Committee hears support for Port McKenzie, Northern Rail extensions; amendment deadline set

The House Transportation Committee on April 22, 2025, heard invited testimony and public comment backing House Joint Resolution 14, which urges completion of the Port McKenzie rail extension and the Northern Rail extension. The committee set an amendment deadline of Wednesday, April 23, at 5 p.m. and temporarily set the resolution aside.

The resolution, introduced by Representative McCabe, calls for state support for two rail projects the sponsor and supporters say would expand Alaska’s freight capacity, improve transportation efficiency and support national defense interests. "The Alaska Railroad has long been clear in its support of expanded rail infrastructure in Alaska in general and these 2 extension projects in particular," said Megan Clemens, external affairs director for the Alaska Railroad, during invited testimony.

Why it matters: committee members and railroad witnesses said the projects are large, costly and would require federal, state and local partners. Representative McCabe cited an updated engineering estimate from the Alaska Railroad’s consultants estimating roughly $290,000,000 to construct about 32 miles of track from Port McKenzie to just south of Houston. He and witnesses also described the Northern Rail extension as a much larger project that would extend the railroad north toward the Canadian border and likely cost multiple billions of dollars.

Megan Clemens told the committee the railroad has taken steps beyond testimony, including hiring an outside engineering firm to update estimates, submitting federal grant applications and advancing a congressional earmark request. "We've submitted competitive federal grant grama in support of completing the Port McKenzie Rail Extension and phase 2 of the Northern Rail Extension," Clemens said. She also said the railroad has been working with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Representative McCabe to identify potential customers and, if no anchor tenant emerges, to pursue a funding strategy that would include a federal grant application and a borough request for non-federal matching funds.

Committee members pressed for cost and scope details. Clemens described the Northern Rail extension as about 89 miles from the railroad’s Eielson branch toward Fort Greely in the Delta Junction area and said that extension would be an important step toward any future connection to Canada. Alaska Railroad chief engineer Brian Lindemood (called into the hearing) said the distance from Delta Junction to the Canadian border would be approximately another 60–70 miles, depending on route choices. Representative McCabe told the committee that a roughly $200,000,000 bridge is already in place on the Northern extension alignment.

Representative Stutes and others asked about military interest; Clemens said military outreach has been part of project planning and that the bridge provides year-round access to training facilities. Representative McCabe described recent military visits and training use of Port McKenzie.

Formal actions taken in the meeting were limited to scheduling: the committee opened and closed public testimony on HJR 14, set an amendment deadline for Wednesday, April 23 at 5 p.m., and set the resolution aside for future consideration. The committee’s next stated meeting will return HJR 14 on April 24, 2025.

The committee packet included numerous letters of support filed for the record; the chair noted members had received those letters and encouraged members who need assistance drafting amendments to work with committee legal staff.