New Mexico's Rail Runner Express (Photos)

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:38 pm

My girlfriend and I were visiting my grandmother in Santa Fe in early January.

We flew into Albuquerque and were able to catch the bus (free with Rail Runner ticket) to the Downtown transit hub and catch the train, the second phase of which (extending service to Santa Fe) had opened just weeks earlier.

Here are some photos of New Mexico's Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail service serving the state's most populated corridor.

For those who may be curious, here are some population and distance stats for ABQ and Santa Fe compared to Omaha and Lincoln:

Albuquerque Metro: 835,120 (compare to Omaha's 865,894 CSA including Fremont micropolitan area)
Santa Fe: 72,056, or 183,782 CSA including Espanola 26 miles to the north (compare to Lincoln's 292,219)

Distance from Downtown to Downtown:
ABQ to Santa Fe: 63 miles
Omaha to Lincoln: 59 miles

If you're not totally jealous and embarrassed after seeing those stats and looking at these photos, you may need to seek psychiatric help.

We arrived about 20 minutes before the train was to depart. By the time the train was boarding, you'll see whether or not the ridership and demand exist...

A very special lady waiting for the train.

justnick · Post by **justnick** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:39 pm

Shiny!
I want one.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:48 pm

I also don't imagine that ABQ being a western, younger city than Omaha has the built amount of density that we would. We need to get the ball rolling on this.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:52 pm

Yeah, look at that crowd... nothing but minorities and homeless using the train.

justnick · Post by **justnick** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:54 pm

Big E wrote:Yeah, look at that crowd... nothing but minorities and homeless using the train.

Scary, ain't it?

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:57 pm

From what I could tell, the ridership spanned all walks of life, young to old, and was very diverse. I loved seeing people walking their bikes onto the train.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:59 pm

Big E wrote:Yeah, look at that crowd... nothing but minorities and homeless using the train.

Fortunately this is Nebrasker and we don't have any of those here. A future train ride from Village Point to Shadow Lake will not require anyone to sit in the back of the train.

justnick · Post by **justnick** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:11 pm

DTO Luv wrote:
Big E wrote:Yeah, look at that crowd... nothing but minorities and homeless using the train.
Fortunately this is Nebrasker and we don't have any of those here. A future train ride from Village Point to Shadow Lake will not require anyone to sit in the back of the train.

Mayor Luv you're so diplomatic.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:17 pm

Sweet. That's the Alvarado Transportation Center right?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:24 pm

There have been a ton of impressive photo of the rail runner on the railroad forums.

Really cool streets.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:26 pm

Brad - can you post a link to those threads?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 4:00 pm

I can't find the one thread I am thinking of, but here is a slide show

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33984475@N02/show/

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:31 pm

Great photos, Streets. I love New Mexico. Unlike any place else anywhere.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:54 pm

Well thanks. And I sure took a lot more photos than this. Maybe I'll do a photo thread. Come to think of it, I have about a bazillion Europe photos that I haven't shared yet...

Harpoon · Post by **Harpoon** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:27 am

The project was designed by the Albuquerque office of local engineering firm HDR. Rail Runner Express

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:21 pm

Check out this leadership (not to comment on his morals...). This is the kind of initiative this state DESPERATELY needs:

In early 2004, Governor Richardson tasked the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), the metropolitan planning organization for the Albuquerque region, with implementing the commuter rail system in just two years. The message was clear: the studies were over, and it was now time to make commuter rail a reality.

This attitude should be applied to both Commuter Rail and LRT/Streetcars in Omaha.