Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — School’s out and Rio Metro Regional Transit District wants to help youth ages 17 and under make the most of their summer – starting with free rides on the new Mexico Rail Runner Express! Beginning Saturday, June 1st through July 31st, all youth ages 17 and under can ride the New Mexico Rail Runner Express at no cost!
“We want to give our young people in central New Mexico a way to do more and save this summer”, said Dewey V. Cave, Executive Director, Rio Metro Regional Transit District. “And what better way to do that than to offer them free rides on the Rail Runner.”
No passes needed — youth ages 17 and under can simply board the train and show a driver’s license, state ID, student ID, or tell the ticket agent their age. Check out our list of Things to Do from the Rail Runner.
Shakespeare on the Rail is Back!
Every Saturday in June, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express is once again partnering with the New Mexico Shakespeare Festival to bring short scenes from some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays to riders on the Rail Runner between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, in both directions! All performances are free with regular train fare. View Saturday showtimes.
Late Night Train Service added for Santa Fe Railyard Friday Night Concerts!
Rio Metro is partnering with the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation and Lensic 360 for the free Santa Fe Railyard concert series this summer. Every Friday from June 7th – August 23rd, a late-night southbound train has been added to the schedule to accommodate concert attendees. The train will depart the Santa Fe Depot at 10:05 p.m. and make every stop between Santa Fe and Downtown Albuquerque. Concerts start at 7 p.m. in the Railyard Park.
“These kinds of partnerships offer a great opportunity for people to enjoy what the Rail Runner has to offer”, said Robert Gonzalez, Director of Operations for Rio Metro. “Concert-goers now have the option to take a short walk back to the Santa Fe Depot to catch the later train and leave the driving to someone else”.
…Movies, too!
In addition to the concert series, Lensic 360 also produces a series of free outdoor movies at the Santa Fe Railyard Park every other Saturday night, starting June 1st. As part of its regular weekend schedule, a Saturday night Rail Runner train departs the Santa Fe Depot at 10:14 p.m., which is ideal for attendees who want to skip the traffic and take the train.
View the concert series and movie lineup, along with the weekend train schedule at www.riometro.org/railyardsummerseries.
Rio Metro Customer Service Representatives are available at 866-795-RAIL (7245) from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sundays.