The oversight committee of the Alaska-Canada rail link feasibility study will soon be receiving its final presentation on the project.

'The work is drawing to conclusion and we will wrap up this initiative and present it to the public,' Premier Dennis Fentie said during a telephone conference from Anchorage on Friday afternoon.

The $5.5-million US joint Alaska-Yukon study produced approximately 225 documents examining the feasibility of building a railway to connect the North and South.

The Yukon contributed $3 million US to the project, which proposed a T-shaped route with the Village of Carmacks becoming a hub in the system.

The second segment would head north to Delta Junction in Alaska, while the third would go to the Inside Passage, connecting to either Skagway or Haines. All three branches end at deep water ports.

The research for the study concluded in early July 2006. It has since been under the review of the financial advisory group made up of Macquarie North America Ltd., Ernst & Young Orenda and Partnerships BC and various departments of the two governments.

The final analysis is now ready to be presented to the principles of the project, said Fentie. They includes himself, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Andy Carvill, the grand chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations.

'What's next is having the governor come to Whitehorse as a member of the oversight committee on the railway study so we can get our final presentation,' said Fentie.

The governor has agreed to make the visit, which should take place in the immediate future, he said.

'The sooner we can have this meeting and this presentation, the sooner we can move on to other issues.

'I think (Palin) agreed with that concept and the invitation is made and we will now set a date hopefully in the very near future.'

The only part of the study that has thus far been realized publicly is an index indicating the report includes documents showing findings on the rail link's relation with the proposed Alaska Highway pipeline, freight revenue, mineral deposit inventories, resources, an international land bridge, tourism traffic, political and legal issues and port analyses.

'Let the public have full disclosure of the study,' NDP Leader Todd Hardy said this morning from Vancouver.

After $3 million of Yukon money has been invested into the project, the territory's citizens have a right to review its findings, said Hardy.

'Yukoners should expect some accountability for that money.'

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell agreed today the study should be released in full.

Mitchell, however, said the project isn't likely to move forward any time soon if there isn't any interest from the private sector or the Canadian and American federal governments to build the actual rail link.

'Neither the Yukon or Alaska wanting it to be so isn't going to make it happen,' he said.

The work completed in the study will now go back to the federal governments in Ottawa and Washington, D.C., said Fentie.

'Our federal government, even though our federal MP (Larry Bagnell) stood in Yukon and loudly proclaimed that he and the federal Liberals support this initiative haven't come up with one copper penny,' he said.

'So Alaska and Yukon have filled the void. We've done the work and we have enough constructive vision to present this to both our respective federal governments.'

Mitchell said Fentie should be clear with Yukoners on if there has been any buy-in from the federal Conservatives to fund the project since they came to power last January.

'Mr. Fentie jumped the gun and wasted $3 million of Yukon money on this report,' said Hardy.

Fentie was jumping at the whims of former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski when the money could have been better spent in other areas, he added.

'Our desire and objective here is to jointly present to the public the findings of the study, which include the market side, the economic side, the route and of course the technical data,' said Fentie.

'The study done to-date is to gather and consolidate all the information necessary to present to governments and others our findings.

'We've compiled what we set out to do. We met the objectives of the study and now we want to conclude.'

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