Rail Runner Reform Blocked in the Senate

Capitol Report New Mexico - A provocative bill questioning how to handle the steep expenses heading down the track for the Rail Runner was unable to get through committee but it is sparking debate about the future of the train that serves the greater Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor.
Senate Bill 247, which was introduced by Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) addresses a question that number of voters who aren’t serviced by the Rail Runner have been asking ever since the train was unveiled six years ago: “Why are we paying for it when we don’t get to use it?” Muñoz said in an interview with Capitol Report New Mexico.
SB247 answers that question with a suggestion that intrigues some and horrifies others – creating an excise tax that would be paid only by taxpayers who live in the counties that the train serves and exempting those taxpayers who don’t.
“How are we going to fix this problem, $781 million in bonds we’re going to have to pay,” Muñoz said.
The bill was a longshot at best. First, because supporters of the Rail Runner hated the idea, as did a number of legislators whose constituents live in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Rail Runner Reform Blocked in the Senate