The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT) announced this week that Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) ferry service for summer 2015 will proceed as scheduled with the exception of one significant revision.
Governor Walker restored funding to the AMHS fiscal year 2016 operating budget by allocating $5.5 million of unused fiscal year 2015 fuel trigger funds. The additional funding allows for ferry service to run as previously scheduled, with the exception that the M/V Taku will not sail in July and August this year.
“The additional funding allows AMHS to honor its previously booked reservations to Alaskans, visitors and businesses,” said ADOT Deputy Commissioner Michael Neussl. “The department apologizes for any inconvenience the uncertainty in the AMHS budget and the resulting schedule changes may have caused for passengers who have planned travel aboard state ferries this summer.”
The Taku sailing schedule was revised after maintenance to other AMHS ferries delayed the vessel’s annual overhaul, which was slated for this month with expected return to service on July 1. The ferry is now scheduled to return to service in October. Affected passengers with reservations on Taku are being contacted by AMHS reservations staff to rebook on other available vessels.
All other AMHS ferries will sail with minimal or no changes to the published summer schedule, which is available online at FerryAlaska.com.
“While summer service for this year has been essentially restored, travelers and Alaskans must remember that the state is still facing a $4 billion budget deficit. The AMHS schedule for the upcoming winter season and summer 2016 will likely be different than years past,” stated Neussl.
AMHS will release a draft winter 2015-2016 schedule for public review and comment this summer after the AMHS
operating budget has been finalized.
Reader Comments(0)