A REPRIEVE OF SORTS FOR THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF TRAIN. AMTRAK WANTS NEW MEXICO TO CHIP IN 4-MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR TEN YEARS TO HELP FUND TRACK MAINTENANCE. WITHOUT THE FUNDING, AMTRAK HAS SAID IT COULD RE-ROUTE THE TRAIN OUT OF NEW MEXICO. STATE REP DENNIS ROCH SAYS IT NOW APPEARS THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AS QUICKLY AS FIRST THOUGHT.
HE’S ENCOURAGED BY THE NEWS THAT TRACK IMPROVEMENTS IN KANSAS MEANS THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF WON’T BE MOVED OUT OF NEW MEXICO BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, AS WAS ORIGINALLY FEARED.
HE SAYS THE TRAIN’S FUTURE WAS THE CENTER OF SOME DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE TRACK OPERATORS, LEGISLATORS AND COMMUNITIES ALONG THE ROUTE DURING THE RECENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
