Albuquerque Journal Editorial

I just received this
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Getting Back on the Track
Journal North Editorial The two-state commission that oversees the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad wisely decided last week to renew its operating contract with the company that has run the railroad for the past three years. That company, the Rio Grande Railway Preservation Corp., already has the expertise and the people in place to ready the engines and track for this summer's season. Now, however, the commission faces a more difficult task: keeping the narrow-gauge train running over the long term. Last year's record drought was the immediate cause of this year's problems. Forest Service officials worried about fire danger shut down the train for almost a month last summer, and the loss of riders cost Rio Grande Railway $1.5 million in expected revenue. Rio Grande terminated its contract last fall. But much more basic problems must be addressed. Only a few years ago, in 1999, the commission abruptly ended its contract with another train operator because of ongoing repair and maintenance problems. When the states of New Mexico and Colorado bought the Cumbres & Toltec in 1970, the thinking was that the train's operations could be self-sustaining. But as former New Mexico Gov. David Cargo, who helped arrange the purchase, wrote in these pages in 1999, "history has proven this to be naive." Compare the Cumbres & Toltec with the nearby tourist-oriented narrow gauge train that runs from Durango to Silverton, Colo. The Cumbres & Toltec operates its 64-mile route between Chama and Antonito, Colo., only during the summer and fall months, with an average annual ridership of only about 50,000 passengers. The Durango train, in contrast, runs its shorter 50-mile route year-round and carries on average 200,000 passengers a year. The Durango train also had to stop running for 34 days last summer due to drought and wildfire. A train spokesperson called the halt "financially devastating" for that railroad, too, and said the railroad has had to arrange a $1 million emergency loan from Colorado. The Cumbres & Toltec is publicly owned. The Durango train is privately owned and run by a company that also owns a railroad in North Carolina. That plus the size of the Colorado operation allows the company some economies of scale, the company spokesperson said. More importantly, the same company has owned the Durango train for more than 20 years and has budgeted for capital investments and maintenance annually. Last year, for example, the company bought a few diesel locomotives so the train could continue to haul passengers even if another dry spell sidelines its hazardous coal-burning steam locomotives. No company that has operated the Cumbres & Toltec, in contrast, has had a contract for more than 12 years. In 1999, railroad enthusiasts and train operators outlined what needed to be done to make the Cumbres & Toltec economically viable. The list hasn't changed today:
Long-term maintenance and upkeep costs need to be separate from the operations contract.
The railroad's owners, New Mexico and Colorado, should take over responsibility for long-term capital costs. (Alternatively, the states could consider selling the railroad to a private operator for a nominal sum, retaining only oversight responsibility to make sure the property doesn't lose value.)
The railroad commission should include commissioners with railroad or tourism experience, and its director should have professional railroad experience. Fortunately, it looks like Gov. Bill Richardson and the newly constituted commission agree with this advice. Richardson has appointed a narrow gauge buff, Carl Turner, to the commission. Turner has served on the commission twice before and has been the railroad's lobbyist in Santa Fe for 25 years. And Richardson's other appointee, Chama resident Steve Malnar, says commissioners now recognize that the past practice of forcing the train's operator to pay for track and equipment maintenance "does not work." Now it's up to both these commissioners and their Colorado counterparts to convince their respective legislatures to spend money — maybe a lot of money — making long-neglected repairs to equipment and track. And it remains to be seen whether the subsidy will have to be permanent. After all, the money doesn't just shore up the railroad — the livelihoods of people in the struggling rural communities of both Chama and Antonito depend on it.
....................................