(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) – Tomorrow, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF), will host the first meeting of the newly-formed Governor’s Commuter Rail Advisory Task Force. The task force was established by Governor Bill Walker in January 2018 to determine the feasibility of a commuter rail service connecting Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

“Alaska is drastically underserved in transportation alternatives. Every day 50,000 drivers commute on the Glenn Highway,” said DOT&PF Commissioner Marc Luiken. “This task force will explore the option for a safe and affordable transportation alternative for these commuters. If we are successful there will be multiple benefits: less time behind the wheel, fewer drivers on the Glenn Highway, and possibly more housing options for Alaskans who want to purchase an affordable home in the Mat-Su, but love their job in Anchorage.”

The Commuter Rail Advisory Task Force will meet Friday, March 9, 2018, from 1-3 p.m. at Anchorage City Hall, 632 West 6th Ave, in the Mayor’s Conference Room 830. The meeting is open to the public. To access the meeting by teleconference call (907) 266-2455.

The task force will draw from prior research conducted by DOT&PF as well as information from the Alaska Railroad Corporation and other sources.

Results of the study will determine estimates of initial and ongoing capital costs, expected operating costs, potential ridership, a recommended governance structure, and economic benefits of a commuter rail such as saving on road maintenance. Initial findings are due to the governor no later than May 31, 2018.

For more information about the task force: www.alaska.gov/go/J6F4.

To view the meeting agenda: www.alaska.gov/go/FJG5.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 35 communities along 3,500 marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

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