(Photo Supplied: The proposed route of the Alberta to Alaska railway. VAN HORNE INSTITUTE / WEB)
Following last month’s Van Horne Institute study showing there’s merit to the idea of a railway linking Fort McMurray to the port of Valdez in Alaska a rail company is launching a feasibility study to look into the idea, according to the Canadian Press.
G Seven Generations is looking at a railway that would run from Fort McMurray to Delta Junction, in the Alaskan interior, to connect with an existing pipeline to bring the oil to port.
In total, the railway would run 2,400 kilometres and the company is working with First Nations and offering them a 50 per cent equity ownership stake in the project.
G Seven Generations’ CEO, Matt Vickers, has northwestern B.C. First Nations routes and said it is essential to consult with indigenous peoples along the proposed route for the railway right from the very beginning. He has said the support from communities has been strong and the project has received an endorsement from the Assembly of First Nations.
The Van Horne Institute study found as much as 1.5 million barrels a day could be shipped along this route at a cost of $34 billion.
The next step will be for G Seven Generations to run a feasibility study to narrow down the railway’s precise route. It will require air surveying and Vickers told the Canadian Press he wants to see the study underway before the leaves return to the trees this spring in order to have a better view of the terrain.
