Railroad expects service to resume tomorrow

The Alaska Railroad expects to have passenger service running north of Talkeetna by Wednesday, according to a statement released Monday.

On Saturday, an ice jam near Curry backed up the Susitna River onto the railroad tracks near rail mile 250. One passenger train had to return to Talkeetna, and its passengers were taken by bus to their destinations in Denali and Fairbanks.

As the water receded, crews worked throughout the weekend to assess damage to the tracks.

In a statement on Monday, Railroad External Affairs Director Tim Sullivan said nearly a thousand feet of track had been pushed off the track bed by as much as twenty-five feet in places. In addition, river water scoured away ballast on the track bed.

Sullivan says the railroad expects to resume freight service on Tuesday, and that passenger service should be available in time for the first Denali Star train of the season on Wednesday.