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BNSF may receive New Mexico tax break
Would some of the 50 mil going to Lamy-Trinidad count?
Perhaps BNSF can ‘improve’ ‘their’ Santa Fe-Raton line by keeping it to the current standard for Amtrak service… Railfans beware that any ‘improvement’ could be the end for the semaphores remaining on this line.
I say get rid of the 2 remaining double track gaps in Fort Sumner and Vaughn. It would eliminate the two remaining bottlenecks in the state out of only 4 left on the entire Chicago-LA line (other 2 being in Hayes Park, MO outside KC and in Oklahoma) on the busiest portion, definitely take a huge chunk out of (if not entirely spend or exceed) the 50 million stipulation, AND get them their tax break. A complete win-win-win situation!
What?
Does this report mean that $50M, $100M or $150M is necessary for the tax cut? Once we know that, does agreement with this spending mean the Southwest Chief would say on it current (and to be BNSF maintained?) route?
Or does this report say that $50M in spending is necessary prior to $100M in spending to qualify for the tax break? Would any BNSF spending go into maintenance on the Raton-Belen (Amtrak & RailRunner route) trackage?
Could you please do a follow up with what is on the table? Thanks.
What, the pile they spent on double tracking Abo Canyon doesn’t count?
Sorry to burst your bubble Jerry, but, the tracks from Belen to Santa Fe are owned by the Rio Metro Regional Transit District. The tracks are maintained and dispatched by Herzog Services. They also operate the Rail Runner Express service. BNSF maintains traffic rights and continues to provide freight service.
Translation: BNSF pays for and maintains track for the money-losing taxpayer subsidized commuter trains. That way, the communter trains have an easier time to cook the books in order to show a “profit” or at least break even. Which is not new. This is business as usual in Chicago. The rest of the country is just now starting to catch up with the level of corruption.
What does Governor Susana Mertinez have to say about that? She seems to be hellbent on destroying all passenger service in new Mexico. A woman of Jeffery Guse’s dreams.
mAybe the tax break needs to be contingent on maintenance of the Albuquerque-Lamy-Las Vegas-Raton route currently served by the Southwesy Chief. For most of these New Mexico towns (and those served by the route in CO and KS) this route is crucial.
How can a single state tax the fuel of an interstate rail operator? I am in Australia so not up to speed with things on American railroads, but if a railroad operats in several states, can’t it just buy fuel in the state where it is cheapest and then ship it to all its depots? Here in Australia several railroad companies running container trains across the contenet have gone to inline fueling where they will put a fuel tank car right behind the locos and pump fuel directly into the locomotives allowing their trains to go without refueling between Adelaide and Perth. Amongst other things this elminates buying fuel en route and paying a markup for transport to a remote location (like Cook in the middle of Nularbor desert). Add to this the same companies often turn old passenger cars into crew cars and have the same team of 4 drivers drive a train the whole 1600 miles between Adelaide and Perth, stopping every 8 hours to swap the pair of drivers up front with drivers off duty in the crew car.