[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2355-S2356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING ALASKA RAILROAD'S CENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY

 Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, the Alaska Railroad Corporation--
ARRC--is a renowned institution in my State, and I would like to first 
congratulate the Alaska Railroad on its 100-year birthday and take a 
few minutes to discuss the immense impact the railroad has had not only 
within Alaska, but

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also across our Nation. The Alaska Railroad, its builders, operators, 
and leaders have been foundational to Alaska's development for a 
century. Throughout its storied history, the railroad has supported war 
efforts, transported passengers between Alaska's largest cities, helped 
build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, invested in real estate, and 
facilitated tourism and commerce across miles of my State's remote and 
wild landscapes.
  It took decades of twists and turns before the Alaska Railroad 
Corporation charged forth. What would later become the ARRC laid the 
first track in Alaska in 1903, starting in Seward and extending 50 
miles north. In 1914, the U.S. Congress, acknowledging the national 
importance of expanding the railroad, funded construction and 
operations from Seward to Fairbanks at an estimated construction cost 
of $35 million.
  On July 15, 1923, President Warren G. Harding drove a golden spike 
into the ground at Nenana, uniting the track and marking the completion 
of the Alaska Railroad. During World War II, from 1940-1943, the 
railroad played a key role in moving military and civilian supplies 
that were essential in supporting the war efforts. In 1943, two tunnels 
were built through the Chugach Mountains to allow rail access to 
Whittier, a military port and fuel depot essential to the Nation's 
defense. This important partnership with the U.S. military continues to 
this day.
  In 1962, the railroad established its first car-barge service in 
Whittier, followed by train-ship service, revolutionizing Alaska by 
enabling rail cars from the lower 48 to be shipped to any point along 
the Alaska Railroad. In the early to mid-1970s, the railroad supported 
construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; shipping and storing 
pipeline between Valdez, Seward, and Fairbanks, from where it was then 
trucked to the North Slope. In 1981, the railroad entered into 
agreements with Fairbanks and Anchorage school district career centers 
for a tour guide program that trained high school students to serve as 
hosts onboard summer passenger trains.
  In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the authorization of 
the transfer of the Alaska Railroad to the State of Alaska. Shortly 
thereafter, the Alaska Railroad Corporation was born. By 1996, the ARRC 
showed a profit of $8.0 million and passenger ridership had grown to 
512,000. Former Governor Bill Sheffield became CEO in 1997. In the 
early 2000s, the Alaska Railroad Corporation's real estate operations 
exceeded $11 million in profits for the first time and a web-based 
passenger reservation system was implemented. Simultaneously, the 
Alaska Railroad began a program to reduce diesel emissions and noise. 
2003 was the railroad's most profitable and safe year in its history up 
until that point.
  In 2013, the Railroad's own Bill O'Leary was named CEO, becoming the 
first lifelong Alaskan to lead the railroad. Today, the ARRC operates a 
regularly scheduled public transportation service connecting Alaskans 
and visitors to communities from Seward to Fairbanks. Passengers gain 
access to wonderfully remote regions and areas off the road system 
including Alaska's Chugach National Forest and Denali National Park, 
which are visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually.
  Like Alaska itself, the Alaska Railroad's story is full of peaks and 
valleys. Every mile of this legendary railroad was earned through grit, 
bravery, skill and sweat. Alaska Railroad Corporation trains are iconic 
symbols, in Alaska and around the world, of the ``can do'' spirit of 
Alaskans. The railroad's irreplaceable team, as much as the iron and 
steel of the locomotives, have served as foundational infrastructure 
driving economic development in The Last Frontier. I respectfully urge 
my fellow Members of the 118th Congress to join the proud Members of 
the Alaska Delegation in congratulating and thanking the Alaska 
Railroad Corporation for 100 years of service to our State and to our 
Nation.

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