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Posted on 08/17/2011 7:42:08 AM PDT by CedarDave
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - New Mexico’s commuter train is in dire need of grand ideas if it is to financially survive, according to one of the train’s supporters.
But Gov. Susana Martinez is wary of expensive, unfunded plans and believes the state needs to take a long, hard look at the 5-year-old Rail Runner Express to find a way lessen the financial bloodletting.
“It’s craziness,” said Keith Gardner, Martinez’s chief of staff. “This is not the way the state should be run.”
Martinez views the train as a financial boondoggle perpetrated by former Gov. Bill Richardson, he said.
“We need to go back and take a look at how this thing is being operated and how we can stop the bleeding,” Gardner said.
The train’s $840 million debt costs taxpayers $112,328 a day, or about $40 million a year. And that’s not counting the $68,493 a day, or about $25 million a year, the state spends to operate the train.
All that is for about 2,500 daily riders who contribute $8,876 a day, or about $5 million a year, to ride the rails between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
(Excerpt) Read more at krqe.com ...
Martinez views the train as a financial boondoggle perpetrated by former Gov. Bill Richardson ...
Those red-ink numbers are off the chart! This is even a bigger boondoggle than we knew.
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You’d think that other states with rail plans would pay attention to the “success” that NM is experiencing.
there’s nothing like driving thru’ sante fe in the early
morning and watching the fleets of nm government cars
dispatched to the ends of the state daily.
A STATE cannor run anything.
I live in Utah, and the Utards in the State run the liquor stores. Only in Utah; the only place to buy liquor is in a state-run store.
And the UTards are closing stores, because even in a monopoly position - they can’t make the stores turn a profit.
So each rider pays ~ $4.00 for a 70 mile trip?
Something does not make sense.
I have to assume that most of these trips are within Albuquerque, not the whole distance.
Where is “Willie GREEN”, he could fix this in no time. LOL
Simple Solution:
Get Obama and the democrats to pass an ObamaRide law requiring every citizen to purchase an annual train pass from the nearest commuter railroad.
It doesn't matter if the nearest station is 300 miles away or if they can actually ever use the pass. Only right wing meanies would begrudge the sharing of wealth in this manner to subsidize free rides for the lesser among us.
We must have social justice on America's railways!
No, you’re right. A full fare round trip from ABQ to SF and return (about 60 miles each way) is $8, less if you purchase on line, and further reduced to $5 if you are a senior, student or handicapped. And BTW, the RT ticket is actually a day pass so for that price you can ride the train as many times per day as you wish. A day pass for the entire 100 mile line is only $9, cheaper still as described above.
The fares are up for review next month. Some federal operational funding runs out in December and the rest next year.
If you are rich enough to ride the RR,
then tax the rich /sarc
Here’s Richardson’s big idea: Put a gun to the people of New Mexico’s head and TAKE the money to support it.
“Maybe you put slot machines on some of the trains, I’m not sure,” said Abraham, who is also mayor of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. “But we gotta think out of the box because we have a lot invested in this train.”
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT OF FLORIDA!.....................
“Abraham’s other ideas include building high-density communities with retail components around each rail station, a link to the Spaceport now under construction north of Las Cruces and possibly turning the Rail Runner into a tourist-centric train operated by the state’s Economic Development Department.”
For those outside NM, Richardson basically used ONE-Time stimulus money and/or grants to finance this bottomless pit. And of course that money has been spent.
At first it was at least competitive timewise with commuting by car, but then every little pueblo (Indian reservation) demanded a stop on its land so family didn’t have to use private vehicles to get grandma to the doctor in SF or ABQ once a month, so now it’s mostly tourists.
This lays out the losses clearly. Namely,
1. Annual Ticket Sales = $5 million
2. Annual Interest Payments on Bonds = $40 million
3. Annual Operating Costs = $25 million
So when someone says what a good idea high speed rail is, tell them to ask the folks in New Mexico how much they like losing $60 million per year on this Democrat boondoggle.
Reminds me of some old movies titles: For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, High Plains Drifter, The Drowning Pool, Fantastic Voyage.
such fun.
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