Company Sues Over the Rail Runner Name (NM-Richardson's Railroad)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | January 14, 2009 | Lloyd Jojola

[CedarDave]

A Massachusetts-based company has sued to stop the state Department of Transportation and the Mid-Region Council of Governments from using the “Rail Runner” name, which it uses for the state-owned commuter train, and for damages related to "trademark infringement."

[CedarDave]

The federal lawsuit alleges that local government illegally infringes on the Rail Runner name trademarked by RailRunner N.A. Inc. of Boston.

According to their corporate profile, "RailRunner N.A. is the creator of a Road-Ready Bi-modal Rail system, a railcar, trailer and container chassis system that is bringing container-based intermodal transportation service to the huge market of manufacturers, farmers, shippers, wholesalers and retailers who are not located near traditional intermodal hubs. The patented RailRunner Terminal Anywhere™ Technology makes intermodal transportation cost-effective for shorter distances and for smaller markets because it allows a shipper to shift from road to rail and back without the need of transloading any freight or the need for terminals and expensive cranes to lift the container from one mode to another. RailRunner's strategy is to build its business through RailRunner Service Operators: independent businesses that use RailRunner equipment to deliver container transportation service to local markets."

[CedarDave]

NM list PING!

(FReepmail greyfoxx39 to be added or removed from the list)

[SkyDancer]

Sounds awfully close to Road Runner ... would Warner Bros. have a claim there????

[csmusaret]

You mean the State Bird of New Mexico?

[DesertDreamer]

Yet more evidence that Richardson is incapable of original thought.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Rename it Scam Runner? Cash Burner?

[CedarDave]

Sounds awfully close to Road Runner ... would Warner Bros. have a claim there????

The state bird is on the engine with its tail on the following cars. Very eye-catching. The local population fell in love with it over the holidays with something like 60,000 plus passengers crowding the trains on introductory free weekends. The demand for weekend service is tremendous so they instituted Saturday service on a limited basis. They have neither the trains nor money to run them on Sunday right now.

When I lived in Santa Fe, the local internet service was Road Runner. Warner brothers threatened suit saying their trade mark for the bird was infringed as they were going into the cable TV/internet service. Since the state bird is a road runner, WB would have been hard pressed to win a suit for use of the name in at what was at that time an unrelated application. Thankfully, calmer heads prevailed and WB offered a very generous settlement to get RR to change its name, which they did (to Cyber Mesa).

[CedarDave]

... Cash Burner

So true!!

[elkfersupper]

They should just rename it the "A$$ Railer".

That's what it's doing to NM taxpayers.

[D-fendr]

I hear their second choice was “Railer Trash”.

[pankot]

Give it Richardson’s prison number when he gets convicted.

[ApplegateRanch]

They have neither the trains nor money to run them on Sunday right now.

Damn! No wonder it's so expensive!

They don't REUSE the same trains!?!

[razorback-bert]

The demand for weekend service is tremendous so they instituted Saturday service on a limited basis. They have neither the trains nor money to run them on Sunday right now.

So, this means you can only take a day trip?

[CedarDave]

Every time they run a train they lose money, lots of it. They run five trains on Saturdays and eight on weekdays. They claim Sunday is reserved for maintenance of engines and track. Weekend fares (and weekday fares for that matter) are absurdly cheap: $7 for a day pass for a roundtrip of 200 plus miles (Belen to Santa Fe and return). Talk about cheap travel. On another forum a comment was made that the distance is about the same as the Long Island RR and fares there are about $30+ dollars one way!!

So, this means you can only take a day trip?

Unless you come back on Monday morning. But Santa Fe is so expensive, you don't want to spend the night there anyway.

[razorback-bert]

When we set casing, I might just drive up and take a ride for $7.

[razorback-bert]

If it is on a Wednesday, I will go to the Inn of the Mountain Gods for their seafood buffet.

Sorry Bill, your train gets beat out by good food.

[CedarDave]

Weekday and Saturday schedules and fares here:

http://www.nmrailrunner.com/

Drive to Belen and park and ride (but don’t know how safe the parking lots are on weekends).

[razorback-bert]

It will be a week day, if I do it.

[OneWingedShark]

>Rename it Scam Runner? Cash Burner?

The Dollar Runner Express!
“See your tax-dollars fly away!”