The Alaska Railroad resumed its regularly scheduled
passenger service on Tuesday, four days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck
Southcentral Alaska.
The company will welcome passengers aboard its first
post-earthquake Winter Hurricane Turn Train on Thursday. Aurora Winter Train
and Holiday Train routes will operate over the weekend.
Crews inspected and completed repairs along approximately
500 miles of tracks following Friday's earthquake, and the railroad's freight
service resumed on Monday evening.
"We could not be
more pleased with the work our crews have done to get the Alaska Railroad back
up and running in just over 72 hours," said Dale Wade, the company's vice
president of marketing and customer service. "This incredible effort from
railroaders speaks to the grit and perseverance of Alaska and its people. We
are happy to be able to return to serving our passengers and freight customers
so quickly."
The Alaska Railroad ticketing office is assisting passengers
who wish to rebook tickets or request refunds for trips that were canceled
while trains were out of service.