Free Republic

A New Mexico legislator came to me with this problem. Often, he said, constituents would seek his support for some ill-advised expenditure of state funds for “programs” that would supposedly “'create jobs.” The legislator knew instinctively that most of these programs were worthless, but how to argue that point was his problem There's a parable in economics called the “broken window fallacy.” Suppose that you break your window, and it costs you $30 to have it repaired. The $30 creates a small job for the person who repairs it and a few dollars for the glassmaker. So would a program...

Obstructed mountain views, increased traffic and parking headaches are just a few of the issues neighbors have with a proposed transit-oriented development near Zia Road and St. Francis Drive. Developer SF Brown faced a somewhat hostile crowd at the library of Capshaw Middle School during an early neighborhood-notification meeting Wednesday night. The local firm wants to spend the next 10-plus years building offices, retail space and rental condominiums on the 20 acres it owns on all sides of the intersection of Zia Road with Galisteo Road — where the state has promised to stop commuter trains. But for a number...

A ride between Downtown Albuquerque and the heart of Santa Fe would cost Rail Runner Express riders $6 one way or $8 round trip and would take about an hour and 20 minutes each way, under draft fare and schedule information released by the Mid-Region Council of Governments. The Santa Fe to Bernalillo leg of the commuter train service is expected to be in place by year's end. It will tie into the leg that now operates from Bernalillo to Belen with stops in Albuquerque. Under the proposed service schedule, eight northbound trains would pull into the capital city each...

Two Rail Runner Express tunnels completed under Interstate 25 and an overpass under way in La Cienega are not as tall as state rules require. But state officials say there will be no need to rebuild the tunnels — technically called box culverts — or the overpass because they are within the federal standards for passenger trains. The state standards were written in the 1950s for freight trains that use double-decked cars — and shouldn't apply to the Rail Runner track, which will carry only passenger trains, the officials say. The state Public Regulation Commission on Tuesday tabled a state...

A company in Massachusetts says it trademarked the name “Rail Runner” in the nineties. And now they want New Mexico to stop using it. "Rail Runner Incorporated filed what's called an opposition to the use of New Mexico Rail Runner on September 2, 2006 with the trademark trial and appeal board of the U.S Patent and Trade Mark Office," said a spokesman for the East Coast company. The company makes a machine that they say makes it easier to move containers from trains to semis. The East Coast company is now waiting for a decision from the patent and trademark...

The Santa Fe Southern Railway says state government's Rail Runner commuter train route is being built across a piece of land the state doesn't own. Santa Fe Southern, which operates a tourist train along the rail route through Santa Fe that is being converted for use by the Rail Runner, has filed suit against the state Department of Transportation saying the department intends to put Rail Runner tracks across a tract still owned by Santa Fe Southern. Santa Fe Southern sold its 18 miles of tracks and railroad right of way between downtown Santa Fe and Lamy to the state...

Plans for a sales tax to support the Rail Runner commuter train and a regional bus system are gaining steam. Bernalillo and Sandoval counties are to consider this week publishing a legal notice needed to put the one-eighth-cent tax on the Nov. 4 ballot. Valencia County might do the same, though perhaps not until next month. "I think the Rail Runner's time has come," said Alan Armijo, chairman of the Bernalillo County Commission. Voters "at least need the opportunity to decide that." The tax proposal must clear one more step before going to the counties — passage by the regional...

The Santa Fe City Council's decision to withhold approval of proposed traffic control measures for construction of the Rail Runner Express commuter train could have serious financial implications to the state, a project official said Wednesday. Councilors voted 6-2 Wednesday evening to postpone taking action on three measures dealing with infrastructure improvements needed to bring the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. Citing concerns over the scope of the state's responsibility for existing infrastructure deficiencies, several councilors said they want more information before taking up the issue again May 14. But state officials expressed frustration, pointing out after Wednesday's vote that...

