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Sunday, January 24, 2010
Commuters Deplore Possible Loss of Weekend Service
By Lloyd Jojola
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
There was a time when the Sumner & Dene Gallery in Downtown Albuquerque didn't have buyers from Santa Fe, gallery partner Roy Sumner Johnson said. But it gets some regular ones these days, including regulars who take the Rail Runner train.
"And they bring their friends," the Central Avenue business owner said.
"That Saturday service, it's been a wonderful service, and I want them to expand the hours, not cut back."
Add Johnson to the list of people — from daytrippers to consumers and those with business interests — who hated to hear that the Rail Runner Express train's weekend service could be coming to a halt.
The board of directors of the Rio Metro Regional Transit District last week declared that weekend service will end Feb. 15 unless money comes in from the state to cover a projected shortfall in the train's operating budget. Rio Metro operates and manages the state-owned train.
"I don't think it's right," said Greg Martinez, a regular rider who took the train Saturday morning from Albuquerque to visit family in Santa Fe. "To begin with, I think they should have had this service 20, 30 years ago.
"It's not like the state can't afford it; they can afford it," he said, maintaining that the state would rather use its money for other, less necessary things.
"So to do away with weekend service is a bunch of crap," he said. "I think they should extend this service all the way to Colorado and to Taos and maybe even El Paso."
Mary and Dave Klein of Albuquerque took the same train to Santa Fe for a weekend trip to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Mary Klein heard about the potential cut, which she's opposed to, although she doesn't use the train often.
"To take our dollars and get us to get behind the project, which they did, and then, all of a sudden, they're going to cut?" she said.
"I think we should be supportive of it. I think it helps both cities. We should stand behind the project."
The couple could have driven to Santa Fe, they said, but "why not take the train."
Dave Klein pointed out that the cost is $16 for their round trip.
"I would pay more, if that made a difference," he said.
For the fiscal year that began July, some $14.1 million in gross receipts tax money was projected to come in and cover most of the train system's $22 million operating budget.
Through November, $4.89 million had been collected — and the outlook to meet the year-end total remains bleak.
It's now projected that between $11.75 million to $12 million will be collected, said Chris Blewett, director of the Rio Metro Regional Transit District.
"The situation is still fluid, as most of you know," Blewett told the board on Tuesday. "It's very difficult to predict what's going to happen over the next six months. But it's obviously a cause for concern."
Officials say the less-than-expected tax revenue is at the heart of the projected $750,000 train operating budget shortfall and, in turn, the possible elimination of weekend service.
The system sees about 4,200 passenger boardings on Saturdays. In recent weeks, between 700 and 1,000 were taking the train on Sundays, Blewett has said.
Bad for business
The threatened cut has been met with frustration from some Santa Fe merchants and the local Chamber of Commerce.
The train brings visitors from parts south into Santa Fe's growing Railyard commercial district and just a few minutes' walk from the Plaza shops.
"I think it's asinine to stop on weekends, because then it confirms the suspicion that this is a boondoggle for state employees in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. If that's all this is going to be, why am I paying taxes (for it)?" said Neal Frank, owner of Santa Fe Pens. "I think it's a great idea, but just make it work. Don't be so short-sighted. If they stop it, it will be really hard to restart."
Cutting weekend service hurts businesses, said Station Cafe owner Weldon Fulton, and that could affect the gross receipts tax revenue upon which the Rail Runner so heavily relies.
"It's really a Catch-22," Fulton said.
Selena Engelhart, who works at two area stores — Chapare in Sanbusco and Street Feet in La Fonda Hotel downtown — said the customers coming in on weekends boost local business and benefit from a more stress-free trip to Santa Fe.
"They don't have to drive around town. They can walk the town, and that's the best part," Engelhart said. "I can only think of it as a win-win situation."
Farther down the tracks, the same type of sentiment exists. Duke City business boosters say the train is a pusher of commerce, and businesses have benefited from it.
Brian Morris, executive director of the Downtown Action Team, called the weekend service "critical to our businesses."
"We don't have any official tracking (numbers), but I know that we have seen positive activity during the day on Saturdays, whether it be the movie theater or at galleries," Morris said. "Some of our businesses have been doing well the past year, and they attribute much of that to the Rail Runner."
On the weekends, he said, the area tends to see more families, people from neighboring communities, coming in and looking for things to do.
"I understand that we're in tough economic times and tough decisions have to be made," Morris said. "But I think the Rail Runner is an economic development tool, and it helps spur business and it helps people spend money, which then goes back into gross receipts tax coffers."
Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Terri Cole echoed that feeling, calling the weekend service "a tremendous boost to commerce between Albuquerque and Santa Fe."
"The chamber would hate to see anything done, especially right now, that stifles small business' ability to sell products and service," she said.
"We would encourage the governor and the Rail Runner (administrators) to come up with a way to manage these cuts that do not hurt commerce."
Seeking other sources
Whether more state money will arrive to save weekend service, particularly at a time when the state is dealing with its own massive budget deficit, remains to be seen.
Rio Metro staff was expected to re-examine the train's budget. And various agencies are trying to tackle the train funding issue, said Mark Slimp, state Department of Transportation spokesman.
"Talks still continue, and creative funding solutions are still being discussed, but nothing has been decided," he said.
Asked if the state agency was surprised by the position the Rio Metro board took, Slimp said, "When you get into a situation like this, all options are on the table.
"This would not be something that we'd prefer, and we'll do everything possible to sustain safe and efficient service."
In fall 2008, area voters approved an eighth-cent transit tax — a gross receipts tax — to fund regional mass transit, including the Rail Runner.
It's the main source of money for the train. Fare box revenue is expected to come in at about $2.9 million for the fiscal year. Minus the tax and fare box money, the rest comes from a combination of other sources, including federal funds and from things like track rental.
But that's not enough.
Blewett told the board that line-item cuts to the budget and some contract renegotiations with Herzog, which crews and operates the train, yielded savings. And further budget adjustments have been proposed: increasing weekend fares by applying the weekday fare structure to Saturdays and Sundays (discounted fares have thus far been applied to weekends); eliminating some early- and late-day trains on Saturdays; and not using a "protect crew" — an on-call train crew.
Those additional changes are projected to bring the shortfall down to $750,000.
The Rio Metro board never got to the point of voting on the proposed weekend fare increases and Saturday reductions, and opted to approve the resolution calling on the state to help cover the shortfall.
"Either we get it down to zero, or why waste our time with a resolution that still leaves us three-quarters-of-a-million short," Larry Abraham, a Rio Metro board member and mayor of the village of Los Ranchos, said during the discussion.
"This is the governor's project. We stuck our necks out on the line," Abraham said, referring to local governments' support in getting the transit tax passed by voters to help fund train operations. "If we hadn't stuck our necks out on the line, they'd be burdened with the entire (amount)."
Journal Staff Writer Jessica Dyer contributed to this report.
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