New Mexico Rail Runner Express

A couple of weeks ago a friend from Michigan was in Albuquerque on business. On her last day we took the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. Later that day she noticed the hat she was wearing was missing. She assumed she left it on the train. That hat was very special to her. It had pins on it from various places around the country she had visited. She was so disappointed. The next day I sent an email to the Rail Runner office and explained what had happened. I left my friends name and phone number in case the hat turned up. My friend said a representative from Rail Runner called her and asked her to describe the hat and the time we arrived in Santa Fe. Today I got an email from my friend. Not only was the hat found it was mailed to her along with three souvenir pins (Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and the Rail Runner) and a letter thanking her for visiting New Mexico and riding the Rail Runner!!! Way to Rail Runner… You Rock!!!

A fun and scenic way to hit santa fe plaza for a meal and come back to albuquerque with out of town company without worrying about traffic. I loved it and will do it again anytime!

Train was one hour late, no information was given about the status of the train. We ended up not even going to Santa Fe since we weren’t sure if we could get back with this shoddy service, much less have any time to do anything since the train was late.

I have been in it for more than 5 years now and I guess you can say it’s part of my life. Clean, fast, friendly and mostly on time. The views are dramatic. Try it out sometime and save your commute, or if you want a nice NM trip, try it out.

Wow! What a nice experience. We were in Albuquerque and wanted to go to Santa Fe. We had a car, but heard that the Rail Runner was the easier way to go. Although a little skeptical, I was interested. Finding the Rail Runner/​parking was EASY! Buying the tickets was EASY! Getting on and seated was EASY! And we took it EASY as we did not have to deal with traffic, parking, etc. It also had a place for bikers to place their bicycles. This was a surprisingly pleasant experience and definitely the way to go between ABQ and SF. You get off at the Santa Fe Railyard District and you

The railrunner has been a really great development for New Mexico. Getting around in NM isn’t a particular challenge like other cities but having train that connects our cities is a wonderful advancement. The trains are clean, roomy, and really cute. Depending on which direction you are going you get to look out the windows and see lots of rural areas, the rivers, and other landscapes. This is a great way for people who work out of town to commute to Santa Fe, Belen, or Los Lunas.

The Albuquerque metro area is VERY lucky to have a heavy rail commuter system. Many larger cities are still only talking about something like the Rail Runner. And many cities that do have light rail/​heavy rail don’t have something as nice as this.
The trains are very well maintained, despite their age. Their appearance and cleanliness on the day I went was very good. The train staff were all very friendly, respectful and helpful. The rest rooms were convenient and for the most part clean.
The route is scenic between ABQ and Santa Fe. There are lots of amenities at the major stopping points. There are park and ride spots at most stations. The parking lots are well designed, and appear to be safe. I left my car all day at one of the smaller stations (Sandia) and had no issues.
The ride was smooth and enjoyable. The $ 9 day pass ($ 9 if you buy online) isn’t exactly cheap but it’s on par with similar systems I’ve used in California.
The trains are well-​utilized. This is good since the federal government doesn’t subsidize the train. If it ran all the way to the airport it would be a five-​star rating. But I am guessing that negotiation and building the track from the I-​25 corridor east to the airport is a tough row to hoe. I am also guessing the taxi-​lobby and the airport parking business lobby has worked hard to stop it. If it could happen eventually, there might be a way to make it work for all parties.
All-​in-​all the word I keep going back to in order to describe the Rail Runner is LUCKY. Travel to major cities all over the country that do NOT have a train like this and realize that a relatively small town like ABQ should be grateful for such a service.

The homeless people hanging around the train station were a bit creepy and very insistent on their panhandling. But otherwise, we very much enjoyed the train ride from Abq to Santa Fe. There’s a restroom on the train? Where? Didn’t see one in our car — and I know where they’re supposed to be (we ride Metro Link in So Cal). We enjoy using public transit and wish this train service had been in place years ago when we lived in Albuquerque.

I like commuter trains. I like public transportation.
I also know that it’s hardly ever a sustainable endeavor and we’ll soon be paying out the wazoo in pensions, bureaucracy and the whole nine.
C’est la vie, I guess.
But this train can be a fun way to get up to Santa Fe, or a way to avoid having to drive for a change, or simply an adventure for a family or group of friends.
The price is pretty cheap and you have good, ample seating and clean space. I hope it remains this way for a good and long time.

