Press Release
September 26, 2005
SKAGWAY, AK – The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (WP&YR) proudly announced today it has ended the 2005 season with a new annual ridership record of 430,037 revenue passengers — breaking last year’s record of 404,722.
Gary C. Danielson, President of the WP&YR stated that, “The team at White Pass achieved its third successive annual historic milestone by delivering on our goals of “exceeding expectations” and “taking care of business”. This increased productivity came without compromising our safety and service levels – a testament to the commitment and hard work of all of our employees!”
The WP&YR took delivery of steam locomotive No.69 late in the season. No.69 is a Baldwin 2-8-0 and was originally built for the White Pass in 1907. It was reacquired from the Stuhr museum and underwent two years of restoration. Commissioning and testing has been completed and the locomotive will enter service next year to complement No.73 in an enhanced steam charter program.
Danielson added, “Construction of an extension to the Broadway dock has already commenced and will be completed over the winter, enabling White Pass to accept the new, longer ships scheduled to arrive in Skagway over the next few years. This investment demonstrates our commitment to the future despite forecasted decreased cruise ship passengers to Skagway in 2006 due to one-time ship schedule changes.”
The White Pass & Yukon Route narrow gauge railway was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush and is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark – a designation shared with the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. The WP&YR railroad is Alaska’s most popular shore excursion.
White Pass & Yukon Route is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tri-White Corporation based in Toronto, Ontario. The Tri-White Corporation is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange as TWH.
Contact:
Gary C. Danielson
President
Phone: (907) 983-2214
Fax: (907) 983-2017
gary@whitepass.net