Happy Holidays to One and All!
As another year comes to a close, we must reflect on our accomplishments here at Rio Metro while looking for ways to build upon them in the year ahead – all the while keeping those we serve at the core of our mission – “…to provide safe, accessible, efficient, and innovative transportation services for the benefit of our diverse local communities and regional economy”.
From the very start of 2023 to the present, daily ridership aboard the New Mexico Rail Runner Express has been making steady gains month-after-month, all the way up to a consistent 2,800 daily average number of riders to round out the year – the first time we’ve hit those numbers since prior to the pandemic! In retrospect, there are many achievements during the year that we can look back on and see how each one of those steps contributed to this important milestone.
Service Oriented!
Perhaps the biggest contributor to our ridership increase occurred in June – when we rolled out a new schedule that added another Albuquerque-to-Santa Fe northbound and southbound train to our weekday schedule…as well as an extra mid-day train on Sundays. And as our train service increased, our Wi-Fi service was seamlessly improved! Following a year of development and testing, we now rely on satellites to deliver broadband continuous internet on the Rail Runner – which replaces the old radio and cell towers that often produced spotty service along the train’s 100-mile corridor. And pretty soon, we’ll have a new mobile app to test the system (stay-tuned for that!).
Better Times Ahead - Literally!
And while measures have been taken to elevate the customer experience aboard the train, some significant work started this year on our infrastructure. We are implementing signal upgrades in downtown Albuquerque which promises to enhance speeds through that area from 20mph-to-50mph. We are also constructing sidings on both the north and south ends of our Albuquerque corridor which will allow trains to pass each other as needed, significantly improving our on-time performance as fewer trains will end up delayed.
Next Stop – 2024!
A couple other projects we’ve got in the hopper for 2024 include finishing our Valencia County Transit Facility – hopefully scheduling a ribbon cutting for early Spring…and exploring funding opportunities to replace our current out-of-date and dilapidated Rail Runner maintenance facility.
Giving Thanks
So as another year commences, we have much to be thankful for. Among those things for which I am particularly grateful is the dedication and devotion of our tireless staff. And speaking of staff – another thing I am extremely grateful for is that we are now fully staffed on our Rio Metro buses. The bus driver shortage was a big challenge for many U.S. transit agencies that struggled to hire drivers this year.
In closing I want to wish each and every one of you and yours the very best of what the season has in store, as well as offer a truly heartfelt thank you for your support. As always, I hope to see you riding and enjoying Rio Metro transit in the new year.
Warmest Wishes,
Robert Gonzales
Director of Rio Metro Regional Transit District
