Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, applauded the completion of the "stakeholder agreement" that will allow Washington state to begin work on high-speed rail projects in Northwest Washington. Last night, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway and Amtrak signed the "stakeholder agreement" and WSDOT signed the "cooperative agreement," which will allow the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to obligate Washington state's $590 million in high-speed rail grant funds. The remaining $161 million will be obligated by Wednesday.

"This agreement will allow Washington state to begin investing in our high-speed rail system, which will grow the economy by providing good local jobs and helping commerce and passengers travel more efficiently throughout the region," said Rep. Larsen. "I congratulate WSDOT, BNSF and Amtrak for their hard work in completing the stakeholder agreement, which will allow federal grant dollars to immediately go to work creating jobs in our local communities."

###