Funding drop-off may raise rail fares

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - Rail Runner fares could go up by year's end to cover an anticipated $5.4 million drop in federal funding for the passenger train service. Three years of funding under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program is about to end. The last of the money will be allocated in December and will run out by July, said Dewey Cave, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, which oversees the operation of the commuter trains in metropolitan Albuquerque and as far north as Santa Fe. The increases under consideration would vary depending on how far a rider travels on the Rail Runner, which bases fares on how many zones a traveler passes through. Under the proposal, the regular rate between the Santa Fe Depot and downtown Albuquerque would be $10 instead of $8 for a day pass. A monthly pass would increase from $100 to $110. Riders who travel the length of the train system, from Belen to Santa Fe, would pay $11 for a day pass instead of $9. A monthly pass for that distance would cost $121 instead of $110. Discounted fares are available for students and senior citizens. Cave said he hopes to have a decision on the proposed increase by December. Read more

Funding drop-off may raise rail fares