Council to discuss future of historic railroad track

PALMER — Walking through downtown Palmer it’s hard to miss the rusted railroad tracks and torpid train that once provided the bustling city with trusted transportation and recreation. After years of limited use members of the Palmer City Council and Alaska Railroad hope to figure out what the future holds for the historical track.

“Having a track there lends itself to possibilities,” said Tim Thompson, External Affairs Manager for the Alaska Railroad. “The question is will there be a need and use in the future for a railroad in downtown Palmer?”

Palmer City Council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Palmer City HAll to debate that question. Not only is the future of the railroad an issue, but the present state of the railroad will also be addressed.

“The condition of the track is not good,” Palmer City Manager Tom Healy said.

In certain cases, some residents and public entities see the railroad as inconvenient, he said. Early this summer residents voiced concerns about how difficult it is for people in wheelchairs to navigate the tracks.

When a railroad is constructed, a gap is placed between the track and the pavement, Thompson said. This ensures the wheels on the train remain on the track, but it creates a place where something like the small wheel of a wheelchair can get stuck.

“There is no real solution for that,” he said. “This isn’t just a problem in Palmer, it’s a problem across the nation.”

The school district also vocalized it’s problems with the railroad, Healy said. While only one train uses the track once a year for the Colony Days Holiday Train event, school busses must stop at the tracks every day. This causes major traffic congestion at the intersection of West Evergreen Street and South Colony Way.

The track needs to be repaired, but at this stage public entities are merely discussing available options, Healy said. The city hopes to gain valuable public involvement at Tuesday’s meeting.

“It’s a important community decision,” he said

Some community members have concerns about the railroad, but a majority of what Healy hears about the railroad is positive.

“The community likes having the railroad,” he said. “There is a lot of history behind it.”

Rachel House, a Palmer resident, finds the history of the railroad in downtown Palmer interesting, but she said the railroad lacks one important thing.

“The whole experience would be better if the train came into town more than once a year,” she said.

When visitors and residents enter downtown Palmer they are reminded of a time when the railroad was a vital part of transportation in the Valley. Although the downtown railroad isn’t a crucial factor of the city’s operations, it remains a representation of its past.

Contact Chris Gillow at 352-2284 or chris.gillow@frontiersman.com.