NM Rail Runner Express Hosts Open House at Railyard This Saturday

Rail Runner Rolls into Capitol City for a visit to the Santa Fe Farmers' Market

(Santa Fe, NM – October 22, 2008) - In anticipation of the commuter rail corridor expanding north to Santa Fe this December, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express will make a stop at the popular Farmers’ Market  taking place at the Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza this Saturday.

“The Farmers’ Market is the perfect place to showcase the New Mexico Rail Runner Express”, says Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. “Both are committed to sustainable economic development. In addition to providing an efficient, convenient, and safe transportation system, this extension of Rail Runner service to Santa Fe will help ensure that our residents will have a system that serves their transportation needs well into the future.”

Phase II of Rail Runner construction which extends the corridor north from the Town of Bernalillo to Santa Fe included 18 miles of new track and four miles of reconstructed track that required almost 7,200 tons of new steel rail and 79,000 new concrete ties. A significant amount of grading has also been done as part of this project. Train crews have already begun doing test runs in the northern corridor between Bernalillo and Lamy, NM.

”Santa Fe residents have been waiting for a commuter train for nearly three decades. In less than two months we will make history by bringing the Rail Runner into Santa Fe,” Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said. “This open house will give Santa Fe area residents an opportunity to experience first hand the future of their public transportation.”

NM Rail Runner Express Open House

Saturday, October 25^th
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza

Location: At the crossroads of Guadalupe and Paseo de Peralta streets in Santa Fe

“We want people to come down to the Railyard, climb on board and check it out at this Saturday’s open house”, says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “Soon they’ll be seeing a lot more of the train, and we want them to feel as though it’s something they welcome and are familiar with”, adds Rael.

 

Contacts: 

• Augusta Meyers, MRCOG Communications Mgr. 505-239-8612, ameyers@mrcog-nm.gov
• S.U. Mahesh, NM Department of Transportation (505) 490-0976

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