On what was literally a whistle-stop tour touting the New Mexico Rail Runner as an efficient way to build transportation infrastructure, Mayor John Cook, Precinct 2 County Commissioner Veronica Escobar and other city leaders gathered at the BNSF Copper Dock in Downtown El Paso for a demonstration of one of the commuter trains.
The Friday stop occurred almost one month after a joint discussion by the El Paso and Las Cruces city councils about the cost and benefits of extending the railroad south from its current endpoint in Belen, N.M., to Las Cruces and El Paso.
The demonstration coincided with the introduction of the Southwestern Transit Corridor Planning and Fuel Use Reduction Act, which was introduced by New Mexico Congressman Harry Teague and co-sponsored by Rep. Silvestre Reyes. The bill would include a feasibility study for rail expansion.
Officials at the demonstration said that the transportation would benefit 17,000-18,000 commuters and the quality of life standards for area residents. The cost estimated at the April 16 meeting with the city councils was $735 million.
Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, included an additional cost breakdown, stating that the project in New Mexico cost $400 million per 100 miles, and estimated the rail line between Las Cruces and El Paso to be about half that with less costs for stations and rail cars.
He also emphasized the benefits of rail transportation in relation to economic and fuel efficiency “when it comes down to affordability, quality of life, and safety.”
He acknowledged the difficulty to compare the estimated cost of the proposed system to the existing one, but noted cyclical nature of infrastructural spending on road expansion and creating interchanges versus the longevity of rail spending. “As growth curves, they get better because people will use them,” he said.
