From the
Santa Fe New Mexican.com - Prospects for the popular (but not yet popular enough) weekend trains between Santa Fe and Albuquerque are dim: The transit-district board in charge of the Rail Runner has voted, by a 6-5 majority, to eliminate Saturday and Sunday service on the Santa Fe-Albuquerque-Belén system. Then-Gov. Bill Richardson railroaded the train line through the New Mexico Legislature, and it has made a good start toward achieving its main purpose: commuter travel, especially for the many workers in Santa Fe's state offices who live in Albuquerque and Río Rancho. Weekday passenger boardings average 4,500 — taking darn near that many cars off I-25, a leading reason for creating the line. But the Rail Runner costs more than $20 million a year to operate — and for the fiscal year starting in July, the Rio Metro Regional Transit District faced a $1.2 million shortfall. That happens to be the amount of a federal traffic-reducing grant, which is about to expire. By cutting the weekend runs, says the
board's majority, they could wind up with a $200,000 surplus. The Rail Runner has great value as a commuter line between growing communities of the Río Grande Corridor, while the more trains it runs, the more momentum its popularity gains. To have real effect on automobile traffic, there must be frequent and dependable service. And it's traffic-diminution that's most important; rather than demanding anything like a profit from the Rail Runner, it should be subsidized by fuel taxes on the cars and trucks rolling along subsidized highways and freeways. Gov. Susana Martínez says she's willing to take fresh looks at Rail Runner subsidies. Santa Fe and Albuquerque leaders should hold her to it.
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Editorial: Rally 'round Rail Runner
From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - Prospects for the popular (but not yet popular enough) weekend trains between Santa Fe and Albuquerque are dim: The transit-district board in charge of the Rail Runner has voted, by a 6-5 majority, to eliminate Saturday and Sunday service on the Santa Fe-Albuquerque-Belén system. Then-Gov. Bill Richardson railroaded the train line through the New Mexico Legislature, and it has made a good start toward achieving its main purpose: commuter travel, especially for the many workers in Santa Fe's state offices who live in Albuquerque and Río Rancho. Weekday passenger boardings average 4,500 — taking darn near that many cars off I-25, a leading reason for creating the line. But the Rail Runner costs more than $20 million a year to operate — and for the fiscal year starting in July, the Rio Metro Regional Transit District faced a $1.2 million shortfall. That happens to be the amount of a federal traffic-reducing grant, which is about to expire. By cutting the weekend runs, says the 
board's majority, they could wind up with a $200,000 surplus. The Rail Runner has great value as a commuter line between growing communities of the Río Grande Corridor, while the more trains it runs, the more momentum its popularity gains. To have real effect on automobile traffic, there must be frequent and dependable service. And it's traffic-diminution that's most important; rather than demanding anything like a profit from the Rail Runner, it should be subsidized by fuel taxes on the cars and trucks rolling along subsidized highways and freeways. Gov. Susana Martínez says she's willing to take fresh looks at Rail Runner subsidies. Santa Fe and Albuquerque leaders should hold her to it. Read more
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