Rail Runner Express in Albuquerque is to receive the first order
of ten new GO type commuter type cars from Bombardier’s
Thunder Bay, Ontario plant shortly (Don’t know how many will be
in the complete order). Total cost of the ten units is 3 million.
They will have a sharp looking Road Runner painting on the
loco’s and the cars (Dont have any info though on what type of
locomotive will be pulling these classy painted cars.
Bombardier is doing quite well with the production of these GO type
cars. 22 just sold to Montreal, 20 more going to GO Toronto,
Toronto will have a total of 395. They are also running in
Washington, Miami, Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver & four
California regions. I may be mistaken, but I believe Tri-Rail,
Florida also has quite a few.
The above info mentioned in The Toronto Star today
quite a long article writen by Greg Gormick, the contributing
editor of Railway Age Magazine.
$3 million for ten cars or is it $3 million each? I am under the impression that $300,000 per car is way under numbers I’ve seen. If wrong, I’ll stand corrected.
For a city of its size, Albuquerque has a very low population density, but the built up area is fairly well oriented north/south in the Rio Grande Valley and in reasonable proximity to the Lamy-Belen segment of the BNSF (Santa Fe). Last November, I drove down to Belen during the morning “drive time” and saw traffic back up a good bit from Albuquerque, but hardly anything that would send commuters to the trains in droves.
Still, the results may be interesting.
As I recall, there is some notion of running the service up to Santa Fe via the branch off from Lamy, but that part for sure is DOA.
Hi all,
well I live here, In ABQ, and the service looks to have a good future, we have the problems of a lot of built up areas, no parking… the roads are not the real issue, it is that there is noplace to put your car when you get there. I think we are really tring for public transportation on the SLC model where the light rail is the back bone and buss lines cross at right angles to give good coverage. The Albuqurque to Santa Fe coverage is really one of the prime objectives for the same reason, no parking, many the workers in Santa Fe live in Rio Rancho and Albuqurque and the nominal 40 Mikes of drive time can turn in to an hour and a half of drive and another hour of find the parking place…
The real end objective is to tie the state together from north to south with good transport. Roads are hard as the Tribal councles are extreemly unwilling to give up any land for them, and as “Independent” nations they dont have to.
Nice town you have. On the last part of my trip last year, went with the family up to Santa Fe for a few hours and then got the van service down to Lamy to catch the Chief.
This subject was up sometime back and mudchicken talked about that line from Lamy to Santa Fe as being quite slow due to alignment and grade, with no prospect of upgrading at any reasonable cost. Maybe a good connecting bus service would work.
The now-Santa Fe Southern route, formerly the Santa Fe’s branch from Lamy to Santa Fe, is only one of several possible routes being studied. The basic problem is the change in altitude from the valley up to Santa Fe, a change that takes place in a relatively short distance.
Article reads Rail Runner Express took delivery of the first of ten of the $3 million
coaches at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant June 14, for service that will start
in the fall.How do we read this?? is it 3 million for each coach or for
the total of ten ??? Only ten coaches, Will that be sufficient or will
there be an order for more ???
I’m amazed that New Mexico (New Mexico!) already has commuter trains up and running, while here in Milwaukeeland (aka “North Chicagoland”) we’re just getting engineering studies done… [banghead][}:)]
Seriously though, I was lucky to catch a couple of these cars coming through Wisconsin, pictures at www.fuzzyworld3.com/rr04.html – enjoy!
Regarding who’ll take the trains off NM’s hands after Rail Runner fails: We’ll take them here in Phoenix, AZ (and keep the road runner paint scheme!). Local officials are already talking about rail commuter on BNSF from Wickenburg into Phoenix. BNSF is reported to be interested. Meanwhile our first light rail line is already under construction over on the east side of town.
Regarding who’ll take the trains off NM’s hands after Rail Runner fails: We’ll take them here in Phoenix, AZ (and keep the road runner paint scheme!). Local officials are already talking about rail commuter on BNSF from Wickenburg into Phoenix. BNSF is reported to be interested. Meanwhile our first light rail line is already under construction over on the east side of town.
