JUNEAU, Alaska — A resolution calling for federal funding for two extensions of the Alaska Railroad network is dead for this year after failing to advance out of a Senate committee.
The Senate Rules Committee voted 14-6 on May 20 against advancing House Joint Resolution 14. Features of the resolution include a call for the state’s contingent in Congress to pursue federal funding for a 32-mile rail line to Port MacKenzie and the Northern Rail Extension, an 80-mile addition between North Pole and Delta Junction to serve military installations and other interests. Passage of the resolution is considered a necessary step to pursue funding such as Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants, according to Must Read Alaska.
The legislature adjourned for the year on May 20, meaning no further action can take place until legislators reconvene on Jan. 20, 2026.
The resolution had passed the state House by a 40-0 vote on May 7.
State Rep. Kevin McCabe (R-Big Lake), the bill’s lead sponsor, has pushed on several fronts for the Alaska Railroad to complete the connection to Port MacKenzie. That line has been approved, and construction began in 2012 but has halted over funding; an effort by McCabe to secure bond funding for the project was killed by the legislature last year [see “Legislative committee advances bill …,” Trains News Wire, May 15, 2024].
McCabe was also the sponsor of a bill this year calling for privatization of the Alaska Railroad [see “Alaska legislator reintroduces …,” News Wire, March 12, 2025]. That bill also failed to advance out of committee.
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