Anchorage -- The Alaska Railroad Corporation's plan to build a $28M train depot at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport raises serious concerns. Upon review of the study done for the railroad concerning projected ridership and the financial viability of the project, some serious questions exist.

The railroad's project analysis references a recent article in the Railway Gazette that notes there are dozens of rail links operating in other cities and more planned for the future. What is not mentioned is the overall disappointment of the rail link experience. In a Wall Street Journal entitled "Airport Rail Links Misconnect With Fliers", a reoccurring fact was how in many cities the thought of racing to the airport in a speeding train has become only a dream. It says that problems from slow trains, too many stops, not enough stops, the need for bus connections, poor baggage space and infrequent service has made most of the links unattractive to travelers. Philadelphia, a city with a population 15 times that of Anchorage, has service only once every half-hour which makes waiting for the train longer than the drive from downtown.

The ARRC assumes that the main supporter of the $28 million project will be cruise ship passengers. However, cruise line companies will tell you that motor coach transfers are the cheapest and most efficient way to transport passengers due to their volume and varying flight times. A letter from one company states, "the existing ARRC depot at Ship Creek is not adequate for collecting cruise passengers and their baggage," which means in addition to the $28 million for the airport spur, the ARRC will have to invest millions more in improvements to handle cruise passengers. All of this for a market that exists for only 5 months of the year.

The report further states that by the year 2004, a total of 80,000 residents will be using the rail to get to the airport annually. It is assumed that these passengers would buffer the winter months to make up for the absence of summer cruise ship or charter traffic. This number represents approximately 6,600 residents per month utilizing this service. The report fails to identify how and why these 80,000 local residents are going to access the airport rail service. In fact, the report goes so far as to mention that although 8,200 people work at the airport, "it appears that the schedules of workers and the locations where they live are not conducive to mass transit". Also, the much anticipated return of People Mover bus service to the airport several years ago has proved that mass transit is unappealing to airport employees. "People Mover reports that the airport route is one of the lowest in terms of ridership per hour". The problem lies in the fact that all of the 8,200 people don't work at the terminal. Most of these employees would have to find some way to get from the depot at the airport to the front door of their business, some which are located a considerable distance from the terminal.

So if not employees then whom? How about the family of four heading off for a week vacation? Once again the analysis raises questions. The Origin and Destination Study mentions that residents make an estimated 36,000 one way trips to the airport each week. It goes on to state, "However, a vast majority of these trips originate from neighborhoods or districts that are distant from rail lines and depots (existing or planned)". The analysis concludes by stating, "Airport employees travel to and from the airport at different times and live in many different areas, suggesting that ridership on any commuter line would be low at any given point in time". If you inserted the word "Local residents" in place of "Airport employees", the conclusion remains the same.

Additionally, the $28M price tag pays for only the rail station at the airport. Area tracks and roads would still need to be re-aligned for rail traffic accessing the airport. At a recent public hearing, the AKRR laid out options for the track running down International Airport Road to the airport. This portion alone will require another $18M in improvements.

The Alaska Railroad, although having a tumultuous time in the past year, remains a valuable state asset. However, this does not mean that now is the time to be building speculative projects. This rail station is not economically practical and will actually inconvenience travelers. The construction of the airport depot will result in a loss of valuable short term parking spaces, which will cause travelers to park at greater distances from the terminal. Unfortunately, all of the evidence in the world that casts serious questions on the practicality and profitability of this proposed project is probably not enough to stop the poor use of $28 million in tax payer dollars.

[Andrew Halcro is a member of the Alaska State Legislature representing the Sand Lake & Dimond High area.]

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