Western Railroad Discussion > Alaska to Canada rail connection.

https://mustreadalaska.com/breaking-trump-gives-approval-for-alberta-alaska-rail-line-to-move-resources/

Posted from iPhone

Is this just a thought bubble or is there serious money willing to back the necessary studies?

The assumption here is that Alaskan oil needs a rail outlet via Canada.

It wasn't true 40 years ago when an extension of the Alaska railroad was considered, and I doubt it's true today.

But it is a follow on to opening the Arctic Wildlife preserve for drilling.

Election year bluster

Posted from Android

This is for Canada oli to get to market. and for the Alaska RR tp have a direct reil connection to the lower 48. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/20 08:18 by czuleget.

From the article: "The A2A line is a private project that has been in the works for years to build a new railway connecting the Alaska Railroad, and Alaska’s tidewater deep port in Anchorage, to northern Alberta, where oil is trapped and unable to get to market." 

So how can linking the Alaska railroad to Northern Alberta then link them both to the rest of the North American rail system? Wouldn't Northern Alberta have to already be connected? And if it is, then WHY is its oil "trapped"?

I am 84 and have been reading about plans for this all my life.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I think there might be a good market for a luxury tourist passenger train on this route, possibly in partnership with the the major cruise ship lines.

We've had this for discussion a few times in the past year or three with the keyword of A2A. Lots of discussion points were brought up.

A Megastructure series Video showed up on YT about a Civil Engineer touring a Chinese RR that went into Artic conditions and how it effected the RR, they show how the perma frost idea was dealt with. Actually quite interesting but also has a number of other conditions that effected the China operation directly. The Video answers a number of questions that came out of previous TO discussions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTSpdD6MswA
World’s Most Extreme Railway | Megastructures | Free Documentary

Here's the published A2A map, the general idea is Alaska to Alberta, or visa versa, and less the idea of connecting to the rest of the system.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/20 10:45 by TCnR.

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Alberta oil has traded at a steep discount to WTI and Brent prices for decades. Adding a $20 per barrel rail fee won't make it cheaper.

Sounds like the same game going on in the Alaskan Wild Life reserve. Some rich very connected people want the government to bail out their investment.

Posted from Android

That seems to be a common theme when building a large railroad. Don't know who gets the Land Grants on this one though.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> But it is a follow on to opening the Arctic
> Wildlife preserve for drilling.
>
> Election year bluster

I agree with that, after reading between the lines. However, the desire for drilling ties in with the way off topic realignment of the global economic order. (hint: recent peace deals)  Have to be vague - too controversial.

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> I am 84 and have been reading about plans for this
> all my life.

Hope we both live to see it built.  I think it would be great.  Hope they run a spur to Juneau while they are building.
Never thought I would live to see east end I-265 bridge built in Louisville; was in planning over 50 Yrs., but I did.
ALLEN

It is preposterous. Think about all the remote routes in the US and Canada where there isn't enough on line business to justify keeping the whole route maintained and open, like the Huron Central, where G&W just postured yet again that it will shut down. This proposed route is what, 5 times longer than the dozens of other existing routes that have been shut down? The Rio Grande comes to mind too, where the primary traffic is cyclical coal, much like this line would be cyclical oil. There is no way that is stable enough for a route that massive.

krm152 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hope we both live to see it built.  I think it
> would be great.  Hope they run a spur to Juneau
> while they are building.

What for?

inCHI Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is preposterous. Think about all the remote
> routes in the US and Canada where there isn't
> enough on line business to justify keeping the
> whole route maintained and open, like the Huron
> Central, where G&W just postured yet again that it
> will shut down. This proposed route is what, 5
> times longer than the dozens of other existing
> routes that have been shut down? The Rio Grande
> comes to mind too, where the primary traffic is
> cyclical coal, much like this line would be
> cyclical oil. There is no way that is stable
> enough for a route that massive.

Building a route SOUTH to connect with CN would be faster, easier, and cheaper.

But, it would mean gaining agreement from British Columbia to allow transport and export of oil.

That might be a tad more difficult.

Posted from Android

The proposed route is from Fort McMurray, where the oil is, across Alberta, through Fort Nelson (a CN point), follow the Alaska Highway to Watson Lake, then North along the Cambell Highway to Carmacks and then cross country to Alaska.  I have followed the route between Fort Nelson and Carmacks.  The proposed lile also crosses the CN line to Yellowknife.

Mike Root
Madras, OR

It would make an interesting long distance passenger train trip

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> krm152 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hope we both live to see it built.  I think it
> > would be great.  Hope they run a spur to
> Juneau
> > while they are building.
>
> What for?

A connection to the North American rail system will provide Juneau with a further means means for improving and expanding their economy.
ALLEN
 

krm152 Wrote:
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> A connection to the North American rail system
> will provide Juneau with a further means means for
> improving and expanding their economy.
> ALLEN

Juneau's economy (fishing, tourism, and government) does not need a multi-billion dollar railroad.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> krm152 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A connection to the North American rail system
> > will provide Juneau with a further means means
> for
> > improving and expanding their economy.
> > ALLEN
>
> Juneau's economy (fishing, tourism, and
> government) does not need a multi-billion dollar
> railroad.

Ultimately and fortunately, the entire project will not be resolved by discussions on Trainorders.com.
ALLEN