RailRunner Ridership continues decline
Surprise, surprise, as the Albuquerque Journal reports, Rail Runner ridership is down yet again. According to the article, the decrease was 11.2 percent decrease compared with the same period in 2009. That is a pretty major drop and it continues a trend.
Ridership had been dropping as reported by Kate Nash back in May in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
With the state as much as $400 million in the red heading into the next legislative session, it would seem that the conversation over whether taxpayers can or should continue to pay close to $20 million annually for the train. Some like-minded people are circulating a petition along these lines. The tracks have been laid and the trains are running, but the system is not sustainable. Regardless of who the next governor is, saving $20 million annually by stopping the train must be a consideration.