The New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a project launched during the Bill Richardson Administration, is facing renewed scrutiny from the Rio Grande Foundation after a shocking Legislative Finance Committee report. The foundation, which has long criticized the costly train system, now points to fresh concerns about its environmental impact. According to a recent report from the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), the Rail Runner must increase its ridership by 23% to break even regarding carbon emissions—a benchmark it is far from reaching.
The LFC’s findings come as a blow to advocates of the Rail Runner, who have argued that the train offers a green alternative to car travel in the region. However, as the Rio Grande Foundation pointed out, “as it stands now and until ridership increases dramatically, the Rail Runner is bad for the environment.” The group further criticizes the calculation for failing to consider the carbon footprint involved in building the train sets, laying the tracks, and maintaining the infrastructure. The foundation argued that more cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives, such as commuter buses, should have been considered when the project was first proposed.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rail Runner has seen a dramatic decrease in ridership, further complicating efforts to justify its environmental benefits. The Rio Grande Foundation estimates that the train would need to return to 2019 ridership levels just to break even on carbon emissions, underscoring how far it has fallen short.
Despite these concerns, some state leaders continue to push for an expansion of the Rail Runner system. State Sen. Bill Soules (D-Las Cruces), a vocal advocate for expanding rail service, has proposed a taxpayer-funded train stretching from Chihuahua, Mexico, to Denver, Colorado. The Rio Grande Foundation took aim at this idea, noting that while Soules and other Democrats in the legislature describe themselves as environmentalists, “trains like the Rail Runner are only ‘green’ if they are ridden by large numbers of people.”
The question now is whether New Mexico’s leadership will address the environmental and financial challenges posed by the Rail Runner. As the foundation pointedly remarked, “Barring a major budget crisis, it is hard to see anyone addressing the environmental or budgetary harm of the Rail Runner.”
With the train losing millions in taxpayer dollars annually and struggling to prove its environmental value, the foundation’s critique offers a sobering reminder that sustainable transportation requires not just investment but also usage to fulfill its promises. Whether New Mexico will course-correct on the Rail Runner or continue to pour resources into the project remains to be seen.
Railrunner was doomed to start – it’s terrible. I’m certain the political goons that forced it down everyone’s throat knew it at the time, too. Another “feel good” waste. Permanent drain on the state – shut it down now and stop throwing good money after bad.
I used to watch that huge mass of metal go through the st frank and cerillos intersection in the morning with all of 5 people on board (not sure the exact number, it was EXTREMELY sparse) and wonder how much fuel that thing burned. Then I watched it in the afternoon, backing up traffic that was just burning gas at 100% ineffiency because no one’s moving.
Who wants to ride places at inconvenient times, take 3 times longer and still have to walk to reach the destination!?
Don’t worry, if KH wins, you’ll either ride the runner or go to prison.
A vote for KH is a vote for the party that promotes murder of anyone who doesn’t agree. This is exactly what the communofascist will be voting for – they like those ideas!
Bring it to Las Cruces. It will do well.
That is actually funny and without a doubt it would have daily usage getting those illegal immigrants in faster.
MLG can call it Tren De Nino Muertos…
For those who don’t speak espanish… that means: the train to child deaths…
If they would end all of the state bus ridership between Belen and Santa Fe, these trains would see a large % increase in riders. This should have happened at the very beginning.
So… drop some public transport that (you claim) is working and replace it with the failure???
IF it’s working, it’s likely because they have more buses, leaving more often – making it more convenient, therefore useful. Replace it with a train that has a more sparse schedule and guess what…. less users.
Surprise, no one wants to sit for an hour before and after work waiting for public transport— and then still have to travel to a place that isnt even their final destination. That’s what happens when people start/end work at different times. Let me guess, we should have forced everyone to work the exact same schedule? Work at the same place?
These people are dumb as dirt and we vote no one the speed cams, they still put them, we vote no to a soccer field, they still put it in. If we say no to the cash cow railrunner, they will still keep it. Shows you how much they listen to their constituents and we the people that they work for!!
Excellent Point! Thank You.
I agree that commuter buses are a better idea, although its not a foregone conclusion that they’d be break-even on emissions either. I rode the Railrunner as often as I could stand it during the 5 years I commuted from Albuq to Santa Fe. It saved me some $, but there are two major problems with it: 1) it’s BORING, and 2) it takes too long to get from downtown to SF. I also suffered the indignity of sitting next to Ed Begley, Jr on one trip 🙂 Not sure there’s any way to make this tenable, although Governor Einstein will probably try to tax our auto miles to force us to ride the train.
The rail runner was that low life Bill Richardsons dream to milk tax payers. There was questions at the time whether or not it could .or would make money. It has yet made enough to pay for it’s fuel let alone pay salary’s.. ANOTHER example of the Dembocraps wasting taxpayers monies!
When they run the train to Denver they can stop at the jail in Tierra Amarilla and take the inmates to Aurora there are apartments and employment waiting for them!
There is a rail runner, never heard of it. Maybe that is why folks do not use it. NM is the 47th worst state in managing and spending ur tax dollars. Rumor says the NM may flip red for Trump. Maybe it will do the same for all our representatives. With a little hope and a lot of praying maybe we will not be almost dead last in every measurable statistic as far a good government goes. And maybe our elected officials will actually do the people’s bidding instead of there own pet projects.
It wasted $500 million to start; It has never made a dime; I drive to Santa Fe faster; I have never ridden it even for free. NEVER WILL. AND it will never go away because they would have to admit the taxpayer was right.