Alaskology : Rain troubles train travelers

Alaskology

About the blog: Alaska is a wonderful and fascinating place. Whether its backcountry hiking, coastline kayaking or dining on a downtown deck, there truly is something for everyone. This blog picks up where the annual Daily News Visitors' Guide leaves off. The guide is published in late April, but that's just when summer fun starts heating up. Throughout the year, we hope to give readers a look at Alaska through local eyes. The blog also serves as a calendar of what's going on, a place to look for some outstanding vacation deals and other cool stuff. We invite your comments and your questions. E-mail me at alaskology@adn.com.
About me: I live in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, and I served as the special sections editor at the Anchorage Daily News for nine years. My wife and I have been Alaska residents since 2000 and never plan to leave.

Rain troubles train travelers

Posted by Alaskology

Posted: July 29, 2009 - 12:30 pm

This photo provided by the Alaska Railroad shows a small rockslide just north of Seward that is keeping some trains from heading out on the tracks.

After a beautiful couple months of summer, July is going out as a soggy mess. There has been plenty of rain the past few days and that has resulted in some problems, particularly on the Kenai Peninsula.

Some of the rivers and streams on the Kenai are running high, so anglers should be careful. Additionally, a rock slide closed a portion of the Alaska Railroad. Below is a press release that details what’s being done.

If you’re in Alaska, take care and hope for better weather.

-- Steve

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) will continue to provide motorcoach transportation instead of rail transportation between Anchorage and Seward at least through Friday, July 31. Suspended train movement is due to a rock slide at the mouth of a small rail tunnel near railroad milepost 11, just north of Seward.

Motorcoaches will leave at 6:45 a.m. from the Ship Creek Historic Depot in lower downtown Anchorage. The return trip will depart from Seward at 6:00 p.m. Travelers originally scheduled to ride the Coastal Classic train to Seward can get information regarding train schedules from the Alaska Railroad reservations line at (907) 265-2494 or 1-800-544-0552. The Glacier Discovery train traveling between Anchorage, Whittier, Portage and Grandview is not affected.

Railroad operations managers and engineers are on site assessing the situation and developing a comprehensive plan to shore up the shifting slope. “The safety of our passengers and employees is paramount,” said Chief Operations Officer Earnest Piper, who is on scene. “Our goal is to determine the extent of the slope destabilization and provide a lasting solution.”

Heavy rainfall and increasing flooding in the area are being considered in the engineers’ assessment and recommendation. Heavy equipment and crews are also on-site to assist with the assessment and clean-up. Duration of track closure is pending findings from the on-site evaluation.