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The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is a commuter train currently operating between Belen and Bernalillo through Albuquerque. Planning is underway to extend it to Santa Fe. For more information, see the Rail Runner website.
By Paul Braiman
From Rio Grande Sierran, May/June 2006
Rail Runner. You’ve probably heard about it by now. But when does it begin? Why do we need it? Where are the stations? What is the schedule? What kind of rolling stock will be used? And of course, what’s the fare?
Scheduled to begin service in July between Albuquerque and Bernalillo, with more service to follow between Albuquerque and Belen in August, Rail Runner promises to be a great beginning to a long-term solution for commuters in the Belen - Bernalillo corridor, and also sets the stage to expand that corridor to Santa Fe.
Why do we need it? A telephone survey of 1250 adults conducted by the New Mexico Department of Transportation revealed three significant results:
At nearly $3 per gallon, gasoline is taking an ever bigger bite out of our wallets. For commuters, riding the train will significantly reduce that bite. It will also make for a more relaxed commute-and more relaxed commuter-to downtown Albuquerque, made even more so by not having to find (and pay for) downtown parking. And less cars on the road means less of the smog we see all too often in our usually crystal clear skies. Once in town, you’ll have easy access to the Rapid Ride system and other connections. Future connection expansion plans include a continuous shuttle from the TVI Main Campus to the Downtown station, and a downtown shuttle loop bounded by 2nd Street, 6th Street, Tijeras Avenue, and Lead and Gold Avenues.
Initially, nine stations will be in service between Sandoval County/US 550 and Belen. Designed to reflect the character of their surrounding community, all stations feature free parking, bicycle and pedestrian access (including handicap), plenty of seating, shade, lighting, and a “kiss and ride” area where you can be dropped off by car directly at the station platform.
Since morning and evening commuters are expected to be the most significant users, the schedule has been designed to accommodate them, with more frequent trains during commuting hours. However, there will also be midday and early evening service for students, shoppers, and entertainment-related travel. At first, trains will only run on weekdays, but Saturday service is expected to begin within the first year of operation. The weekday schedule is now being tested for verification with non-customer trains.
Each bi-level railcar features comfortable seating so you can relax or even catch some extra sleep; some seats are equipped with worktables. All cars have full restroom facilities, and soon to come, wireless internet service. In addition, you can even bring food and drink on board. The engines are diesel powered, and the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), the lead agency in the Rail Runner implementation, is investigating the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel source.
So what’s all this going to cost you? For the first three months, nothing! After three months, the full fare will be $2 for a one-way trip between any two stations, and $4 for an unlimited travel day pass. Seniors, children 3 and over, and the disabled will pay half fare. Children under 3 ride free, and 10-day and monthly passes are available. Speaking of children, please educate them about the dangers of playing near the tracks; trains are not cars and cannot stop anywhere near as quickly as a car.
And the future, what does it hold? In the planning stage is an extension of service into Santa Fe, with the goal of beginning service in 2008. And unlike the Abo Canyon project, the plan for the Albuquerque-Santa Fe extension is the result of inputs and consensus from a diverse set of communities. You can download and read the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Transportation Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) document, available at the MRCOG website www.mrcog-nm.gov/alternatives_analysis.htm.
So when service starts, take advantage of the free trial, and experience the beginning of a new era of a comfortable, cost-effective, and environmentally sound commuting solution for New Mexico. For more information, including a route map, schedules, and more, visit www.nmrailrunner.com or call 505-247-1750.
By Susan Gorman & Blair Brown
From Rio Grande Sierran, Sept./Oct. 2005
Each week day, 4,750 commuters travel from the Albuquerque area to jobs in Santa Fe. As they drive north on Interstate 25, they pass 1.350 commuters traveling south from their homes in Santa Fe to jobs in the Albuquerque area. That's 11,000 daily commute trips. Considering gas, vehicle maintenance and insurance, the round trip costs $20.55 per day. Adding in increased vehicle depreciation, the cost becomes $37.00 per day or $185 per WEEK!
Commuting between Santa Fe and Albuquerque is not only expensive, but in the future the trip will become more dangerous and take much longer . Today, there are 3.3 accidents per day between Santa Fe and Albuquerque so that a commuter has a 70% chance of encountering an accident each commute day. As more commuters travel I-25, this accident rate is expected to rise to 6.7 per day by 2025 so a commuter will have a 100% chance of encountering an accident.
With this increased risk of delays due to accidents along with the increased congestion caused by more commuters, the result will be longer and longer travel times. In fact, it is expected that the trip from downtown Albuquerque to the Plaza in Santa Fe that takes 77.6 minutes today will take 120 minutes by 2025. So, what is a commuter to do?
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is considering alternatives to provide cost effective mobility for the Albuquerque - Santa Fe commuters and all the other folks that travel I-25 every day. Their main purpose is to increase safety and keep trip times from escalating. NMDOT is considering both highway and transit alternatives with transportation management included in the mix.
Following public meetings back in November, 2004, they identified 17 alternatives and established criteria to screen these down to 10. After more public meetings and more evaluation, half of these were eliminated, leaving 5!
The remaining alternatives are - Baseline which envisions no changes to I-25 and enhanced bus service. - Add general purpose lanes to I-25. - Add High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to I-25 with increased bus service. - Extend Rail Runner Commuter Service between Bernalillo and Santa Fe on the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe track to Lamy and on to Santa Fe on the Santa Fe Southern track. - Extend Rail Runner Commuter Rail Service using BNSF track to a point just East of La Bajada and then on new track along an alignment roughly parallel to I-25 to be defined during the next phase of study, and finally into Santa Fe on the Santa Fe Southern tracks.
The Technical Team recommends the last one as the locally preferred alternative based on their evaluation so far. The most recent round of public meetings were held to present their findings and ask for comments.
It is clear to us that extending the rail service on BNSF track and then on the new track into Santa Fe seems at this point to be the best alternative. But we do have concerns. There may be archaeological sites, sensitive species habitat, erodable soils that will pollute surface water and other impacts to be considered. We also have a concern that this new rail line will induce sprawl development along the way. Since the new track construction must comply with NEPA requirements, we feel certain that the environmental impacts will be studied and appropriate mitigation measures will be taken.
But what about the sprawl issue? We propose that the NMDOT take a leadership role to encourage each government that has land use responsibility for the lands around each station stop to adopt a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) ordinance and consider incentives for good TOD projects. As we wrote in the last Sierran, here's what makes a good TOD design:
The Sierra Club can be an advocate for the extension of commuter rail service from Belen to Santa Fe along with TOD around each station. Join us as we develop our strategy to help make this a reality! Contact Susan Gorman, 505-259-7190, sbginabq@aol.com.
