U.S. investing $50M in N.M. Amtrak route

Funding should keep parts of Southwest Chief from being replaced by buses

The federal government will pump $50 million into Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger train route, which passes through New Mexico, members of the state’s congressional delegation announced Friday.

The measure — pushed by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján — will provide money for safety improvements and maintenance along the Southwest Chief route. Previously, Amtrak had proposed replacing train service with bus service along a significant portion of the route.

“With this funding, communities from Raton to Gallup and beyond will continue to benefit from this historic service that is an economic engine for so many New Mexico communities,” Udall said in a news release.

Udall said the delegation will continue to work closely to keep the Southwest Chief financially sound, so “travelers from across the country can continue to experience this all-American journey from East to West.”

The Southwest Chief measure also was backed by senators from Colorado and Kansas, states through which the route runs.

It was part of the budget compromise that recently passed Congress and was signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump.

Amtrak’s proposal to suspend service for the Southwest Chief was prompted by repairs needed to a 219-mile section of track between Trinidad, Colo., and Lamy. In October, Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek told a Senate committee that he was shelving the bus plan and committed to keeping the train going at least through September 2019.

The controversial bus proposal prompted a study by the Rail Passengers Association and the University of Southern Mississippi that concluded maintaining the Southwest Chief between Dodge City, Kan., and Albuquerque prevented $180 million in losses for local economies.

The 2,265-mile route stretches between Chicago and Los Angeles.