JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska state legislator has reintroduced a bill that would require the state to sell the Alaska Railroad.
House Bill 120 was introduced late last month by Rep. Kevin McCabe (R-Big Lake). It would require the state’s governor to request proposals to purchase the railroad and related assets by June 15, 2026, with a sale to be finalized by Feb. 15, 2027.
It is the second straight year legislation has been introduced to compel sale of the railroad. Last year, HB 332 was introduced by Rep. Jesse Sumner (R-Wasilla), which would have required the sale to be completed in less than a year [see “Bill seeks privatization of Alaska Railroad,” Trains News Wire, March 25, 2024].
During a hearing on that bill — which was opposed by the railroad, and eventually died in committee — McCabe, who was then the chair of the Transportation Committee, was critical of the railroad’s failure to help develop the state’s resources.
The railroad, completed by the federal government, was transferred to state ownership in 1985.
If you privatized the ARR and quit subsidizing local air service there might not be too many people that could afford to live there outside of Anchorage and Fairbanks, besides the oil field areas.
I would like to believe that privatization of the Alaska RR would accelerate the proposed Alaska to Alberta (A2A) project.
Which would require public funding…