Gov. Bill Richardson sat next to an emergency exit Wednesday as the Rail Runner Express train he was riding rolled past one of Santa Fe's busiest intersections and into the city's Railyard district. But five years after launching the plan to connect Santa Fe and Albuquerque by commuter train, Richardson wasn't about to abandon the train. "It's a reality," Richardson said of the project that's been both praised as a much-needed service and blasted as a costly pet project since being officially unveiled in 2003. Though state officials predict daily service in and out of Santa Fe won't begin for...

Mark Holmes has been riding the New Mexico Rail Runner Express since the initial service started in July 2006. After realizing how easy and convenient it was to use the train and bus, Holmes convinced his family to get rid of two of their three vehicles and rely on public transportation to get to appointments, school and work. During that time, he has saved enough money to take his entire family of six on two vacations. This year he told his family the cost savings would be enough to fly everyone to Puerto Rico. “I'm flying my whole family to...

The state is paying $2.8 million to private landowners to route the Rail Runner commuter train across their property near Santa Fe. About seven miles of track will be built on the undeveloped land on La Bajada Mesa south of Santa Fe. The train cuts across the private land before entering the median of Interstate 25 near a rest stop. The Department of Transportation is acquiring 179 acres of land from eight landowners for right of way for the commuter rail service, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Most of the owners are partnerships. ~~snip~~ The right of...

SANTA FE — To some lawmakers, the Rail Runner Express is the little engine that shouldn't — and they gave the Richardson administration an earful about it. Members of the Senate Rules Committee on Friday vented at a confirmation hearing for John Hummer of Las Cruces, Gov. Bill Richardson's appointee to the state Transportation Commission. The administration-created commuter rail system is running between Belen and Bernalillo — through Albuquerque — and is under construction to Santa Fe. The $400 million project has become a focal point for bipartisan criticism of the administration, with complaints that it won't reduce highway congestion...

SANTA FE— A $6 billion budget is heading to the Senate with a provision intended to force state employees to use the state's commuter rail system for government travel. The budget (HB 2) by the Senate Finance Committee also would cut money and legal staff for two state agencies that have drawn criticism from some legislators for proposed tougher regulations on the oil and gas industry and vehicle emission standards. The committee approved the budget Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration. ~~snip~~The commuter rail provision was sponsored by Senate Republican Whip Leonard Lee Rawson of Las Cruces....

Santa Fe County commissioners sent a message to state lawmakers Tuesday, passing a resolution that opposes a regional tax increase to pay for operation of a high-profile commuter train. Less than two weeks after state officials changed their position to support creating a regional tax district to pay for operation costs of the Rail Runner, the commission voted 2-1— with two members absent— in favor of a resolution that clearly expresses their displeasure. "I think it's important at this point in the legislative process for us to send a strong message," said Commissioner Jack Sullivan, the resolution's sponsor. "I think...

Gov. Bill Richardson has taken a new position on the Rail Runner commuter train: He has moved from brakeman to switchman. In September, when he was out of state campaigning as a tax-cutting Democratic candidate for president, he slammed the brakes on a proposed four-county transportation district to raise taxes to operate the train. It was "off the table," his spokesman said. "Off the table forever." This week, back in New Mexico where money is short for many big-ticket items on Richardson’s agenda, the governor pulled a switch and the proposal is back on track. ~~snip~~ Now that the political...

Gov. Bill Richardson has changed his mind and now supports consideration of a regional transportation district to raise taxes to finance the Rail Runner commuter train— an idea Richardson firmly rejected in September. Richardson's office issued a statement Thursday night saying the state Transportation Commission has "made a compelling argument that there is strong support for these districts to help pay for operations and maintenance" of the Rail Runner. In September, Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught proposed a regional transit district under which voters in Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties would be asked to approve a $25 million gross...

