“Congress finds that—“(1) rail transportation is an essential component of the North American intermodal transportation system;
“(2) the development of economically strong and socially stable communities in the western United States and Canada was encouraged significantly by government policies promoting the development of integrated transcontinental, interstate and interprovincial rail systems in the States, territories and provinces of the two countries;
“(3) United States and Canadian federal support for the completion of new elements of the transcontinental, interstate and interprovincial rail systems was halted before rail connections were established to the State of Alaska and the Yukon Territory;
“(4) rail transportation in otherwise isolated areas facilitates controlled access and may reduce overall impact to environmentally sensitive areas;
“(5) the extension of the continental rail system through northern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory to the current terminus of the Alaska Railroad would significantly benefit the United States and Canadian visitor industries by facilitating the comfortable movement of passengers over long distances while minimizing effects on the surrounding areas; and
“(6) ongoing research and development efforts in the rail industry continue to increase the efficiency of rail transportation, ensure safety, and decrease the impact of rail service on the environment.
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