Passenger Trains > "NM RailRunner...to travel to Las Cruses, El Paso"

May 6 news blurb from RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES Magazine:
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NM Rail Runner Express to travel to Las Cruces, EL Paso

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express will be making a special trip south as part of the second annual Railroad Days being held in the City of Las Cruces. Before arriving in Las Cruces, the train will make a quick stop in El Paso so that residents of that west Texas town can climb aboard and check out the Rail Runner first hand.

“It’s exciting to see that the enthusiasm for the Rail Runner is spreading and it reinforces my belief that one day it will be the centerpiece for regional transportation, from El Paso to Albuquerque to Denver”, said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. “The Rail Runner gives commuters in central New Mexico a new choice - a safe, environmentally friendly, and affordable alternative to highways and gridlock. Working to extend that alternative to our regional neighbors is the right thing to do.”

“Both Las Cruces and El Paso have expressed interest in the Rail Runner from the point of view that they would like to explore alternative transportation for their citizens”, said Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “Both cities are looking at what it would take to provide efficient and safe travel for their residents as they look toward a system that serves their transportation needs well into the future.”

“The popularity of the Rail Runner express along the Middle Rio Grande Corridor is unquestionable with nearly 5,000 commuters using the service every day,” said Transportation Secretary Gary Girón. “I believe we have also set the foundation for public transportation that could be expanded to Las Cruces and other parts of Northern New Mexico in the future.”

The three-day event, which starts on the 7th, celebrates Las Cruces’ railroading past, present, and future.

Are they selling tickets for this train?

Sounds good to me, but for the quick stop in El Paso it will have to go through Los Cruces first. That is a long way to travel on the RailRunner seats. They are not made for a long travel. Anyone know how long of a trip it will be from Los Cruces to ABQ? ABQ to Santa Fe is about an hour, which is not bad, but a longer trip will do the old back in.

No rides:

For Immediate Release: 03/25/2009
Contact: Rebecca Slaughter, Las Cruces Railroad Museum, Las Cruces, NM 575-647-4480 – rslaughter@las-cruces.org

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Returns
to the Las Cruces Railroad Museum on May 9
Las Cruces, NM – NM Governor Bill Richardson and the Mid Region Council of Governments have agreed to send the New Mexico Rail Runner Express to the Las Cruces Railroad Museum’s 2nd Annual Railroad Days on Saturday, May 9 from 10am-4pm. This is the second year that the Rail Runner will make the trip South to be a part of the Railroad Days celebration. During the event, which celebrates Las Cruces’ railroading past, present, and future, the Rail Runner will be open for tours (no rides) and Rail Runner staff will be on hand to answer questions.

The event is free and open to the public. The Railroad Museum is located at 351 N. Mesilla Street (at Las Cruces Ave.). For information, please see http://museums.las-cruces.org or call 575-647-4480.


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http://www.las-cruces.org/public-services/museums/RRM/press/rrm_090325_rail_runner_express_returns.doc

I think it would be great if the Roadrunner (or Amtrak or whoever) offered rail service between ABQ and ELP via TOC and Las Cruces! If you look on Amtrak's systemwide map, you see a green line representing alledged thruway bus service on this route. But unfortunately upon checking, it's only a Greyhound bus during the middle of the night. :-(

TOC is not any rail map I've seen

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> TOC is not any rail map I've seen

Indeed. The closest point to TOC is a siding named Engle about 16 miles to the east via a winding road.

But who says a new rail line to the town can't be built?


*gets ready for it*

Once, again, Gov Billy and local politicians are trying to present a simplified transportation utopia to the Land of Enchantment.
NMDOT set up a COMMUTER service between NM's biggest cities, Abq and Santa FE, thru an area in which about half the state's people live. Typical US commuter lines, Metrolink, LIRR, etc extend no more than ~one hundred miles, the present practical length of Rail Runner. Their main purpose...conveniently carry people daily to and from their jobs, schools, shopping, usually taking no more than an hour+ each way. It presently works fine, I rode it yesterday.
Per BNSF's SW Division Timetable, Las Cruces is 210 rail miles south of Abq, El Paso 253. When I worked for them, ATSF ran the daily El Pasoan, Abq-Elp, 6pm-Midight, 6am-noon return, in the 60s, with streamliner LD coach equipment, then RDCs.
Rail Runner cars are NOT designed to COMFORTABLY carry people this distance without major mods or replacement by expensive new REGIONAL equipment (see Amtrak California's Surfliners, San Joaquins).
Extending RR past Belen's big BNSF yard and over their super-busy Transcon Route entails upgrading another 180-223 miles of dark, single-track, (re)building sidings, bridge/culvert work, more crews, new stations, etc.
SLC's Front Runner had to put in massive viaducts over the local UP yard to avoid conflicts with grumpy Uncle Pete (see Passenger Train Journal, July 2008).
There is NMDOT-talk of LCru-ElP commuter service, which makes sense. They've already widened crowded I-10 connecting the cities, so apparently, the need exists.
Going north of Santa Fe, that (SW Chief) track to Raton is Class 4 (79mph) and is signalled; but again, more personnel, power, REGIONAL-type cars would be needed.
Service to Taos would never justify costs, would be a geographical and pueblo-crossing nightmare.
We're talking, at least, another half-BILLION bucks to make the change to REGIONAL service.
Solution? Leave Rail Runner alone.
We need a Rocky Mountain Amtrak route, Cheyenne-Denver-Raton-Abq-Las Cruces-El Paso, connecting with the EB, Zephyr, SW Chief, Sunset.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/09 12:28 by Abqfoamer.