ALASKA RR EXTENTION- 1,187 MILES OF NEW TRACK INTO CANADA

[passengerfan]

In answer to the question about ARR cars showing up in lower 48 it does happen but rarely mostly you find cars from the lower 48 operating to Alaska by barge from Seattle or Vancouver. It is easier to assign a back load to one of these cars than return the car to the lower 48 empty and Cheaper.

[Anonymous]

When it comes to freight, whats up there in Alaska that would offer an expansion of this magnitude?

Is there really that much oil and seafood or are we down here in the lower 48 going back to ice boxes[(-D]

[Anonymous]

If this is built who would have control of it the Alaskan railroad or CN.

[Anonymous]

BC Rail has graded most of the ROW and laid track part of the way for their Dease Lake extension. Work on this extension was stopped when there was a change of government in Victoria. I have heard that even if the line is completed the Dease Lake line will NOT be the connection to Alaska. Does anyone ynow why? Mountains? Or what? Even my contact, the former CFO of BC Rail does not know why.

[FJ and G]

Ooops.

Last thought.

3. Wonder if the cruise lines will oppose this move

[FJ and G]

1. This development was proposed decades ago. I'm hoping this moves forward quickly. Next, an extension to Vladivostok!

2. Question: do Alaska RR freight cars ever wind up in lower 48 (not as in car delivery but in revenue service)

Dave Vergun

[Anonymous]

Any way you look at the proposed line the civil engineering would be paradise for both young and older techs and tradespersons. A few things I do believe we do know; First it will not be cheap nor will it be fast, but it does sould like a LOT OF FUN for the construction minded

[TH&B]

Well I would think that a rail route to Alaska would be a boon to Alaska. Hopefully but the margins are smaller, it would help the lower 48 as well, and ultimately Canada and even the world.

As has been seen before it would benifit all involved in the long run, it's just a matter of doing it.

[Modelcar]

....That at least sounds like a feasible idea but I wonder how much max grades are included on the A/Can way.....Perhaps the rail route could at least use some of the highway alignment RoW.

[Kozzie]

Good news! I'm wondering if even part of the alignment built for the AlCan could also be used for the new rail corridor? Depends of course on many things but that has been done in some places to avoid large earth excavations etc etc...what do you "locals" think? [:)]

Dave
(Kozzie)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSSHEGEWISCH

Food for thought: How much demand would there be for an all-rail route to Alaska? The competition would consist primarily of the existing steamship lines, the handful of carferry operators and the Alaska Marine Highway (auto ferries). I'm not sure that an all-rail route could get enough traffic to justify the huge initial cost and high M/W costs.

To take a spin on your comment, how big a difference would a permanent rail line make that went into Alaska and the Canadian North?

It could very well open up the North to immigration with more people moving up there to live, and bring down the cost of transporation making it cheaper and easier to live up North.......Who knows what kind of econmoic benefits this could have that would spin off.....

Think of it, it could be just like when the Railways first went across North America and the West was settled and is now a very populated, prospering part of North America.....

Of course on the other hand perhaps none of this would happen........I know I wouldn't want to live up there.....

Build it and they will come [?]

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Food for thought: How much demand would there be for an all-rail route to Alaska? The competition would consist primarily of the existing steamship lines, the handful of carferry operators and the Alaska Marine Highway (auto ferries). I'm not sure that an all-rail route could get enough traffic to justify the huge initial cost and high M/W costs.

[arbfbe]

The BCR has had ideas to build into Alaska fro some time now. Their Dease Lake extension was the closest they have gotten so far and that line is mostly out of service. The largest problem is building across the permafrost and tundra sections and the instability of the track structures there. Things tend to move around a lot when the temperatures warm up and heavy trains are placed upon them. It is not impossible to build a line in these areas but it will be very expensive to make them stable and reliable.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jcrate

When does Alaska Rail go West to Russia; I have heard in the past that this was under consideration.''?
JCrate

Only during the winter when the pacific freezes over.

