June 17, 2004
SKAGWAY, AK – The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (WP&YR) proudly announced that it carried 6,251 passengers on June 16, shattering last year’s daily record of 5,384. This is the second time this year that last year’s record was broken.
Gary C. Danielson, President of the WP&YR stated that, “This new daily ridership record has been set early in our season which reflects the strength of the rebound in the tourism industry and the desirability of the White Pass as a destination activity.”
Danielson added, “We’re having a record year so far and that’s a testament to our people, infrastructure and marketing. The teamwork required to deliver a safe, quality experience and orchestrate the logistics while working at capacity is amazing – and our team manages to have fun doing it. I’m very proud of them!”
White Pass invested in 8 new passenger coaches for this year and has historic Engine No.69, a 1907 steam locomotive, being restored for a return to charter service in 2005.
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, carrying almost 350,000 passengers in 2003.
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.