Arctic directory 2019: Alaska Railroad, one of the last full service railways in the U.S.

Company plays a critical role in moving natural resources, freight and passengers throughout Alaska

Petroleum News

Q. What is the official name of your company?

A. Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC)

Q. Is your firm a subsidiary or affiliate of other companies? If so, please name those firms and their relationship to your company.

A. Although owned by the State of Alaska, ARRC operates as a self-sustaining business.

Q. What do you most want people to know about your company?

A. At ARRC, we embrace a mission to promote Alaska’s economic well-being through efficient, safe and customer-centric train services that move people and freight. We also facilitate economic activity through the lease and permitted use of railroad land.

Service excellence and safety are company hallmarks and are included in our core company values. Sustainability, integrity and teamwork round out the values that drive how we operate and how we treat our customers and communities.

Q. Where is your company located?

A. The Alaska Railroad operates along a nearly 500-mile route. The south-end terminal in Seward includes passenger and freight dock facilities. The rail-barge dock in Whittier links us to the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico with weekly service to and from Seattle, WA, and bi-monthly service to and from Prince Rupert, BC. Anchorage is our corporate headquarters and a hub for train operations and equipment maintenance, along with a sizable land reserve. On the north end, our Fairbanks terminal is a hub for regular freight and passenger train operations, and also includes an equipment maintenance complex and land reserve.

Q. What year was the company founded and by whom?

A. The Alaska Railroad was built by the U.S. government from 1914 – 1923. The State of Alaska purchased the railroad in 1985 for $22.3 million.

Q. What is your company’s primary business activity?

A. Rail transportation is our core business. Annually, our trains move more than half million people and haul about 5 million tons of freight.

Q. Are there important projects the company is currently a part of or has done recently?

A. By 2020, ARRC will wrap up a $182 million project to implement positive train control. PTC is a federally mandated fail-safe system designed to prevent accidents caused by human error.

Q. How many employees does your company have?

A. ARRC has about 550 employees year-round, and 670-700 during the peak summer season, May through September.

Q. Describe the equipment your company uses and are there any new equipment purchases planned?

A: LOCOMOTIVES: Train-moving power comes from 28 SD70MACs (4000 horsepower), 15 GP40-2 (3000 hp) and 8 GP38 (2,000 hp) locomotives.

FREIGHT: Equipment to haul freight is described in a fact sheet online at https://www.alaskarailroad.com/sites/default/files/Communications/2018_Freight_Business_or.pdf

Equipment most often used to meet freight customer needs: Tank cars move liquid bulk cargo, including petroleum products; Flat cars move trailers and containers, pipe, lumber, and heavy equipment that support industry; Hopper cars move bulk solids, primarily coal and gravel; Boxcars move a variety of commodities including lumber, paper and drilling mud; Gondolas move metal products (such as pipe, sheet pile, and rebar) to the north, while scrap gets moved south.

For the future, ARRC’s 2019 capital plans call for purchasing more flat cars. Several will be equipped with electrical power to accommodate refrigerated loads. If business demands and partners align, the railroad could transport LNG with equipment that is purchased, leased or owned by a third-party. In 2015, the Alaska Railroad became the nation’s first railroad approved to haul LNG by rail, and in2016 ARRC demonstrated that ability by transporting LNG from Anchorage to Fairbanks repeatedly using two 40-foot LNG ISO cryogenic containers on loan from manufacturer Hitachi.

PASSENGER: Equipment to carry passengers includes low-level dome coaches with table seating, vista dome coaches, coaches with reclining seats, bi-level luxury dome coaches, dining cars, baggage cars, business cars for groups, and a self-propelled bi-level car. A detailed list is outlined in a passenger business fact sheet online at https://www.alaskarailroad.com/sites/default/files/Communications/2018_Passenger_Business_or.pdf

Regularly scheduled passenger trains offer the public an ultra-scenic and relaxing way to travel between hubs in Seward, Whittier, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks, and communities in between, including Girdwood, Portage, Wasilla, Palmer, Talkeetna and others. Year-round transportation services include trains running daily mid-May to mid-September, and trains running mid-week and on weekends mid-September to mid-May.

Winter passenger service has expanded significantly in recent years to include longer trains, and more frequent trains, particularly over the holiday break, and February through March to accommodate spring break and many community winter activities and events.

Businesses and organizations can rent a railcar or charter a train for team, leadership, and other employee or business gatherings. The restored historical Denali Car and the luxury business Aurora Car offer exceptional meeting venues.

A. Trains are ideal for safely and efficiently moving heavy, bulky freight, ranging from natural resources to containerized cargo to heavy equipment.

Few modes of travel can rival passenger trains, which offer a relaxing, scenic and adventurous way to see Alaska.

Q. Does your company have an anniversary or other landmark event coming up?

A. 2023 will mark 100 years serving Alaska.

Q. What is the average length of time employee’s work for the company?

A. The average is 11.4 years, however, many employees serve for decades. Two of our railroaders – a railcar mechanic and a conductor – each marked 50 years in 2018.

Q. Has your company been involved in any community projects or charity events?

A. Annually, the railroad donates over $1 million in in-kind rail transportation. More than 400 nonprofits statewide benefit from donated rail tickets, posters and Denali Car use.

Q. What is the address of your company’s Web site?

A. www.AlaskaRailroad.com