The News-Bulletin: Rail Runner should run in county in Septemberby Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jschlotfeldt@news-bulletin.com
Los Lunas Seeing is believing.
When the New Mexico Rail Runner visited Los Lunas two weeks ago it brought home the realization that, yes, the commuter train is definitely on its way.
Lawrence Rael of the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) addressed Mayor Louis Huning and the Los Lunas Village Council Thursday updating them on the progress of the stations throughout the corridor and how soon the residents can expect to utilize it.
“They are planning a soft start on July 14, from Albuquerque to Bernalillo,” Rael said. “For Belen and Los Lunas, it looks like early September.”
Before the commuter rail can head south, a signaling system has to be installed from Isleta to Belen, and Rael said the system should be fully functioning by late August.
“It will yield a great deal of benefit to the area,” Rael said. “At this point, if the enthusiasm is like it is now, the train will be utilized a lot.”
While most of the stations are currently under construction, many of them are near completion Rael said. He gave this rundown:
# US 550 is 98 percent complete.
# Los Lunas will be 90 percent complete by mid-July.
# Belen is approximately 75 percent done.
# Journal Station is 98 percent there.
# Downtown Albuquerque is operational now, however, a few modifications will be made to make it comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
# Rio Bravo and Second Street will be brought on-line later because of some issues with land ownership, drainage and infrastructure.
# Isleta and Sandia Pueblos are in the approval process and will probably be the last two stations to come on-line.
One thing they have been working on is connecting transportation from the train stations. Rael said downtown Albuquerque has a class A service from the Alvarado Station that includes buses to both Coronado and Winrock centers.
Currently COG is working on setting up transportation to Intel, Cottonwood Mall, Rio Rancho and the Journal Center business park so commuters can get to their destinations.
“At US 550, we’re working with Northern New Mexico Commuter Express to provide service to Santa Fe,” Rael said. “We’re making those connections slowly.”
A great deal of interest has been shown regarding the schedule of the trains, and Rael said many calls have come in that are interested in weekend service and later-running trains.
“We’re eager and interested in putting more service on the track,” Rael said. “This is the fastest rail start-up in the country.”
Councilor Charles Griego said he was amazed at the positive attitude the people have about the train. “I think it will be a very viable thing,” he said.
Rael added that he has received many positive comments and “it’s a great opportunity for all to be excited.”
Rael presented the mayor and council with a replica of the New Mexico Rail Runner on behalf of the governor and the Council of Governments.