UNM Student Maggie Ryan Is The Rail Runner's Three Millionth Passenger

Source: New Mexico Rail Runner Express (Press Release)

This morning (Monday) following the arrival of the 8:34 southbound Rail Runner train at the Downtown Albuquerque Station, commuter Maggie Ryan became the three millionth passenger to ride the New Mexico Rail Runner Express! The University of New Mexico graduate student says she boards the train at the Santa Fe Depot Station two to four times a week, and takes it into Downtown Albuquerque where she connects to the Rapid Ride to get to UNM.

“I love that I can get all my work done on the train, so it’s a very productive ride,” said Maggie. “Since I started taking the Rail Runner, I’ve saved thousands of dollars. In fact, I sold my car last November because I just didn’t need it anymore.”

The Santa Fe resident says she’s been taking the train to school since the Rail Runner extended service to Santa Fe in December 2008. Ryan says prior to hopping on the Rail Runner, she drove her car into Albuquerque everyday. She says now she doesn’t have to worry about the crowded morning commute – she arrives to school relaxed with a her work done instead of being stressed.

“Maggie is a shining example of how commuters in our region can save money and help our environment by using public transportation,” said Transportation Secretary Gary L. J. Girón. “She is just one of many New Mexicans who has realized the convenience and economic benefits of the Rail Runner.”

The Rail Runner, which has become the fastest start-up of a commuter rail train in the country in the past 20 years, currently carries a daily average of approximately 4,500 commuters between the City of Santa Fe and the City of Belen.

“It’s amazing that in less than four years, we’ve carried 3-million passengers to their destinations,” said Dewey Cave, Executive Director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “That translates to more than 100 million vehicle miles taken off our roadways.”

For the distinction of three millionth passenger, Ryan was rewarded with a basket of Rail Runner items, including a pass to ride the train free for one year, a Three Millionth Passenger certificate and a gift bag that included Rail Runner pins, t-shirts, hats and other train merchandise.

See Also: New Mexico Rail Runner Express Announces Schedule & Fare Adjustments / New Mexico Rail Runner Express Featured On The Santa Fe TV Show / Santa Claus Rides The New Mexico Rail Runner Express! / The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Fits Into A New Vision For Bernalillo County - Mass Transit Magazine Feature

New Mexico Rail Runner Express Announces Schedule & Fare Adjustments

Source: New Mexico Rail Runner Express

In two weeks, passengers aboard the New Mexico Rail Runner Express will see some changes in both train fares and service. The Rio Metro RTD Board – which manages the Rail Runner and its regional transit connections – voted on these changes last week.

Weekday Fares will be increased to comply with FTA (Federal Transportation Administration) regulations that require reduced fares to be half the amount of full fares. To comply, weekday one-way fares will be raised by one-to-two dollars. In addition, the three-zone day pass will increase by a dollar.

Weekend Fares will be raised to be consistent with weekday prices. Previously, all passengers were able to use the Reduced Fare structure on weekends. Now, this will only apply to those who meet the reduced fare criteria – such as senior citizens and students with a valid I.D.

Five Saturday Trips will be suspended indefinitely: Train #500 departing north from Downtown Albuquerque at 6:20 a.m., Train #503 departing south from Santa Fe at 8:10 a.m., Train #510 departing north from Belen at 7:08 p.m., Train #512 departing north from Belen at 9:07 p.m., and Train #513 departing south from Santa Fe at 10:00p.m.
“Faced with a budget shortfall due to lower-than-expected gross receipts taxes to fund Rail Runner operations, the Rio Metro Board decided to make some sound fiscal adjustments”, said Dewey Cave, Interim Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “The State assisted with the projected shortfall, and these fare and schedule modifications were also necessary to balance the budget entirely.”

These changes will take effect Monday, February 15, 2010.



See Also: New Mexico Rail Runner Express Featured On The Santa Fe TV Show / Santa Claus Rides The New Mexico Rail Runner Express! / The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Fits Into A New Vision For Bernalillo County - Mass Transit Magazine Feature

New Mexico Rail Runner Express Featured On The Santa Fe TV Show

Source: New Mexico Rail Runner Express (Press Release)

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is very proud to be part of a new monthly web program called the "Santa Fe TV Show.com". The Rail Runner will be featured in the first episode which premiers today directly on their website: http://www.nmrailrunner.com/.

The show features Santa Fe's urban city chic style with its fine dining, refined wine culture, and hip art scene. It also explores various “day trips” that can be taken all over New Mexico – in many cases using the Rail Runner and some of its many connecting partners to get there.

“This is not only a great opportunity for people to see what wonderful culture, cuisine, and music New Mexico has to offer, but it also showcases what convenience the Rail Runner offers beyond it’s daily commuter service”, says Jay Faught, Transit Marketing Coordinator. “As soon as we saw the high quality production of this program, we knew we wanted to jump on board for the first episode

Rail Runner part of New Mexico Lifestyle!

This breathtakingly beautiful lifestyle show is told through the eyes of the people who live in the Land of Enchantment -locals, chefs, artists – the true ambassadors of New Mexico. From Albuquerque to Jemez to Belen—the Santa Fe TV Show.com highlights what New Mexico is all about and the many cool places to visit. The Rail Runner will be involved with the show by featuring the train and its transit connections and business partners. The train is shown as the key mode of transportation to get you to all of these wonderful places in the corridor that the Rail Runner serves.

Don’t miss the New Mexico Rail Runner Express on the Santa Fe TV Show.com now showing!

