Railrunner ridership is down

Ridership on New Mexico's commuter rail system dropped last year, and officials attribute part of that to the weak economy and job losses reducing the pool of passengers. 

Rio Metro Regional Transit District Director Terrence Doyle told a legislative panel Tuesday that Rail Runner Express ridership declined by about 9 percent in 2012, but fare revenues grew 10 percent because of higher ticket prices. He said lower gasoline prices and the higher fares contributed to the ridership decline. 

About 1.1 million riders boarded the train last year and 734,000 through August of this year.  

Rail Runner officials said they're looking for ways to boost ridership, such as shortening travel times.

Railrunner ridership is down