Posted on 04/29/2011 7:42:51 PM PDT by CedarDave
No deal.
That's the decision from the state Department of Transportation, which notified BNSF Railway Co. this week that the state was terminating an agreement to buy 182 miles of unneeded northern New Mexico train track.
And Gov. Susana Martinez wants a $2.35 million refund.
In 2008, the administration of former Gov. Bill Richardson paid nearly $5 million for the track from Lamy, N.M., to the Colorado border. The segment is used only by Amtrak for twice-daily passenger service. BNSF stopped its freight service there several years ago.
The unneeded segment was part of a package deal that enabled the state to launch Richardson's Rail Runner Express commuter train service between Belen and Santa Fe.
But now the DOT says BNSF never formally closed on the deal to convey ownership of the northern track segment — which the Martinez administration says is a breach of the purchase agreement.
Besides, the state doesn't want the extra 182 miles of track.
"The governor believes that taxpayers are owed a significant amount of money and is seeking to recover funds that were sent to BNSF for a project that was never finalized," Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell said Thursday.
In recent months, the Martinez administration and legislators realized the financial implications of taking ownership of the track: routine and capital maintenance costs of $8 million a year; and liability insurance of $500,000 annually as New Mexico becomes liable for crashes on the track and at grade crossings.
And those are just some of the known costs.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
NM list PING! Click on the flag to go to the Free Republic New Mexico message page.
(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list. For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after watching a short video commercial.)
Good point.
Way to go Gov. Martinez! Our Gov. Scott derailed the Sun Rail boondoggle here in Florida too.
Drat, you mean I can’t take the Colorado border and then walk the rest of the way. I guess I will have to continue to drive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.