DES MOINES, Iowa— After a long list of phone calls to potential Iowa presidential voters, New Mexico Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught can recite her political sales pitch by heart. "Hi. I'm Rhonda Faught," she says in her best phone voice when asked for an example. "I'm calling on behalf of Governor Bill Richardson ... and I would love to talk to you about some of the great things the governor is doing in New Mexico. Do you have a minute?" Faught is among the scores of New Mexicans— many of them high-level Richardson state appointees volunteering on their own time—...

SANTA FE— With no money to pay for them, New Mexico has indefinitely postponed $500 million worth of high-priority road projects. The biggest losers dollar-wise? The Navajo Nation, drivers on U.S. 54 in the central part of the state and users of U.S. 64 in northern New Mexico. Other losers include drivers jockeying for position on the crowded stretch of I-25 between Bernalillo and the Tramway exit at the north end of Albuquerque. All told, the state Transportation Commission has postponed 29 improvement projects involving 300 miles of roadway. "I'm sure we'll have everyone upset because these projects are not...

The Rail Runner commuter train was designed to be the fastest, straightest line from Belen to Santa Fe, with stops at Los Lunas, Albuquerque and Bernalillo. Since it left the Roundhouse as a $90.2 million proposal in 2003, however, the Rail Runner has followed an erratic path. It has made unscheduled stops to load up additional money, dashed past lawmakers trying to flag it down for legislative oversight, and detoured around a $75 million federal grant. It is now struggling uphill, financially, to reach Santa Fe. When the Legislature got on board in the hectic final hours of the 2003...

Four years ago this month, in ... a special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Richardson, lawmakers passed a mega-bill to improve 37 roads at a cost of nearly $1.6 billion. Tucked into the legislation was a phrase that authorized one of New Mexico's most expensive and controversial transportation projects— not a road but a commuter rail system from Belen to Santa Fe. Back in 2003, documents show, the cost for the rail project was listed at $90.2 million. Now the projected tab for the RailRunner Express has ballooned to as much as $425 million— and that doesn't include another...

The largest Gunnison's prairie dogs measure little more than 14 inches long and weigh about as much as a pineapple. Despite their lack of stature, the diminutive critters are posing an obstacle to the $400 million Rail Runner commuter train project as it moves toward Santa Fe. Representatives of several conservation groups testified at a Tuesday public meeting on the Rail Runner that prairie dog colonies along the Interstate 25 median have already been obliterated by state contractors working on the train route. "I'm very concerned about the impact prairie dogs have already suffered," said Nicole Rosemarino, conservation director for...

After rejecting the idea last month of a tax to pay millions of dollars needed to operate the Rail Runner, Gov. Bill Richardson was vague Monday about where the money would come from. But increasing state funding— on top of the millions of dollars already budgeted— is likely part of the picture. "It's the most popular program in New Mexico," Richardson said during an event in Santa Fe that was part of his presidential campaign schedule. "We'll figure it out some way." By the time the Rail Runner is scheduled to start running between Belen and Santa Fe in late...

Faced with rising costs, lawmakers questioned whether brakes should be applied to the Rail Runner project from Bernalillo to Santa Fe. "It seems heavy-handed to ram this through when we have these open-ended funding issues," Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, said Wednesday during a Legislative Finance Committee hearing on transportation costs. Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught had just told the group that an additional $6 million to $7 million is needed for the Rail Runner to install flashing lights and guard arms at 20 unprotected public and private crossings.~~snip~~ "Is there any consideration of putting a moratorium on the Rail...

Gov. Bill Richardson's trouncing of a tax-increase plan for his Rail Runner Express commuter train puzzled some lawmakers, who saw him put his name to that very idea less than four years ago. The governor's 2004 news release announcing his signing of the tax legislation specified it would allow for a tax boost "to fund commuter rail operation." So, when the governor panned the idea last week, it surprised Sen. Tim Jennings, D-Roswell. "Maybe the governor's just distracted," Jennings said, referring to his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I think he wants to be known as the tax-cutting governor,...

Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday he would not support a tax increase to pay for the Rail Runner commuter train. The governor, who has been out of state campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, overruled one of his Cabinet secretaries in Santa Fe in the process. "Governor Richardson is not interested in a tax increase," spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a written statement released Thursday evening. "The Railrunner expansion will move forward as planned, and the governor expects to consider different options, other than a tax increase, for its operations in the future." Under a proposal revealed one day before...

Voters in Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Sandoval and Valencia counties could be asked to approve a $25 million gross receipts tax increase next year to pay for operating the Rail Runner commuter train. Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said Wednesday that each county would have to first agree to join a regional transit district, then voters would be asked to approve an additional eighth-of-a-cent tax on gross receipts. The increase would amount to 12.5 cents on every $100 of purchases. Faught stressed that the plan was in early stages; her department hasn't even approached the counties yet. But it's clear the state...

The state faces "a perfect storm" as far as paying for transportation infrastructure is concerned... With that in mind, it only makes sense for the state to divert scarce transportation dollars from the proposed Rail Runner extension to Santa Fe and plow those dollars into road construction and maintenance. [While] Rail Runner's projected total cost is $400 million, those costs are not evenly-distributed. Phase I of the project from Belen to Bernalillo, which is now in service, cost $135 million. The Bernalillo-Belen segment of the proposed RailRunner route is approximately 51 miles long— more than half of the system's proposed...

Associated Press LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority today unveiled the design of Spaceport America, the state's commercial spaceport venture north of Las Cruces. Spaceport officials say the low-lying 100,000-square-foot hangar and terminal facility will have a minimal impact on the environment, resembling a rise in the landscape. Construction is to begin next year and is expected to be finished in late 2009 or early 2010 The cost of the entire spaceport project is estimated at $198 million.

SANTA FE— Will New Mexico jack up its gasoline taxes? How about some toll roads? Those are some of the ideas under consideration by a task force as rising costs, dwindling federal funds and an increasingly expensive Rail Runner threaten New Mexico's road and highway projects with a financial train wreck. ~~ snip ~~ Some state lawmakers estimate New Mexico is already half a billion dollars short of money for dozens of highway construction projects around the state. Some lawmakers are pointing to the money poured into the Rail Runner as evidence of previously misplaced priorities. The commuter train is...

Contracting and development executives with a financial stake in the New Mexico Rail Runner have contributed thousands of dollars to Governor Richardson’s presidential campaign. They’ve also provided Richardson with use of corporate airplanes. The $400 million commuter rail system has been pushed by Richardson. Some donations by one businessman—Santa Fe developer and art dealer Gerald Peters—were given while contract negotiations were under way with the state.

An accident involving a car and the Rail Runner commuter train has taken the lives of three people. The accident occurred on Friday afternoon, south of Los Lunas. Highway 314 is currently closed in both directions.

The state Department of Transportation has awarded a $115 million contract for extension of the Rail Runner Express commuter rail line into Santa Fe. The department said work is scheduled to start in September and is estimated to be finished in November 2008— about the same time frame projected in previous estimates. The contract went to a joint venture of Twin Mountain Construction II Co. and the HERZOG Group. Twin Mountain was involved in the reconstruction of the Big I interstate interchange and the Interstate 40-Coors interchange in Albuquerque. ~~ snip ~~ Phase II of the Rail Runner will extend...

From the start, Gov. Bill Richardson's administration has had the Rail Runner Express commuter train on a fast track. And part of the $400-million project's full head of steam was the $75 million New Mexico taxpayers were told Uncle Sam was expected to chip in. But it now appears that infusion of federal cash is unlikely. The state Department of Transportation and Mid-Region Council of Governments don't even plan to apply for the federal money, deeming the application process "slow and arduous"— and weighted against projects like the Rail Runner. It would, they said, have imposed an unacceptable delay and...

