December 5, 2008
Daily Lobo
The Santa Fe rail
Students will get half-off discount for train commute
By: Pat LohmannThe Rail Runner Express will give a discount to UNM students who make the 60-mile commute between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
"It's our policy that students pay half the regular fare to ride the train, whether they're UNM students or CNM students or students in general," said Lawrence Rael, director of the Council of Governments for the Rail Runner.
The 90-minute trip on the Santa Fe-Albuquerque line, which opens later this month, will cost $4 for students, half the regular fare of $8, Rael said.
"Four dollars? That's cake," said Katie Hancock, a UNM sophomore and native of Santa Fe. "Half off for a student is a pretty good deal. That's just awesome that you would be able to commute easier for less."
Hancock said she makes the trip down I-25 three or four times a month. She said that despite her car's high gas mileage, she would prefer to use the Rail Runner.
"I have to fill up my tank every time I go, so I probably spend about $80 a month going to and from Santa Fe," she said.
Carmen Alvarez Brown, vice president of Enrollment Management, said the Board of Regents gave her the task of reaching out to the Rail Runner to request better services for students.
Brown said she wanted to make sure the Rail Runner departed early enough so that students with early-morning classes could make it on time.
According to the Rail Runner's Web site, the commuter train will arrive in Albuquerque Monday through Friday at 6:37 a.m., 7:37 a.m., and 8:47 a.m.
Brown said she's working to expand the discount for UNM students. She said she'd like to see train service offered for free to students.
Rael said a free pass for students is unlikely, as it could result in decreased services available for paying patrons.
Hancock said she would like to see free Rail Runner rides for students.
"As a student, of course, you don't have as much money, but I think that people should contribute to (the Rail Runner)," she said. "I would prefer to have it run more often and have more chances to catch it rather than have it free."
Rael said a Rail Runner pass can be used for the ABQ Ride bus system.
"Getting on the train to Albuquerque for $4 and getting on the Rapid Ride for free all over the city - that's a heck of a good savings," he said. "That's specifically put in place so that people don't have to pay twice for two different forms of public transportation. We're trying to make it as seamless as possible."
Rael said the Rail Runner makes Albuquerque more accessible for UNM students who live or work in Santa Fe.
"I think it really does create a much better connection for students to be able to access the University," he said. "It really gives them an affordable way of getting to and from where they live or where they work."