VANCOUVER, BC — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and British Columbia Premier John Horgan have announced a joint partnership promising open boarders, sustainability, and a commitment to making “ultra-high-speed transportation” a priority for the Pacific Northwest.

The three leaders met Tuesday for the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference, during which they signed a memorandum of understanding, promising to work together so that the “mega region” of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia can adequately address its recent “tremendous” population growth.

“The Cascadia Innovation Corridor reflects our shared belief that regional challenges and opportunities require regional solutions,” Inslee said. “We know that exchanging ideas and entrepreneurship across borders will build our economies and improve our quality of life in Washington state, British Columbia, and Oregon. We intend to do just that with the memorandum of understanding that we signed earlier today. We will coordinate with our partners on pursuing federal funding for high-speed rail and engage communities throughout our region.”

As Washington, Oregon and British Columbia’s populations have swelled over recent decades, the need for public mass transportation options have only grown, the leaders say.

“The Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference is an opportunity to advance the spirit of collaboration that has long united the Pacific Northwest,” Horgan said. “We know that British Columbia is stronger when we work together with our neighbors in the US, and we’re excited to grow as a global hub of innovation and economic opportunity.”

The proposed ultra-high-speed transportation system would link British Columbia, Washington and Oregon— potentially shrinking the commute between Portland and Seattle to an hour or less. Connecting the three could create up to $355B in economic growth for the Cascadia region, according to a 2018 study from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

“[R]ecent feasibility studies funded by Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and the private sector have demonstrated a compelling case for an Ultra-High-Speed Corridor that will create good-paying jobs, increase affordable housing options, clean our air, improve safety and reduce traffic,” the memorandum reads.

Under the agreement, the three leaders have promised to make several moves to further the cause — including reaching out for federal, state and other funding opportunities, performing public outreach, and developing an organizational framework — before meeting again sometime within the next year to discuss their next steps.

Other Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference attendees included former Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, and current President and Vice Chair of Microsoft Brad Smith, who both also expressed optimism that high-speed rail could massively benefit Washington’s economy.

“COVID-19 closed the US-Canada border for the first time in more than a century, dividing close communities and impacting our shared economy,” Gregoire said. “We need cross-border collaboration more than ever to spur regional recovery and craft a bold vision for the future of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor so that these gates never close again.”

>> Read the full Memorandum of Understanding from Inslee, Horgan and Brown.