Proposed Alaska-Canada rail link

People have been discussing the potential benefits of connecting the Alaska Railroad to the balance of the North American rail system since before the Alaska Railroad was completed in 1923. [...] In 2002, the United States government authorized the expenditure of six million dollars to undertake a detailed feasibility study regarding the proposed rail link connecting the existing Alaska Railroad to the rest of the North American rail system.1. [...] Creating a corridor linking Alaska and northern Canada to the world’s largest and most efficient freight rail network will facilitate mobility between the United States and Canada and strengthen Yukon and Alaska’s connections with the rest of the world. [...] With the creation of the rail link, the Yukon and Alaska will become more involved in a global economy characterized by the following broad trends: reduction in trade barriers, privatisation and liberalisation, Asian economic growth, and security and interdependence. [...] For example, the railroad will facilitate the movement of the vast amounts of machinery and materials required to construct the proposed North Slope to Chicago pipeline.