Two years ago, the Paseo del Norte/Interstate 25/Jefferson corridor was a enough of a bad dream that the feds ponied up $20 million toward designing a fix. Two years later, negotiating the route has become a nightmare. Around 100,000 vehicles go through Paseo/I-25 daily. And two years later, there's still just $20 million in the Paseo-fix kitty— although rebuilding the interchange will run at least $200 million more than that. And two years later, there's still no definitive plan to rebuild the intersections, no environmental assessment, no right-of-way preservation, no timeline for construction. Maybe the New Mexico Department of Transportation's...

It looks like the cost of the Rail Runner Express commuter train to New Mexico taxpayers could be going up. State officials had planned on $75 million in federal funds to help pay the $250 million cost of extending the state's commuter rail project from Bernalillo to Santa Fe. To that end, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., announced a year ago that he had gained authorization for a $75 million federal transportation grant for the project. He said the state needed to apply for the money and meet certain federal criteria. Now the state has opted to move ahead with the...

SANTA FE— The Rail Runner Express commuter train is awaiting $75 million from the federal government, but state Transportation Department officials say the money's delay won't affect plans to bring the service to Santa Fe next year. The Rail Runner already is running for about 50 miles between Belen and Bernalillo. The project carries an estimated overall cost of about $400 million. The state has allocated $318 million and Congress earmarked $75 million, but the state has not received that. The federal money could be years away, and Gov. Bill Richardson in January announced a two-year plan to use state...

State Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught announced Wednesday that a route along the Interstate I-25 median will be used to bring the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train from Bernalillo to Santa Fe. The state, along with Santa Fe city and county officials, had been considering two routes to bring the train from the base of La Bajada to Santa Fe. In addition to the I-25 median route, an alignment that would have cut through the Santa Fe Community College district also was being considered. Faught said the I-25 route will have the least impact on communities while serving a...

SANTA FE— A northern route from Albuquerque for the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train remains on hold. The Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization, which comprises Santa Fe city and county officials, met Wednesday and was ready to recommend a route the train would take from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. But state Department of Transportation officials told committee members they first needed to get the approval of the state Department of Finance Administration to meet as a joint board. City and county officials were not aware that they did not have the authority to meet. Instead of making a decision,...

Completing both phases of the state commuter-train project will cost about $75 million more than what lawmakers have appropriated, a recent estimate shows. While New Mexico officials hope a federal grant will make up the difference, they're keeping quiet about how they would make up the shortfall if the cash doesn't materialize. Bonds pushed through the state Legislature two years ago by Gov. Bill Richardson gave the state Transportation Department $318 million to buy trains, tracks and stations for the state's Rail Runner Express. Last year, Congress authorized up to an additional $75 million for the project. But the federal...

SANTA FE — State Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said she's concerned that a $75 million federal grant for the state's Rail Runner Express commuter train is stalled in Congress. ''Are we going to get it? I'm not optimistic about it,'' Faught told legislators Monday. The $393 million Rail Runner is expected to cost $10 million to operate each year. The train, which currently runs between Los Lunas and Bernalillo, is to serve Belen soon and is to be extended to Santa Fe at the end of 2008. The Federal Transit Authority is to announce next month whether New Mexico will...

SANTA FE— A new report recommends routing the Rail Runner commuter train along Interstate 25 from La Bajada to Santa Fe. Conducted for the State Transportation Department, the report found a route running along I-25 would serve more than twice the population than a second proposed route running southeast of Santa Fe. By 2030, the report concluded, an I-25 route would have "a much greater market potential." State officials hope to reach a decision in January on how the Rail Runner will approach Santa Fe, connecting to central New Mexico. Existing tracks would bring the commuter train from Bernalillo to...

SANTA FE— A development company associated with businessman Gerald Peters has been selected to design and build a new state Department of Transportation headquarters, Rail Runner commuter train station, hotel and other amenities on Cerrillos Road. SCS Development submitted the winning bid, allowing it to enter exclusive contract negotiations to redevelop the 25 acres where the Transportation Department has its headquarters at Cerrillos and Cordova, south of downtown. SCS is headed by Santa Fe Properties Development Co., which is associated with Peters, the Santa Fe art dealer, developer and friend of Gov. Bill Richardson. "It's just the beginning of a...

