and more modern trains and
rails have been implemented in the U.S. that number has decreased to 237
deaths, in 2015, due to rail related causes. (DOT) Implementing high speed rails
in Washington state will increase rail safety. Travelling by rail is also significantly
safer than travelling by car. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tallied
35,092 deaths by car crashes alone in 2015.

Reduce Railway Congestion

Currently the U.S. uses its rail system for freight. Adding a new high speed rail
system will relieve railway congestion by adding new high speed rail track and
adding high speed locomotives. With new high speed track freight trains wont be
in the way of high speed locomotives. Meaning that trains will actually be on time
without hour long delays and multiple stops. Currently the train ride to Seattle
from Wenatchee takes 4.5 hours. This time can be greatly reduced with the
implementation of this new high speed rail system.

Reduce Energy Consumption

Travelling by train also has the ability to reduce

our energy consumption. Everyone has to
travel either for work, school, or pleasure. The
U.S. Energy Information Administration (eia)
says that 28% percent of our energy
consumption is used for transportation; 58% is
used by cars, light trucks, and motorcycles.
Whereas, only 3% is used on trains and buses
combined. Less energy consumption is better
for our environment. In our world with more
and more people every day we need to take
care of our planet.
 Tourism

Adding a high speed rail system would also benefit tourism. Popular tourist
locations on route of this proposed high speed rail system include Wenatchee,
Leavenworth, Wenatchee National Forest, and Seattle. These places are already
very popular tourist destinations. With a high speed rail system in act even more
people could visit these popular destinations. With more people comes more
revenue for the tourist companies. The increased revenue could be used to
further improve the infrastructure of the rail systems or used to add more modern
and sleek trains.

Cost

When comparing cost traveling by high speed rail from Wenatchee to Seattle
would cost $70. This number is based off current Japanese high speed rail costs
for a trip of approximately the same distance. Cost for gas fuel on this trip would
be approximately $26, if your car gets 25 miles per gallon. This trip would take
you about 2 hours and 54 minutes by car, according to Google Maps; and an
estimated 2 hours and 25 minutes by high speed rail. So, you can save yourself
some time by going by high speed rail when compared to driving. Youll save
yourself a lot of money if you go by high speed rail instead of by plane, which
would cost you $165.

Conclusion

Currently not that many Americans ride trains which is surprising because the U.S. has
the largest railway system in the world. If more high speed rail systems are added more
people will ride the train. A high speed rail system in Washington State also has many
benefits. These benefits greatly outweigh the cost of building the system. And currently
the budget and goals of the WSDOT align with this proposal. Adding a high speed rail
system from Wenatchee to Seattle will increase train ridership and benefit Washington
state.

Thank you for your consideration.

Ricardo Alejandro Vara

 Works Cited

"Energy Use for Transportation." Energy Use for Transportation - Energy Explained,
Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/?page=us_energy_transportation#tab2>.
"General statistics." Fatality Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/state-by-state-over
view>.
"High Speed Rail Overview." High Speed Rail Overview | Federal Railroad
Administration. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0060>.
"Passenger Rail in Washington." WSDOT. N.p., 30 Dec. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Rail/default.htm>.
"The world's 10 longest railway networks." Railway Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar.
2017.
<http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featurethe-worlds-longest-railway-n
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"Why don't Americans ride trains?" The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 29 Aug.
2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/08/economist-explain
s-18>.
Yarow, Jay. "The True Cost Of High Speed Rail For The U.S. Is More Than $500
Billion." Business Insider. Business Insider, 04 May 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.businessinsider.com/the-true-cost-of-a-high-speed-rail-for-the-us-is-
more-than-500-billion-2009-5>.