Residents Fight Rail Runner (NM-Richardson's Railroad)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | November 28, 2006 | Erica Cordova

[CedarDave]

Richardson has promised a new railroad to Santa Fe by 2008 (at NM taxpayers expense, of course). NIMBY's and other problems will delay this by a couple of years or longer. Yet the press continues to tout the 2008 date not realizing the engineering, environmental and economic costs of building a new line up through basalt cliffs, along an existing interstate highway and through Santa Fe suburbs.

[ASOC]

Light rail? How, well, Euro(weenie)....

Engineering aside, have any marketing or ridership studies been produced? I wonder how many folks will actually take lite rail if they can drive and have their auto at the destination.

[jess35]

The plans won't even be finalized by 2008. 2020, maybe.

[popdonnelly]

Re-route the line so that it runs by Joe and Valerie Wilson's house.

[CedarDave]

It's not light rail, but heavy rail. Richardson bought the original BNSF line from Belen to Bernalillo with option to buy the rest of the line to the Colorado border as needed! Amtrak and freight use it the rest of the time.

[CedarDave]

Rail Runner Ridership Tails Off (NM-Richardson's Railroad)

[Disambiguator]

Engineering aside, have any marketing or ridership studies been produced? I wonder how many folks will actually take lite rail if they can drive and have their auto at the destination.

You don't need a car to get around Santa Fe! It has a world-class public transportation infrastructure.

SEE TAGLINE

[CedarDave]

Engineering aside, have any marketing or ridership studies been produced? I wonder how many folks will actually take lite rail if they can drive and have their auto at the destination.

This is a Democrat's wet dream project. It has been talked about for years, but the answer is that mainly state employees and maybe some tourists will ride it as the cost of living is too high to live in Santa Fe for normal folks. And Santa Fe being very liberal thinks that this is their contribution to reducing global warming. The problem is that the interstate with a 75 mph speedlimit is a direct route and it can be travelled by car in 50 minutes. The train will never beat that. However, if you ride the train, your chance of being hit by a wrong way DUI driver on I-25 will be eliminated (two reported incidents, six deaths in the past two weeks with another two dead on I-40).

[ASOC]

Like AMtrak will pay any return. (pppfffttt)

Is it 90 lb rail?

And now will NM have a railroad maintenance division in its DOT to keep this part of the system up to standard?

Alaska used to own a Railroad, but we sold it (sort of). Now it is run by a quasi-state agency/private organization. The orgaization doesn't pay taxes but does manage to have derailments like "real" railroads.

[ASOC]

So, is theat public transport pedal driven or shoe-leather express?

[okie01]

Is it 90 lb rail?

It's the old Santa Fe mainline, so I imagine it's 112 lb, at least.

[ASOC]

I am *truly* sorry hear that. A tragic and senseless way to go.

NM has a reputation as being a very dangerous place to drive due to DUI issues.

Is that because of the drive thru liquor stores and permissive laws or just too many drunks driving home?

We loose a lot of folks here in Ak due to DUI, some 40+ % of all traffic deaths are alcohol related.

[ASOC]

Cool, will the State be doing the maintenance or will that be outsourced?

[okie01]

Have no idea how it will be maintained (I'm in Texas).

Given that Richardson is a Democrat and that New Mexico is a state that really believes in patronage, my guess would be that they're looking at a special (i.e., overstaffed and highly paid) division of the NMDOT.

[Disambiguator]

Both. You can manage downtown on foot, as it is fairly compact, but once you want to go anywhere else, you need wheels.

[ASOC]

Ah, too true. Most State governments believe in that. Ask any taxpayer : )

[Disambiguator]

your chance of being hit by a wrong way DUI driver on I-25 will be eliminated (two reported incidents, six deaths in the past two weeks with another two dead on I-40).

Are the Democrats agitating for a cut-and-run pullout from the NM Interstates?

They are a quagmire.

I was almost hit from behind early this year by some knucklehead who thought that the 75 mph limit applied even when the road was icy. I was westbound on 40 near Mesita.

The look on his face as he went by in his spinning car was priceless.

[ASOC]

I have some friends that are looking to move to NM. SF was just "too much" (appearently for everything - social, housing, attutude) so they are looking a bit further afield.

Las Lunas and the surrondng area is where they are looking now. They liked Cloudcroft, but after a visit, the deemed it was 'too much' as well.

I had always thought Jemez Springs or Red River would be the nice place to retire to or have a second home.

[ASOC]

ROTFLMAO - some days you just wish you had a dash mount camera...

[Disambiguator]

I used to live in Rio Rancho, which is a nice town from a political perspective and has great schools. It's not real pretty, but it's conveniently located.

Las Lunas is in Valencia County, which has a big problem with gangs and drugs and such.

If they want a really small town with nice scenery, they should look at Datil.