 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.
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