"New Mexico’s infatuation with costly rail projects will continue to burden the state’s economy with wasteful spending into the distant future. This reality was made clear earlier this year when Rep. Tom Davis (R., Va.) secured $1.5 billion in federal money for Washington’s Metro rail system, contingent on local governments raising taxes on their citizens to create a “dedicated revenue source” for that system." >Snip<

Ridership on the state's Rail Runner Express declined after introductory fares were instituted Nov. 1— although those overseeing the service say the drop was less than they anticipated. During the initial 3 1/2-month, free-use period, the train was averaging about 1,500 riders a day, said Lawrence Rael, Mid-Region Council of Governments executive director. "We're now between 800 and 1,200 a day, depending on the day of the week," he said earlier this week. Some 5,124 people rode the train the work week of Oct. 30; 4,024 the following work week. (Nov. 7 was Election Day and Nov. 10 was a...

SANTA FE— Rancho Viejo residents made it clear to state officials Monday night: they do not want the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train to run through their neighborhood. Nearly 250 residents packed the Institute of American Indian Arts auditorium for an event organized by community members. Residents told officials with the state Department of Transportation and the Mid-Region Council of Governments that having the train run near their homes would create too much noise and traffic. Robin Dorrell— along with her husband, Daniel Clavio, who organized the meeting— advised the group to go to the Rancho Viejo Community...

Santa Feans have mixed feelings about the state-run commuter trains scheduled to roll into the city in a little over two years. While some eagerly await a new transportation option, others are concerned about the effects of the Rail Runner express train traveling near their homes. Both views were represented at a public meeting Tuesday night where state officials and consultants answered questions and accepted comments from about 100 people. ``I'm in favor of public transportation,'' said Kiernan Holliday, who lives in Eldorado. ``The way I look at it is either Santa Fe gets this as an inexpensive way to...

Dale Baltz used to have a low-powered, fuel-efficient car for his commute from his home in Placitas to his job at Intel. People would make jokes about a hamster wheel running the engine. The reality was that mice were building a nest in the engine. As a result, one day the car burned up, Baltz said Tuesday as he waited for the Rail Runner Express train. The car fire was an unpleasant experience, but Baltz said it's been a blessing in disguise. Now, he drives his truck to the Bernalillo Rail Runner station, takes a train to the Journal Center...

Noise, ridership, costs, land acquisition, impact on neighborhoods— those are some of the factors in play as the state tries to decide on a route to bring the Rail Runner commuter train into Santa Fe from near La Bajada. Last week, the train's planners recommended two routes as likely finalists— one mostly along the Interstate 25 median and another that would be a combination of three other routes the state has had under consideration for months. << snip >> Lawrence Rael, director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, the agency spearheading the project along with the state Department of Transportation,...

SANTA FE— Twenty years ago, Ginger Maes and her husband, Leo, moved to the Taylor Road area a few miles south of Santa Fe with hopes of spending the rest of their lives in peace and quiet. ... But, lately, Ginger and Leo worry that their country lifestyle ... could be vanishing. Ginger said the couple might have to sell their home if one of the proposed Santa Fe routes for the New Mexico Rail Runner Express is chosen. ... The Maeses are not alone. Many Santa Fe-area residents have let it be known that they don't want the Albuquerque-to-Santa...

Reach for your remotes, pardners: Gov. Bill Richardson is wearing spurs, toting a six-gun and blazing away with Western movie cliches in his new re-election campaign ad. "Gimme a milk," growls Richardson, wearing a lawman's star on his vest as he strides into an Old West saloon in the TV ad. The ad touts progress on a bunch of issues during Richardson's tenure— including the governor's pet Rail Runner Express commuter train— and doesn't take a single crack at his Republican opponent, former state GOP chair John Dendahl. "This is a light-hearted way for the governor to talk about his...