Posted at: 04/25/2009 7:07 PM
Updated at: 04/25/2009 7:15 PM
By: Eyewitness News 4

Rail Runner sees growing demand

Officials say an average of 5,000 ride the Rail Runner each day

The novelty of Rail Runner service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque may have worn off, but demand is higher than ever.

Rail Runner spokesperson Lawrence Rael said as long as people keep asking for more service, they don't see ridership slowing down in the near future.

"We're getting more and more request to add more trains. So that says to me that more and more people would like to take it more hours than simply the commuter hours that we're talking about today," he said.

Rael says the Rail Runner sees 5,000 riders a day, on average. He adds the number will only grow once more stations are added to the Santa Fe area.

One stop will be at Interstates 25 and 599 and another is in the works for Zia Road and Saint Francis Drive.

Rael says the Rail Runner ridership numbers are still a couple years off from plateauing.

At the Los Ranchos station, an extension of the platform is being built to accommodate the growing number of riders demanding service.

The popularity of the Santa Fe route has been a surprise to Rail Runner officials. Since kicking off the service in December, ridership has hardly diminished. Officials attribute a February drop in riders to cold weather.

On weekdays, the number of commuters taking the train to work has also risen. Close to 100,000 riders took the Rail Runner in March alone.

"As people get to know the system and learn how it works, we get more and more riders everyday," Rael said.

A recent survey of riders by the Rail Runner found that people who initially took the train because of the free rides will continue to ride even when they have to pay.