Alaska railroad tries to address vegetation overgrowth problem

Alaska railroad tries to address vegetation overgrowth problem    The Alaska Railroad Corp. said Wednesday it has applied for an Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) permit to use chemical weed control on railroad operating lands, primarily the right-of-way, as part of an annual integrated vegetation management program.
   Since 1983 the Alaska Railroad has repeatedly tried to control vegetation along its 600-miles of track with non-chemical methods, including mechanical brush-cutting, manual labor, steam and burning, the company said. These alternative methods have not proved adequate because mechanical cutting does not address the problem with vegetation between the rails, to the ends of the ties, and especially root growth down within the rail bed itself.
   “This is purely about safety for our employees, customers and residents along the rail belt,” said Pat Gamble, ARRC president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “And right now we are fighting a losing battle but have it within our power to remedy this huge problem in an environmentally compatible way. Considering our railroad carries half a million people and half of our freight carloads are hazardous material, we are compelled to address these deficiencies.”
   Because of vegetation growth and resulting track conditions, the Federal Railroad Administration, the regulatory body that governs safety for the rail industry, has repeatedly fined the ARRC.