Rail Runner ridership remained 22 percent below pre-COVID levels in 2023

It’s no secret that transit ridership collapsed With the return of government  workers to their offices in Santa Fe one might assume that ridership on the train would have returned to previous levels.

Sadly, it has not. 2023 ridership remains 21% below 2019’s pre-pandemic levels (which were in turn well below those levels achieved in the train’s early years). When NPR is calling transit ridership a “death spiral” due in part to the rise of remote work, ANY new investment in mass transit SHOULD be avoided and current ones should be reevaluated as well.