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An ultra-high-speed rail line linking Vancouver to Seattle and Portland would cost between $24 billion and $42 billion US and attract around 1.8 million riders per year, according to a study conducted by Washington’s department of transportation.

The study, which was done over a period of five months, was paid for with $300,000 from the state legislature and $60,000 from the private sector.

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It was presented to the legislature’s joint transportation committee on Thursday, and was released online Friday afternoon.

Photo by Ted S. Warren / AP

“It’s a big idea, to be sure, but many would say it’s an idea whose time has come and there are many compelling reasons for this,” said Charles Knutson, executive policy adviser to Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee.

“If you can just imagine being able to go from downtown Seattle to downtown Vancouver, B.C., in just over an hour, now imagine it through the Pacific Northwest.”

The study examined — but did not go into great detail on — a number of areas, such as types of technology, routes, station locations, ridership forecasts, costs, funding sources, and the challenges of crossing an international border.