The housing question

The study uses Bellingham as an example of how high-speed rail would affect housing.

An average resident of Bellingham pays more than half of their $53,415 income on housing and transportation. An average Seattle resident pays $495 more per month on housing, but a smaller share (46 percent) of a higher income ($70,475). The report says bullet trains would provide Bellingham residents with access to a much larger range of job opportunities, such as higher-paying jobs in Seattle.

“Depending on the fare structure, a new service might reduce the percentage of income that workers in the smaller cities devote to housing and transportation,” the report says.

Also, bullet trains would make smaller cities like Bellingham and Olympia more attractive for employers, bring them closer to lower-priced housing for workers that would be built around new stations, according to the study. High-speed rail would “provide the swift connection to sustain business operations, but much of the workforce might live in these new communities and might not need to rely on transit or motor vehicles to get to work.”

Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville said she supports the project, in part because it would fit into the city’s strategy to add more housing.