Commuter rail service discussions begin months after Dona Ana County bus launch

Months after the relaunch of a rural bus service in Dona Ana County, discussions are now underway for a commuter rail service.

The South Central Regional Transit District relaunched the bus service in February. It’s costing the county roughly $800,000 a year.

SCRTD says a light rail, like the Rail Runner in Albuquerque, could have a big impact in southern New Mexico.

“If you look up north, at every point where there is a station there are businesses just booming all around those locations,” Wayne Hancock, chair of the SCRTD board, said.

But ABC-7 wanted to know why the district is looking into this transportation now, after just relaunching a rural bus service a few months ago. Hancock says because the county relaunched the service, they were allocated $50,000 from the legislature to conduct a feasibility study.

“Those being connected are only incidental,” Hancock said. “What’s important for the rail service is that there is a bus service because you want to have connectivity to the rail terminals.”

Some fear like the Rail Runner, the savings won’t outweigh the cost. But Hancock says we won’t know the price tag or who foots the bill until after the study is completed.

The study will be completed in June. If you’d like to give input, you can take this survey here:www.surveymonkey.com/r/nmcommuterrail