FAIRBANKS -- A plan by the Alaska Railroad that could reduce train times from Anchorage to North Pole and reduce the number of rail crossing by avoiding downtown areas is being studied by locals and railroad officials in Fairbanks.
The $72 million to $90 million plan, called the Fairbanks Bypass Realignment Study, would reduce curves and replace track in Fairbanks and North Pole. The plan is to cut several hours off the trip to Anchorage from the Williams refinery in North Pole.
Currently the plan is to run the trackssfrom the Parks Highway near University and Chena Pump roads to the levy southeast of Fairbanks International Airport, then along the levy and over to North Pole, said Johne Binkley, a member of the Alaska Railroad Corp. board of directors.
Binkley, who has made presentations about the plan to the Fairbanks North Star Borough transportation committee, says the project will increase safety for Fairbanks residents by reducing 48 at-grade rail crossing in the borough..
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Binkley
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"Due to a change in our service, we no longer need to do our switching near downtown," Binkley said. More than 80 percent of the railroad's business is from the Williams refinery in North Pole.
The plan will also use existing spur tracks and will add a switching yard near the Van Horn Road industrial area.
The industrial area in Fairbanks used to be near downtown by the Chena River, but has moved south toward the Tanana River, so this makes sense for several reasonss
One of the reasons is the federally mandated Track to Trail program that will add new access for mountain bike, snowmachine or horseback riding trails on the existing track corridors once the new track is in place.
"This is good idea. A lot of people in Fairbanks hate those trains," said Gilbert Hoyos, who owns a business two blocks from the railroad tracks in East Fairbanks.
Fewer crossings will mean faster transit time from place to place in Fairbanks, Binkley adds.
Part of the railroad's plan includes removing a loop of track through downtown Nenana along the banks of the Tanana to a city-owned plot of land south of town and north of the Nenana Airport, according to Binkley. The proposed track corridor will allow direct access to a local health facility where vehicles now are often blocked by a long line of tank cars whenever a train goes by.
A plan to straighten track and build a commuter depot east of Lake Lucille is also part of the railroad's plan, but those are separate projects from the Fairbanks realignment study.
"We are trying to cut down on our dog chasing so that we can use one crew on a run, which will save the railroad money," Binkley said. Dog chasing is a railroad term for a crew change out. U.S. Department of Transportation regulations state that crews may not work more than 12 hours daily for safety reasons.
The runs that include up to 100 fuel tank cars between Fairbanks and Anchorage are currently averaging 13 hours. By streamlining the track along the railbelt, two and half to three hours could be saved -- thus eliminating the need for an expensive second crew.
The study, which includes four different plans, is contracted to Peratrovich Nottingham and Drage Inc. It will also eliminate the railroad bridge over the Chena River and trackage within Fort Wainwright.
Federal funding for the project will require state matches, according to Binkley, but the exact amount won't be available until one of the four options is chosen.
