Alberta Alaska Rail Line Could be Moving Forward
Ottawa, ON – Conservative Members of Parliament Stephanie Kusie, Shadow Minister for Transport, and Eric Melillo, Shadow Minister for Northern Affairs & FedNor, issued the following statement on the A2A Rail Line:
“Conservatives are cautiously optimistic to hear a rail link between Alaska and Alberta is one step closer to becoming a reality this week now that the United States has issued a Presidential Border Crossing Permit for A2A Rail,” stated Kusie.
“Rail is an efficient way to transport a wide range of bulk commodities including grain, ore, natural resources, and even people,” continued Kusie. “Closing the gap between the Alaska and North America Railway system will drastically increase the free-flow of goods.”
The rail line is expected to shorten shipping times across the Pacific Ocean by up to four days, lower the cost of transportation in Canada’s northwest and increase the competitiveness of North American products by providing more efficient transportation alternatives.
“The new rail line would stimulate Northern economic development and help unlock the potential of the region,” said Melillo. “A2A is expected to contribute over 28,000 jobs to the impacted states and provinces, bringing up the average incomes by up to 40% in areas crossed by the railway.” Melillo went on to explain that the economic growth spurred by the project is expected to result in an approximate increase of $60 billion in cumulative GDP in Alaska, Alberta, Yukon, and Northwest Territories over the next twenty years.
“As we recover from COVID-19, it’s projects like these that will help get our economy running again and maintain our reputation as an invaluable trade partner,” concluded Kusie. “In order to be competitive on the world stage we must be constantly refining transportation in our supply chains with the goal of making them more efficient.”
“Unfortunately, we also know that this Liberal Government has a track record for driving away investment and letting these types of infrastructure projects get caught up in red tape,” warned Melillo. “As the Official Opposition, we will be standing up for Northern Canadians and will hold Justin Trudeau and his government accountable so that A2A becomes a reality, unlike oil and gas pipelines.”
