Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation
| Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | A2A Rail |
| Status | Pre-construction |
| Owner | McCoshen Group |
| Termini | |
| Connecting lines | Alaska Railroad Canadian National Railway |
| Website | https://a2arail.com/ |
| Service | |
| Type | international freight |
| Technical | |
| Track length | 1,600 mi (2,600 km) |
| Number of tracks | single with passing sidings[1] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation (also known as A2A for Alaska to Alberta) is an entity created to build, own, and operate a proposed 2,600-kilometre (1,600 mi) railroad between Delta Junction, Alaska, and Fort McMurray, Alberta.[2] The railroad was planned to interchange with and operate on part of the Alaska Railroad, in order to access Southcentral Alaska and its ports. As of 2020[update] the project was estimated to cost CA$20 billion.[2][non-primary source needed] A rival enterprise, G7G Railway, estimated in 2020 the capital cost to be just under US$20 billion. They proposed shipping oil, via the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, from rail cars in Delta Junction to the coast.[3]
In 2021, the company was put in receivership and the project was on hold due to financial irregularities between the A2A president and main financial backer Bridging Finance.[4]
Route
The proposed A2A railway would have connected to the Alaska Railroad at Delta Junction, Alaska, and run through the Yukon to Fort Nelson, British Columbia, and from there to a terminus at Fort McMurray, Alberta.[5] The A2A Railway had also been negotiating with the Mat-Su Borough on an agreement to complete the Port Mackenzie Railway Extension.[3]
Planning and construction
The Van Horne Institute studied the route in 2013.[6][7] A survey of the proposed route by the development corporation began in July 2020.[8]
On September 25, 2020, US President Donald Trump announced he would issue a presidential permit to the railway,[1] which had an agreement with Alaska Railway[9] to develop a joint operating plan for the rail connection to Canada.
In July 2020, the company expected to start early field activities and detailed engineering design by Q1 2021.[10][needs update] Construction is expected to take three years.[1]
Bridging Finance and receivership
In 2021, the Ontario Securities Commission began investigating irregularities in the business dealings between the main financier of the A2A project, Bridging Finance, and A2A's president, Sean McCoshen. With the investigation underway, both Bridging Finance and the Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation were placed under receivership, with McCoshen no longer appearing on the A2A website as an officer of the company. Work on the project is on hold until new financing can be found, with the project in danger of being abandoned.[4]
See also
- Canada–Alaska Railway — early concepts for similar routes
- Rail transport in Canada
- Rail transportation in the United States
References
- ^ a b c "Trump gives approval for Alberta-Alaska rail line to move resources". Must Read Alaska. September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "Our Railway". A2A Rail.com. Alaska to Alberta Rail. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Anderson, Dennis. "Is Alberta to Alaska Railway Port Mac's Sugar Savior?". frontiersman.com. Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Ellis, Tim. "'Boondoggle': financial woes may jeopardize proposed Alaska-Canada railroad project". KTOO. KUAC-Fairbanks. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "Ambitious railway dream is gathering steam". Whitehorse Star. July 10, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ Azizi, Joshua (July 5, 2019). "Group aims for Canada-Alaska railway through Yukon". Yukon News. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Alberta to Alaska Railway" (PDF). Pacific NorthWest Economic Region. Van Horne Institute. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Cuenca, Oliver. "Alberta – Alaska railway surveying to proceed". International Railway Journal. International Railway Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "Engineering Spotlight: A2A Rail aims to carve out railway corridor between Alberta, Alaska". Journal of Commerce by ConstructConnect. July 15, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ "With start of surveying activities, A2A Rail achieves another development milestone". Cision. CNW Group Ltd. July 7, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.