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Now that the New Mexico Department of Transportation has picked the median of Interstate 25 as the Rail Runner route from the Galisteo River to Santa Fe, something is actually happening. A consulting firm has been drilling for soil samples in the median. There are several bridges to build, and the designers will meed good geotechnical information. And this afternoon some surveyors were out--using GPS equipment, of course--to do preliminary surveys, probably for earthwork calculations.
There's no environmental assessment yet, but we're on the way!
The RailRunner will leave the BNSF tracks around a mile east of Interstate 25, climb the hill, and then head for Interstate 25. I suspected all along that the NMDOT would choose this route--very little right-of-way to buy.
RRCHINA Member # 1514
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Seems like we had this discussion some time ago and the I-25 concept was dismissed; no thats too strong, it was not readily accepted.
Now how will they get downtown from I-25? Use the Santa Fe Southern ROW or perhaps come in west of Cerillos Road at some location which has minimal ROW acquisition difficulties?
Kiernan, can you furnish any specifics about the way to get into downtown Santa Fe?
Kiernan Member # 3828
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The plan is to follow the Santa Fe Southern tracks--the State of New Mexico owns them now--into downtown. The southbound lanes of I-25 will need an overpass and the tracks will go under the road to meet the much lower grade on the SFS line. There will be a station at the New Mexico DOT building--naturally--and another where the old station was downtown, just to store the trains. There will be at least one more along the way, but no one knows where yet.
I work in a building near at the SFS tracks near I-25. There may be a station there, too. But we're moving to a building where there isn't even a bus line. Great!
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