Latest news with #AlaskaRailroad
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska Railroad work train derails north of Talkeetna with no injuries
Jun. 7—An Alaska Railroad train derailed north of Talkeetna early Friday morning with no injuries reported. Three crew members were aboard the work train at the time of the incident, according to a spokesperson for the railroad. The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear, they said. Catherine Clarke, an Alaska Railroad spokesperson, said the derailment led to a puncture on the derailed locomotive's 2,600-gallon diesel fuel tank. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is responding to the incident. "The damaged fuel tank has been secured and initial containment strategies put in place, as efforts continue to remediate the impacted site," Clarke said by email on Friday afternoon. Department of Environmental Conservation staff are coordinating with the railroad and other agencies on cleanup, officials said. In a situation report, DEC said Friday afternoon that the amount of fuel spilled "is unknown at this time." The derailment took place just after 3 a.m., approximately 22 miles north of Talkeetna on the Curry loop track — a section of the railroad that provides access to a quarry and is not accessible by road, Clarke said. The derailment occurred around 400 feet from the Susitna River. There are barriers between the fuel spill and river, DEC said. "The nearest culvert leading toward the river has been secured and blocked as a precautionary measure. No reports of impacts to surface water have been reported. No wildlife impacts have been observed," the agency said in its situation report. The Alaska Railroad typically transports around half a million passengers per year. The derailment was not expected to affect the railroad's main line, which operates trains between Fairbanks and Seward, Clarke said.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Seward Highway reopens in both directions near Girdwood after vehicle collision
May 31—A vehicle collision early Saturday on the Seward Highway near Girdwood temporarily closed the highway in both directions, police said. Anchorage police said in an online update that the crash reported around 3:53 a.m. occurred around Mile 92.5, along a stretch of the highway between Bird Point and Girdwood. Girdwood Fire and Rescue said on social media that the accident was "impacting highway and railroad." The Alaska Railroad's train tracks run parallel along much of the highway to Seward. Additional information about circumstances of the crash, including details about any injuries or fatalities, wasn't immediately available from police. The highway's closure for several hours early Saturday backed up traffic as the department's Major Collision Investigation Unit processed the scene. By 8:30 a.m., police said traffic had started moving in both directions, though one northbound lane remained closed at that point. Midtown Anchorage traffic incident Police said an earlier incident on the New Seward Highway in Midtown Anchorage around Benson Boulevard had also disrupted traffic Saturday. The incident reported around 3:05 a.m. closed northbound lanes of the highway between East 36th Avenue and East Benson Boulevard while the Major Collision Investigation Unit was processing the scene, police said in an online update. The highway was open in both directions by 10:15 a.m., police said in an alert. Additional details on this investigation weren't immediately available from the Anchorage Police Department. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