The producers of the show, DHP Multimedia, will stream every episode in HIGH DEFINITION at http://www.santafetvshow.com/ They are also distributing the program on additional web sites such as the Rail Runner's web site http://www.nmrailrunner.com/

“The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is a perfect fit for our program” says Angelie Gamboa, Producer of DHP Multimedia. “This allows us to promote all of the wonderful things people can do in Santa Fe, but it also provides us an opportunity to highlight the amazing scenery and activities throughout many other areas of New Mexico while using public transportation.

This first show features the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Buffalo Thunder, Encantado, Chef Rocky Durham, and the beautiful City of Santa Fe. Other episodes in the future will include more locations in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and other surprises.

See Also: Santa Claus Rides The New Mexico Rail Runner Express! / The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Fits Into A New Vision For Bernalillo County - Mass Transit Magazine Feature

Santa Claus Rides The New Mexico Rail Runner Express!

New Mexico Rail Runner Express (Press Release)

The next two Saturdays - December 12th and 19th - people will get a chance to have their child’s photo taken with Santa Claus aboard the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. Santa will begin his journey at the Downtown Albuquerque Rail Runner station when he boards the 9:46 a.m. train heading south to Belen. Once he arrives in Belen, he will hop on the 10:48 a.m. train heading north and arriving at the Santa Fe Depot at 1:06 in the afternoon. At 1:20 p.m., Santa will leave Santa Fe and take the Rail Runner all the way back to Belen and then catch the 3:58 p.m. train to finish his day right back where he started in Downtown Albuquerque.

See the Schedule

“This year we’re expanding the whole Santa-on-the-train experience”, says Dewey Cave, Interim Executive Director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “Instead of having a train parked at just one location, Santa will actually be riding the Rail Runner all day and visiting each train car to have his picture taken with kids. People have really come to embrace this holiday tradition.”

Santa photos on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express!

Saturday, December 12th and Saturday, December 19th
9:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Santa available for photos on the train from Belen to Santa Fe
(See accompanying Santa schedule for train times)

You bring the camera – we’ll bring Santa!

Rail Runner staff is recommending that passengers wanting to take advantage of the next two “Saturdays with Santa on the Rail Runner” simply find a seat on the train, have their camera ready, and let Santa come to you!

See Also: The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Fits Into A New Vision For Bernalillo County - Mass Transit Magazine Feature

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express Fits Into A New Vision For Bernalillo County - Mass Transit Magazine Feature

Source: New Mexico Rail Runner Express (Press Release)

With the New Mexico Rail Runner Express bringing a steady flow of commuters in and out of the station at Rio Bravo and south Second Street, the Bernalillo County / International Sunport Rail Runner station is poised to play an important role in the future of the South Valley. The Bernalillo County Commission last night unanimously adopted the “Bernalillo County / International Sunport Station Area Plan” which is designed to help the area transform into a mixed-use area offering local and regional employment and retail opportunities, housing, and other amenities.

“The Rail Runner introduces a range of new opportunities for the South Valley”, says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “In addition to providing a much-needed transportation alternative for South Valley residents with direct connections to Downtown and to Santa Fe, the Rail Runner makes the area more attractive to high quality residential, retail and office uses. Achieving these new opportunities necessitates rethinking the infrastructure investments in the area – basically, what roads are built and how they are designed – what land uses are permitted by the area’s zoning, and how the new buildings are designed. The Station Area Plan defines these new directions and indicates the County’s commitment to the new future for the area.”

“The Station Area Plan is the product of the efforts and cooperation by business and property owners in the South Valley, Bernalillo County, the Mid-Region Council of Governments, and residents who live in the area. The plan presents an exciting new future for the area” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Art de la Cruz, whose district includes the land covered by the plan.

The plan focuses on the area within a quarter-to-half-mile – basically, walking distance – from the station. The area’s large parcels of vacant land will provide a center of neighborhood serving retail and employment space, which will be designed to encourage walking to and from the Rail Runner and other transit connections. The plan brings with it an elective alternative zoning classification that allows mixed uses, higher density, and development standards to create a pedestrian environment. The plan also defines specific improvements – such as pedestrian and bike paths – that will help the station better serve existing residents and businesses in the Mountain View neighborhood.

The planning effort was a collaborative effort by Bernalillo County and the Mid-Region Council of Governments. MRCOG has actively worked with communities along the Rail Runner corridor to help identify economic and land use opportunities near the Rail Runner station and to plan for infrastructure and policy actions to help achieve the visions for the areas.

In other Rail Runner News:

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express got the cover spot on this month’s Mass Transit Magazine – a national publication dedicated to critical issues in our nation’s transit industry.

“This is great public relations for New Mexico”, says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “We are certainly proud of the job we’ve done to bring commuter rail to our citizens, and now the rest of the country can read about it. This really puts New Mexico on the map.”

The article in Mass Transit delves into what it took to bring commuter rail to New Mexico’s central valley – from the planning and funding stages all the way through the construction and equipment stages – to eventually getting the train on the track in July of 2006. In addition to this in-depth look at the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, there are a number of photos that show the train with its very unique industry-breaking design as it is pictured in various high desert settings throughout the corridor in which it travels.

This article is something that New Mexicans can read and be proud of”, adds Rael. “The Rail Runner represents the fastest start-up of a commuter rail system in the country over the last 25-years, and that’s a huge credit to the citizens of New Mexico who have truly embraced this clean, convenient transportation alternative.”

Mass Transit Magazine is read by more than 20,000 public transportation leaders across the U.S. Those wishing to read the article can view it at the link below.

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