Alaska's Railroad Has Little In Common With Amtrak

A columnist chides Alaska's Transportation Secretary's criticism of Amtrak, saying the state has its own issues with rail service.

1 minute read

July 10, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

By Brenda Meyer


"After riding the train from the downtown depot to the airport depot (a scenery-packed trip that took 21 minutes), Mineta praised Alaska's privately operated railroad as a subsidy-free model for the rest of the country. He called Amtrak a 'dysfunctional monopoly' in need of reform, and he hailed the Alaska Railroad as a prototype for inter-city rail travel in the rest of the country.

...But mostly the Alaska Railroad hauls freight. Of the $129.5 million in revenue the railroad pulled in last year, $89.5 million came from freight. That's why touting the Alaska Railroad as a model for Amtrak isn't fair."

Thanks to Brenda Meyer

Friday, July 8, 2005 in Anchorage Daily News

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