Bill seeks privatization of Alaska Railroad

A yellow and blue locomotive rolls along under blue partly cloudy skies with golden vegetation in the foreground

JUNEAU, Alaska — A state legislator has introduced a bill calling for privatization of the Alaska Railroad — although even the bill’s sponsor says the purpose is as much about inspiring discussion as it is about potentially triggering a sale. HB 332, introduced by Rep. Jesse Sumner (R-Wasilla), calls for the state’s governor to request […]

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Five mind-blowing facts — Alaska Railroad

Blue and yellow passenger train with mountains in the background.

U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward must have thought he was making the real estate deal of a lifetime — 600,000 square miles for a cost of less than two cents an acre. That is the price Seward negotiated with Edouard de Stoecki, Russian minister to the U.S., for the purchase of what would […]

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Travel with Trains: Alaska 2023

With gray mountain peaks above it, a yellow and blue passenger train pulls in to a station

What’s it like to travel with Trains Magazine? Read Editor Carl Swanson’s day-by-day impressions of the 49th State. Information on all our upcoming tours is posted here. Alaska 2023 Day 1, Sunday 9/10 | Fairbanks Depending on where you live, getting to Alaska can take a while. In my case, it meant waking in time […]

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Alaska Railroad’s SD70MACs

A yellow and blue locomotive rolls along under blue partly cloudy skies with golden vegetation in the foreground

Note: This article corrects an earlier version that contained an error in the description of the SD70’s HTC-R trucks. See Comments for more information.  Alaska Railroad’s SD70MACs make up the backbone of the railroad’s freight operations and they also power all the ARR’s long-distance passenger trains — wait, isn’t the SD70MAC a freight locomotive? Although […]

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Alaska Railroad to require vaccinations

Circular Alaska Railroad logo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Telling employees it does not have a choice because of a federal executive order, the Alaska Railroad has announced a vaccine requirement for its employees and set a Dec. 8 deadline for workers to be fully vaccinated. The website Must Read Alaska has published a letter to railroad employees from CEO Bill O’Leary […]

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