Amtrak鈥檚 Southwest Chief is a long-distance passenger train that travels daily from Chicago to Los Angeles along the Mountain Route of the historic Santa Fe Trail. Along the way, it knits together rural communities, like La Junta, Colorado and Raton, New Mexico and connects them to larger cities, like Albuquerque and Kansas City. The route is at risk though. , bypassing southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico entirely. There鈥檚 much agreement that the Chief should stay on its current route, but when it comes to committing dollars to the effort, there鈥檚 little consensus over who should pay for it.
Just south of the Colorado border in Raton, a dirt and gravel lot edges up against multiple railroad tracks, and a small Spanish-style building welcomes train passengers coming to town.
ErnestHaeckeris a commuter, who lives part-time in Raton, New Mexico, and part-time in New York City. He says he uses the railroad to travel back and forth between the two locations. Haeckeris one of many who came out to the Raton Amtrak station earlier this year in support of National Train Day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also very common for folks here to go to appointments in Albuquerque and visit family,鈥滺aeckersays, 鈥渂ecause there鈥檚 very little in public, or in mass transit in this area.鈥�
Haeckerhighlights the dual purpose of a line like the Southwest Chief. It鈥檚 one part long distance travel, and one part rural transportation.
It鈥檚 Boy Scouts heading into Raton for a trip toPhilmont, a nearby Scout Ranch. It鈥檚 family members visiting from out of town, or tourists wanting to see the Old West by train. For many, it鈥檚 a convenience, a nostalgic thrill, or a lifeline.
鈥淭here is no other connectivity,鈥� says Amtrak President and CEO, Joe Boardman. 鈥淟ong distance passenger rail service does not mean that you travel from Chicago to LA. It means you travel fromLa Junta, Colorado to Kansas City.鈥�
But on this section along the Chief鈥檚 route, from western Kansas through northern New Mexico, track ownerBNSF, a freight carrier, has said it doesn鈥檛 need to maintain the lines to the same standards Amtrak needs for passenger service. That鈥檚 created a funding quandary.
鈥淭hose long distance routes that traverse many many states, those have always been a federal responsibility and come out of Amtrak鈥檚 funding that is appropriated by Congress,鈥� says MarkImhoff, director of the Colorado Department of Transportation鈥檚 Division of Transit and Rail. 鈥淥ur belief is that that should maintain and it should continue to be, because the main thrust of those services is multi-state transportation.鈥�
But there is an argument for both federal and local funding, says east coast based transportation expert, Janet Davidson.
鈥淭he people who use it to get from one small town to the next small town are as important a part of that transportation story as somebody who gets on and makes the big grand journey once every two years, or whatever they do,鈥� says Davidson.
Amtrak has been the subject of criticism since its creation by Congress, more than forty years ago. It鈥檚 a for-profit company, but the federal government remains its primary stockholder and subsidizes it. Nationwide, Amtrak鈥檚 passenger numbers are up, and long distance routes, like the Chief, make up about 15% of overall ridership.
Amtrak鈥檚 Boardman comes from a rural background, and is passionate about maintaining the line on its current route.
鈥淲e have a commitment and a relationship with all these small communities,鈥� says Boardman. 鈥淎nd, we have a pretty good ridership level鈥 think we鈥檙e forgetting about [the rural communities]. And we鈥檇 better not. I鈥檓 committed to delivering what we promised in 1971.鈥�
But for the Southwest Chief, those promises come with necessary infrastructure upgrades estimated at around $200 million. Amtrak has committed funds, and is among a proposed partnership that also includesBNSF, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado, that would split the costs evenly over the course of ten years.
Advocates of maintaining the line, including the two rail companies, Kansas, and a number of regional entities in Colorado that, if approved, would total nearly $25 million.
鈥淚鈥檓 not quite sure how we make up the rest of the difference,鈥� saysCDOT鈥檚Imhoff. 鈥淏ut it would be a start. And I think that鈥檚 where a lot of the grassroots folks are coming from is if you can look at this in more bite-sized chunks, there might be ways to actually preserve the line.鈥�
CDOThas about $10 million a year for transportation projects, andImhoffsays it鈥檚 hard to imagine putting more than a third of that into this line for one year, let alone, multiple years as proposed. He says busses could provide comparable service at a fraction of the cost.
And Janet Davidson says sometimes, that just makes more sense, despite some of the emotions that might be involved.
鈥淧eople name their cars, they name their boats, they talk about rail lines 鈥� in this way as if it opens up this whole world鈥攁nd you know, maybe it does. Maybe it opens up a world of imagination for us鈥攂ut it鈥檚 also a way to get from A to B, and if we鈥檙e pragmatic about it, sometimes the rail isn鈥檛 the right way to travel, sometimes the car makes more sense.鈥�
An Amtrak spokesman says their long-distance routes primarily compete with driving. But there are other issues surrounding the line, things like and for the communities it serves. For those,Imhofflooks to the statehouse.
鈥淚f we as a state believe that those elements are really important,鈥� saysImhoff, 鈥渢hen the legislature could come forward with some general fund dollars to try and help from an economic and tourism perspective.鈥�
ButImhoffalso adds, 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 coffers are pretty low.鈥�
Colorado鈥檚 legislature to look at preserving the Chief, add a stop in Pueblo and possibly one inWalsenburg. An announcement on the federal transportation grant application is . It鈥檚 one of nearly 800 vying for a share of $600 million. Amtrak says they need a clear plan by the end of the year, or they鈥檒l be forced to begin the rerouting process.
Copyright 2020 91.5 KRCC. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxNDQ2NDAxMDEyNzU2NzM2ODA3ZGI1ZA001))
