It’s birthday time for the Rail Runner Express commuter rail service — today marks the first anniversary of the train’s service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. 
       Officials say that since the Santa Fe service started, the train has carried 1,372,000 passengers, a daily average of about 4,400. More than half of the passengers on the Rail Runner, whose southern terminus is Belen, are traveling between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
       At the Santa Fe Railyard on Wednesday, Rail Runner commuters said they’re saving money, time and sanity.
       John Duff, who lives in Albuquerque and works at the New Mexico Finance Authority office in Santa Fe, estimated his monthly gas savings at about $500. He said he gains 2 1/2 hours of work time with his laptop during the daily commute. And he likes the stress-free trip.
       “It’s fairly tense driving between Albuquerque and Santa Fe,” he said. “It’s also a big safety issue.”
       But fares still don’t account for much of the Rail Runner’s operating budget. Rail Runner spokeswoman Augusta Meyers said out of last fiscal year’s $21 million operating budget, about $1.9 million came from ticket sales. Most of the money, about $17 million, was from the federal government’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program.
       That fiscal year ended in June 30. For the current fiscal year the train is operating on a $22 million budget, with the majority of the funding, about $14.2 million, coming via voter-approved gross receipts taxes. Fare dollars are supposed to amount to about $2.8 million this year, Meyers said.
       The remainder of the budget comes from federal funds and leasing tracks to the Santa Fe Southern tourist train.
       Gov. Bill Richardson said in a statement the train has reduced traffic congestion by 45.3 million vehicle miles of travel, eliminated 22,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced energy consumption by 2.26 million gallons of gasoline, based on formulas for calculating these kinds of statistics.
       Economic uptick
       Some business owners in and around the Santa Fe Railyard say the well-subsidized train rides also have bought them something like an economic lifesaver.
       “Last winter, with all the talk of an economic crisis blooming, the Rail Runner helped everyone in the general vicinity keep their heads above water,” said Weldon Fulton, who owns The Station at the Railyard coffee shop.
       Carter Tague, a manager at the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon, said he’s seen “some uptick” in business over the last year. Passengers getting off the train have to veer right to get to his restaurant, though, and Tague said they’re mostly drawn left, toward the Plaza.
       “You can stand here and watch them stream that way like cattle,” he said Wednesday from the front of the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon.
       The Cowgirl Hall of Fame restaurant and bar is in that direction, and part-owner Nicholas Ballas said, “We did see a crowd bump as soon as the Rail Runner came in.”
       Several surrounding business owners cited the Cowgirl and Tomasita’s Restaurant as the biggest beneficiaries of the train. But Ballas said it’s hard to gauge the true economic impact of the Rail Runner when the overall economy’s been so bad.
       Ignatios Patsalis, owner and manager of Tomasita’s, went back to the lifesaver analogy.
       “Because of the Rail Runner I’ve been able to maintain,” he said. “While some businesses might be hurting, we’re maintaining.”
       All or nothing?
       Gloria Moss said while the restaurants and coffee shops are benefitting, her business, Moss Outdoor, hasn’t seen any boost in sales. Moss Outdoor is next to the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon.
       “It’s been nothing, and you can ask anyone around here,” she said. “The train is great, it’s beautiful and clean, but I think it’s more for people who work here, to ease up traffic on the highway. As far as increasing business, it hasn’t at all.”
       Of everyone who spoke to a Journal reporter for this story, it was the commuters by far who were most pleased about the Rail Runner’s arrival in the City Different.
       “In 2008, I drove 30,000 miles between Albuquerque and Santa Fe,” said Carl Boaz, who has his own transcribing business. “This has been a godsend.”

By Phil Parker
Journal Staff Writer