It was a packed room to see the NM State Transportation Commission conduct its monthly meeting in Raton at the invitation of District 4 Commissioner and Raton resident, Ron Schmeits.
Commission chairman Pete Rahn convened the meeting to order in the Raton Best Western Hotel with the majority of the crowd there for the update on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief.
All that spoke were all-aboard in favor of the SW Chief as Ray Lang of Amtrak gave their update saying the recent Tiger Grant awarded to CO-KS is a major step in the right direction. Lang said BNSF alerted Amtrak in 2011 of Burlington’s intention to reduce the maintenance on the route of some 224 miles because of reduced freight. That would drop the section to a class 2 which is safe up to 30 miles per hour. The section currently is class 4 with speeds safe up to 80 miles an hour.
The NM portion from the Raton Pass to Lamy, is in better shape than portions of the CO-KS tracks, so maintenance not replacement/repair would be the big issue in New Mexico. Lang said the original estimate for NM was 100 million for ten years or ten million per year. He also said Amtrak is committed to $4 million per year and while BNSF has not given a solid number, it has said it would be willing to help maintain in the hope of future increased business.
Chairman Rahn told Lang ”we need a number” in order to know what the state can expect. Rahn also stated “money is tight” in NM with GRIP funds already committed and allocated. A meeting with Amtrak, BNSF and state officials will be forthcoming as Rahn directed NM Transportation cabinet secretary’s Tom Church’s liason to ask Church about setting up a meeting.
Incoming Raton City Manager Scott Berry said it was the single most important transportation issue in Raton/Colfax County. Berry told the commission that the Track Fire and the closing of the interstate pointed out how important the Raton portal is to the state. Berry also complimented the Raton airport, calling it one of the best small airports in NM. Berry also said Express Aviation is set to replace Pegasus Aviation in the near future and has further plans to improve the amenities even more.
Colfax County commissioners Jim Maldonado and Bill Sauble were there, as were Raton City Commissioners, Ron Chavez, Neil Segotta, Don Giacomo and Mayor Sandy Mantz.
Amtrak economics were the biggest part of the public input to the commission. Ford Robbins, President of the NM SW Chief coalition attended and Jim Sooby of the CO state rail coalition wanted the commission to realize what a really extraordinary asset it is that is virtually untapped. The line passes by some 23 million people from Chicago to LA and one of the possibilities is hosting international rail travelers, especially from Europe, for tour and special packages. Rick Klein, Mayor of La Junta, said jobs is number one. According to Klein, one-half of all Americans don’t have drivers licenses. Ray Lang stated earlier that it was his belief that there would be freight on the line in the future.
In summary of the NM Transportation Commission’s position, Rahn said the commission was in support of the SW Chief, but the challenge is dollars.
I was honored to be able to attend this meeting, where I reiterated to the State Transportation Commission the need to invest in the track to ensure that the SW Chief maintains it current route through Raton and northern New Mexico. My colleagues and I in the legislature will once again work to make the funding available for this critical project.