Weather impacts Alaska Railroad schedules, services

ANCHORAGE — Alaska Railroad reports that passenger and freight train traffic has had service interruptions since Tuesday due to extreme weather, including high winds and high water events.

Train traffic scheduled to travel north of Wasilla is cancelled at least through Wednesday due to damage from rivers flooding in the Mat-Su Valley. Alaska Railroad crews are addressing washouts and bridge damage in several areas impacted by high, fast water along a 70-mile stretch of the rail corridor between Willow and Gold Creek.

Susitna River basin floodwaters have washed out a 500-foot section of track at railroad milepost 261 just south of Gold Creek. Crews were staging equipment Saturday and will placing fill material Sunday morning. Repair is expected to take until Monday, depending on weather.

Several bridges are at risk between Willow and Talkeetna, with water scouring the abutments. Railroad bridges include those crossing Little Willow Creek (near Mile 73, Parks Highway), Sheep Creek (near Mile 88, Parks Highway) and Kashwitna River (near Mile 82, Parks Highway). Railroad maintenance crews are also assembling equipment and riprap material to begin fortification efforts.

The regularly scheduled Aurora winter passenger train has also been canceled this weekend.

From mid-September to mid-May, the Aurora train travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks on Saturday and returns on Sunday, offering a flagstop service in the area between Talkeetna and Hurricane along the way.

Passengers will instead be bussed from Anchorage to Fairbanks on Saturday, and from Fairbanks on Anchorage on Sunday. The Alaska Railroad is considering a special flagstop train once flooding impacts are under control.

The monthly Hurricane Turn flagstop train that travels between Anchorage and Talkeetna on the first Thursday of the month is still scheduled to operate Oct. 4. Contact the Alaska Railroad reservations number at (907) 265-2494 for travel updates.

Freight trains normally scheduled to run between Anchorage and Fairbanks will not operate until damage to the track and bridges are repaired.

The Alaska Railroad corridor between Anchorage and Seward and Whittier remains open. Minor washouts that have occurred in the Seward area in the last several days have been repaired.