Alaska Railroad is Back on Track After Earthquake

Alaskans pitch in to get the train up and running

The Alaska Railroad has restored all regularly scheduled freight and passenger services as of last Tuesday, Dec. 4, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that fanned out across Southcentral Alaska on Friday, Nov. 30.

As a result, the Alaska Railroad had to suspend regularly scheduled services to check for damages. With nearly 500 miles of track, there was bound to be damage to sections of track. Some sections were totally impassable.

Railroaders from across the state banded together to do the necessary repairs to get the train up and running. Repairs were needed on tracks, bridges and facilities along the routes.

On Monday, just barely three days following the massive quake, the Alaska Railroad sent out their first trains and successfully rode the entire length of the tracks from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Freight services have also been restored.

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Just in time for its first-Thursday-of-the-month run, the Winter Hurricane Turn Train returns to service on December 6. This weekend, the Aurora Winter Trains are also back in service traveling northbound from Anchorage to Fairbanks on Saturday and returning on Sunday through March. Holiday Trains have also resumed service.

The Alaska Railroad ticketing office is now open to assist passengers with questions and to rebook or refund tickets that may have been canceled while trains were out of service.