[jcrate]

When does Alaska Rail go West to Russia; I have heard in the past that this was under consideration.''?
JCrate

[rrnut282]

The last paragraph at http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/5127985p-5056775c.html says it is only a study at this time and it will include looking at a pipeline, so don't look for too many unit tank trains, just yet. This would help to most Alaskans get goods delivered much cheaper than they do now. Don't forget for this to happen, two federal and two regional governments all will have to agree what to do and agree on how to pay for it.

[Modelcar]

....I'm sure we all agree it is an obvious move that should be completed. The subject has been kicked around for years...I remember of reading in TRAINS some time ago of efforts in the past that have been started...with some RoW already at least partly graded. Let's hope the project can overcome political and governmental quagmires this time. One would think it should really make sense to have such a line connecting the '48 as it doesn't have too much competition.
And as mentioned above the A/CAN highway was quickly built almost 60 years ago and the construction methods available now should exceed that by far. Wonder what kind of problems this climate provokes to lay continous rail as far as temp. brackets are concerned...? If it must be done in winter....Wow...! Anyway we have cement ties and other inovations, etc. now...New technology should allow a first class railroad to be built .....Good communications with signaling etc. avail. now too...GPS...The whole gauntlet of new stuff.....

[JoeKoh]

Very interesting.Hope it works out
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trip66

the NEWS section of www.alaskarails.org

Thank-you Tripp, I read it and look forward to hearing more[8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trip66

the NEWS section of www.alaskarails.org

[Anonymous]

the NEWS section of www.alaskarails.org

[Anonymous]

check out www.alaskarails.org for more info!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Does our editor (Trains Mag) wi***o weigh in on this subject? Some additional information might be of great interest to us in the forum

[Willy2]

That's fantastic news! I almost never hear of new track being built anywhere. 1,187 miles is a lot of track. The more the better.

Willy

[passengerfan]

Having driven the AlCan both in winter and summer it would sure be nice to see a rail line built through this some of the most beautiful and unspoiled land left in North America. It would certainly help in bringing settlement to this the last frontier in North America. A rail connection to the lower 48 would bring the cost of food and other products down dramatically. I suspect the real reason for the talk of extending the ARR has to do with oil. Alaska or the BC coast could not cope with another oil spill the size of the Valdez accident. Prince William Sound has still not fully recovered from that spill and some experts believe it will be at least twenty more years before the effects of that spill are finally erased. A train spill would be on a much smaller scale and easier to clean up. If the remaining oil leases yield the expected oil it is hoped is their than our dependence on arab oil will be far less than today. The timber stands alone along the right of way of a rail extension should bring the cost of building new homes down dramatically. The ALCAN was built in a year during WW II and that was with old equipment with modern equipment and building methods how long should the extension take? If the two governments can get behind the proposed route then it should be completed in less than a year.
And how many jobs will be created? My guess is thousands. And many of the railroad builders will probably stay on as that country has a way of growing on you. The lumber and mining prospects alone in this area should be enough reason alone to go ahead. It is well known that their are huge coal reserves in parts of Alaska, the Yukon and Northern British Columbia. Probably the coal reserves will dwarf Montana and Wyoming in their size. Having spent a great deal of time travelling the ALCAN i meant many of the locals and fell in love with the country. This is truly America's last frontier and a completed railroad would be the very incentive needed to settle this region and bring hardy homesteaders to what is truly gods country.

[Anonymous]

That's awsome.

It's not too often we see new RRs getting built anymore.

Neat to see the contiuned trend of North to South vs. the old East to West, looks like that trend is now being taken to the extreme.

[kenneo]

Check in the archives of the TRAINS News. Railroad now extends as far as Eleson AFB and is going to extended to Delta Jct. ( Fort Greely) to haul military personel training and working there so that the military doesn't need to drive them over Alaska's section of the AlCan. Total distance from Wainwright to Greely is about 90 miles and Alaska needs to build about 80 more to complete the distance.

[Train Guy 3]

Thats a lot of track, 1,187 miles to the east. Im eastbound and down .....

[M636C]

We've just shown how it can be done in Australia!

But agreement between Governments took years, and that was just between Federal and State governments!

Peter