ALASKAN EXTENSION
Posted on 22 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The US Surface Transportation Board has approved the Northern Rail Extension project of the state-owned Alaska Railroad, which is expected to provide year-round freight access to military training grounds near Delta Junction.
The 130km extension will run from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks to Delta and nearby Fort Greely. The project is expected to finish in three years and cost nearly $700m, out of which the Department of Defence is contributing $100m. The board’s written decision highlights the railroad’s plan to develop moose habitat away from the track’s 200-foot-wide right of way and to build the track in a way that makes it easy for moose to retreat from oncoming trains. The board said the plan gives the corporation “wiggle room” to design bridges and culverts to minimise impact on fisheries.
The Anchorage Daily News points out that the extension will provide an alternative route to the Richardson Highway -currently the only means of land commercial transport south of the North Pole.
Related posts:
- KRC PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PLANS
- MELBOURNE UNDERGROUND EXTENSION
- KOLKATA EXTENSION PROBLEMS
- GAUTRAIN PATRONAGE
- SAUDI TRAINSETS
- REVIVING NIGERIA’S RAILWAYS
