New Mexico commuter service start-up to be delayed

TRAINS News Wire

December 12, 2005

SANTA FE, N.M. - Commuters will have to wait a bit longer than expected to ride the first trains between Bernalillo and Belen, according to a story in the Albuquerque Tribune. But when the Rail Runner service finally begins — which seems to be headed for a February or March start-up instead of January as previously expected — it will be at a discount price many probably weren't expecting, at least for the first six months.

The service was to begin in early 2006, but the state still doesn't have access to the rights-of-way to build the nine station platforms where the trains will stop, said Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, which is coordinating the project, along with the state Department of Transportation.

To get the access, the council is waiting for the state and BNSF Railway to finalize a $75 million deal, under which New Mexico will purchase almost 300 miles of track from Belen all the way north across Raton Pass to Trinidad, Colo.

"We thought we'd have access, and to this point we haven't," Rael said. "They [BNSF] believe from a liability standpoint they don't want anyone else working on their corridor," he said.

The deal between the state and BNSF won't be final until mid-January. Rael said the worst-case scenario is that platform work wouldn't start until then. He also said that fares for the first six months of service would be discounted from the full price for a ride, which is expected to be between $2 and $6 each way.

"The goal is to get people on the system and know how to use it," he said. While the ticket costs haven't been set, they likely will be divided by zone. Service from Belen to Santa Fe, which is expected to be running by 2008, will be divided into four zones, Rael said. Once full fares take effect for the Rail Runner, discounts for students, seniors, and children will be offered.

Two trains will run each morning, one at midday, and two during the evening, Rael said. It should take 20 to 22 minutes to ride from Bernalillo, north of the city, to downtown Albuquerque, and 42 minutes to 45 minutes between Belen, the southern terminal, and downtown, according to Rael.

The first phase of the project — service from Belen through Albuquerque to Bernalillo— costs $75 million. The second phase, an extension from Bernalillo to Santa Fe, will cost $200 million to $250 million, Rael said.