Imagine 2040. Travelers between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia, zip along in ultrafast trains, as a newly finished transnational system unites a vast “megaregion.”  That’s the vision in a new study released by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Big-picture argument: fast trains good. Details? This super-preliminary study alone weighs in at 400 pages. Some of its standout numbers:

250 MPH

Potential top speeds for trains linking the “Cascadian megaregion’s” major cities

60–90

Approx. travel time, in minutes, between Portland and Seattle on high-speed system

160K

New jobs high-speed rail could generate, directly and indirectly

6M

Metric tons of CO₂ emissions that could be avoided over 40 years

3.1M

Estimated annual riders

$24–42B

Estimated system construction costs

ALMOST ALL

Intercity air travel high-speed rail could replace in the region