Legislators Question BNSF Track Deal (NM-Richardson's Railroad)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | December 7, 2010 | Colleen Heild

[CedarDave]

It turns out the state Department of Transportation has already paid $5 million for nearly 200 miles of northern New Mexico train track it has no plans to use, but is resisting taking title to the rail line because of potential environmental problems.

That revelation came during a legislative hearing Monday in which DOT officials estimated the cost of routine maintenance on the stretch of train track would cost the state nearly $6 million a year — money that would have to come from the fund the state uses for road repair and maintenance.

In addition, DOT officials said Monday that the state must pay about $200,000 a year for extra liability insurance for that portion of track.

Details about the agreement to buy the unneeded track emerged as several Legislative Finance Committee members questioned how the state could have entered such a deal with BNSF Railway Co.

"It sounds to me like we made the purchase without doing the environmental survey," said Rep. Donald Bratton, R-Hobbs. "It's somewhat surprising to me we entered into a contract and put money forward and now we're looking back. I think it was reckless and irresponsible on our part."

DOT officials have said BNSF wouldn't sell the state 99 miles of train track between Belen and Santa Fe to launch the Rail Runner commuter train project unless the DOT also promised to buy the rest of the track running north to the Colorado line.

The BNSF track, under a 2005 agreement, was scheduled to be sold in phases for a total of $75 million. The unneeded track was to be sold in the final phase for $5 million in December 2008.

[CedarDave]

It's a little late to be questioning the purchase. The facts were known as far back as 2005 (see previous FR articles with the keyword Richardson's Railroad).

As mentioned in yesterday's posting (State Ends Up With 200 Miles of Track It Can't Use (NM-Richardson's Railroad)), the track is only used by Amtrak for its once-a-day each way Southwest Chief. BNSF has stopped its freight train service on the route and all trains go via Belen-Clovis-Amarillo on their fast double-track transcon.

As highlighted above DOT officials say that Amtrak's contribution to the yearly $6 million maintenance costs would be about $200,000 once the state takes ownership of the track which means that NM would have to pony up $5.8 million from the strained road repair fund.

[CedarDave]

NM list PING!

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list. For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after watching a short video commercial.)

[CedarDave]

As true today as it was three and five years ago:

Journal editorial cartoon, December 11, 2005:

ABQ Journal, 09-09-07:

ABQ Journal, 11-25-07:

[Spitzensparkin1]

Richardsons railroad to nowhere. Great we already have his spaceport to nowhere and now this.

All the while he is a speaker in Cancun, Mexico, selling UN globalist climate treaties instead of cleaning out desk in Santa Fe. I want to know how he got to Cancun anyway. Did he take his(tax funded) new governors jet? Anyone?

Thanks to CedarDave for watching this.

[CedarDave]

Rumor (not kidding here) is that he will soon be on his way to North Korea to try to defuse north-south tensions there.