GRAVEL BUSINESS GOES GANGBUSTERS - Alaska Railroad

RAIL-RELATED LEGISLATIONSession bills address extensions, bond financing3ARRC’s dock in Seward providesnew intermodal connections — fromcruise ships to buses and trainsheaded for the Anchorage airport.MAY 17TH MARKSINTERMODAL MILESTONEIntermodal improvements to theSeward passenger dock and terminalwere completed just in time toaccommodate the first cruise shiparriving May 17.Old criss-crossing tracks wereremoved from the dock surfacebefore it was repaved. The terminalfacility was upgraded toimprove security, building estheticsand the flow of passengers andbaggage transfer. Land near thedock has been cleared and leveledto provide employee and ferrypassenger parking, a staging areafor buses, and a one-way circularroadway for bus drop-off andloading.After disembarking in Seward,some cruise ship passengers arechoosing to ride the GlacierDiscovery train, which takes themdirectly to the railroad’s newdepot at the Ted StevensAnchorage International Airport.The first cruise ship train to pullinto the Bill Sheffield AnchorageAirport Rail Depot also arrivedMay 17.The 23rd Alaska State Legislature championed several issues toenhance the business and economic development climate inAlaska. In the mix were measures calling on the Alaska Railroad toextend rails to resources and authorizing the railroad to provideconduit financing to construct a gas pipeline.Specifically, the legislature passed HCR 2 by Representative BobLynn encouraging ARRC to extend rail to Fort Greely to supportmilitary, agricultural and resource development activities.Lawmakers also debated SB 31, which asks ARRC to delineate and pay tosurvey a 500-foot-wide transportation corridor to the Canadian Border toaccommodate a combination of rail, road, pipeline and communicationsuses. SB 31 remains in the Senate Finance Committee.HB 267 authorizes ARRC to issue up to $17 billion in tax-exempt bonds forconstruction of a gas pipeline from the North Slope to the Lower 48. Byusing tax-exempt bonds, industry can shave more $1 billion off the cost.VENDORS AT SHIP CREEK PLAZAPlaza vendors, shuttle offer pedestrian amenitiesA4number of vendors have hung their shingles at the Ship CreekPlaza this summer, thanks to a vendor management contract with5Anchorage Markets, which also manages the Saturday Market indowntown Anchorage. The goal is to provide the Ship Creekcommunity and visitors with daily attractions — such as food, artsand crafts — from May 19 to September 12. Vendors interestedin plaza operations should call Anchorage Markets at 273-5634.In the same vein, the railroad continues to support the ShipCreek Shuttle’s summer operations by sponsoring additional Saturdayservice from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A daily shuttle schedule isavailable at www.alaskarailroad.com/community/shuttle_schedule.htm.Vendors at the Ship Creek plaza offer food, arts and merchandise.

FAIRBANKS PLANNING CONSIDERS RAILRailroad projects to gain enhanced local public involvementAfter meeting for nearly ayear, the Fairbanks RailTask Force (RTF) is readyto move into the publicinvolvement phase thissummer. Established bythe Fairbanks North StarBorough Assembly in2002, the group has spentconsiderable time reviewing existingarea railway facilities, capacities,projects and projected needs.Topics of discussion have includedrail realignments around moreurban areas and military bases, anew satellite yard, the newintermodal facility, and the potentialfor an expanded rail network thatmay extend north, east or west.“Through the public process, wehope to gain more information onpossible alternatives,” said ARRCStrategic Planning Director BruceCarr, who represents ARRC on theRTF. “We anticipate public meetingsin September and October, a draftreport by December, and a finalreport shortly thereafter.”The task force will take public inputinto account, as it works with ARRCto formulate a long-term plan forthe future placements and functionsof the railroad in the Fairbanks areafor the next 100 years. Finalrecommendations will be forwardedto the Fairbanks Metropolitan AreaTransportation Study (FMATS)Technical Committee and to theBorough Planning Commission foradvisory review, before they areforwarded to the Assembly for finalapproval and incorporation into theborough’s Comprehensive Plan.In other Interior news, Fairbanks isnow officially recognized as aMetropolitan Planning Organization(MPO). According to Carr, who alsosits on the FMATS TechnicalCommittee, this designation willresult in better coordination withthe local community, as well asmore opportunity for public input,regarding federally-funded railroadprojects within FMATS’ boundary.As an MPO, Fairbanks develops aLong Range Transportation Plan(LRTP) and a TransportationImprovement Plan (TIP) to implementthe LRTP. Through coordinationwith FMATS, railroad projectswill now be included in these localdocuments and their associatedpublic involvement processes. Thiswill complement ARRC’s extensivepublic involvement efforts.ARRC INSPIRES THROUGH EDUCATION SYSTEMFairbanks 3rd grader’s award-winning science project features Alaska RailroadThe Alaska Railroadprovided blue-ribboninspiration for Fairbanks10-year-old Richard “Yuri”Goldsmith, whose scienceproject featured ARRC.A third-grader at AnneWien Elementary, thisyoung man’s academicpursuits come into focus when he’sable to tie them into railroadrelatedsubjects, according to hisfather. “Yuri is really into trains andhis favorite engines are the SD 70MACs,” said Jeff Goldsmith. “Wegathered most of our informationfrom the Alaska Railroad Web site.We also found some information atother various sites as well as fromthe employees of the ARRC.”ARRC has worked with severalrailbelt schools to form SchoolBusiness Partnerships through whichrailroad employee volunteerscontribute to the educationalexperience by participating in, andsupporting, school projects andfunctions. ARRC also partners withhigh school vocational institutions totrain high school juniors and seniorsas tour guides on the railroad.Fairbanks student’s rail-related scienceproject wins a blue ribbon.