Dave goes to New Mexico part 5.
Inexpensive public transportation that is clean and on time — yes, I am a fan. Finally, after a long day in airports, waiting for the bus to come, and standing in the heat waiting for our train, we boarded the Rail Runner. It was so nice to sit down in a nice seat in a cool compartment. Ahhhhh!
The Rail Runner is a commuter train. For my So. Cal. readers, it is very similar to Metrolink. However, Rail Runner only goes on one track between a commuity south of Alburquerque to Santa Fe. From downtown Albuquerque, the ride is about 90 minutes and costs a whopping $ 9 each way.
My boss decided we should take the train rather than rent a car. I think this was a good choice.
The train seemed to have pretty decent ridership. It is nice to see that people are using this resource. The crew both ways was polite and helpful, and the train was on time.
While the experience with the train itself and the crew was very good, some of our fellow passengers left something to be desired. The extremely drunk Native American man who sat across the aisle from me on the way back to Alburquerque was obnoxious. He really needs to shower, dry out, fix his teeth, and stop leering at 14 year old girls, and the guy who said he was a student at Univ. of New Mexico needs to stop trying to steal the conductor’s stuff.
Conversely, the really nice guy with the tats on his arms who spoke to the drunk guy and helped him find his ticket was one of the nicest random person encounters I have had in a long time. He was engaging and much more articulate than I would have imagined. He really provided me with a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.
If you need to get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, or visa versa, Rail Runner is a great option, and you may just learn something about your fellow humans.

I am so glad that we have rail service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe! Although I’ve only ridden the Rail Runner once, I think it’s so important for any metro area to have functional public transportation.
Things I loved:
— Very smooth ride
— Most of the patrons were quiet, so I could get some reading done
— Two full levels of seating — the top level is great for views!
— Comfortable and clean
— Free wifi
Things that could definitely be improved:
— Speed (The «express» is 1.5 hours from ABQ to SF?! Aren’t trains supposed to be faster than cars? Since I can make the drive in 50 minutes, this seriously diminishes the value of the train. Why take the train, and be stuck in SF without a car, if the commute is actually twice as slow?)
— Free wifi didn’t really work for me and kept cutting out, but I love that they’re trying.
I really hope the speed can be improved in the next few years, because that would really make the Rail Runner a viable alternative for traveling to Santa Fe. It would also make people more likely to live in one city and work in the other, since now the commute is just terrible enough to defer a lot of folks from doing that.
But as it is now, just grab a book, relax, and enjoy the long, smooth ride.

Nice, clean, efficient, punctual, and a good option should it meet your travel needs.
You can buy online and save one dollar, or hand a credit card to the attendant who comes by once onboard.
Trains have a nice bathroom, (will post a pic). Trains also have free internet, nice chairs, upper and lower lever cars, some tables with ac plugs, space for luggage and bikes at end of car. Announcements are made and you can also watch the video monitor for upcoming stops.
Once in Santa Fe show your ticket to the white local van/​bus and ride that free. Or just walk around downtown/​plaza area. You can ride free from train to Airport in Albuquerque on a shuttle there also. If you buy online you show that when leaving ABQ airport for free also. If you didn’t buy online you pay $ 1 for the shuttle.
Trains run right on time! They are very quiet. If you have bags, bikes, or don’t want to climb stairs you can sit on the lower level. There is a small mid level too, then the larger upper level where most choose to sit.
Its a well run operation, and a special senior rate of $ 6 all day if you quality. Otherwise $ 9.00 all day. Or there are one way and other ticket options.
It’s a well run operation. For years the talked about something like this. They often called it a high speed line. This isn’t high speed, probably about the same as driving and it makes a few stops, but no parking, gas, driving hassles. A great way to go.

I visited ABQ and decided to visit Santa Fe. I did not rent a car, so I took the Rail Runner to Santa Fe one way. You buy your ticket on the train, they take credit cards and cash.
It’s a cool ride, because you can see aspects of Pueblo life that usually you don’t get to see — just don’t take photographs when passing through the pueblos. It’s scenic, it’s nice, and a more European way of traveling that I wish they had throughout the United States.
It’s also super cheap!
However — there is only one bathroom on the train (so hold it or use it before you ride). Make sure you sit up top for the best views. There are also no refreshments on the train, so pack your own.

I’m such a rail nerd. If I ever have the option to take the train anywhere, you’ll see me on a train. In another life I would have been a hobo riding the rails and living by my wits.
(It would have been a short life)
While in Albuquerque in the spring, I found myself looking for adventure outside of the city. When I saw that my hotel was a short walk from the Train Depot downtown and further found out about day drips up to Santa Fe, I had to pounce.
The Rail Runner Express is a clean, convenient, and fun way to escape ABQ and visit the beautiful town of Santa Fe to the north.
The train was on time, and I was surprised to see all the people opting to take the train. It was cool and heralded a time of yesteryear.
I couldn’t get wifi to work for me, so I read a little, and listened to a song on repeat (
) as I watched the beautiful New Mexico landscape whoosh by.
Before I knew it, I was in SF. I stayed for a few hours and then grabbed the train back to ABQ. A fun and cool day was had.

This could definitely be better, more convenient and faster, but I’m looking at this from the perspective of what we actually have, which is a train service from Albuquerque to Santa Fe (and way beyond, soon). When I first came to this city I thought, «The only thing this town really, really needs is a rail system» and then I had to wait a decade, but eventually a really smart governor who understood the business and tourism potential of such a venture actually did it. Wow!
This should be a must-​ride for any tourist with a day or two to spare. Pick a city to spend the night, then ride the rails which cross through some lovely high desert and Indian pueblos. Rent a bike from Routes Rentals & Tours and bring it up to the City Different for an afternoon, the Rail Runner will accommodate you. And spend your dollars at local businesses which give back.