VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A project near the Port of Vancouver, Wash., has won $15 million of the $2 billion in federal high-speed rail money divvied up around the country.
The awards announced Monday distributed money that had been designated for a now-canceled rail line in Florida.
The Washington state Transportation Department says the $15 million will go toward a freight spur line that would keep certain cargo trains off the mainline tracks, thus reducing delays on the Amtrak Cascades corridor between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. State officials say the port will supply $18.3 million in matching funds.
The Seattle Times says the state unsuccessfully sought $10 million to design mudslide-control projects for an area north of Seattle. Mudslides in that corridor often cancel Amtrak and Sound Transit trips.
