By Steve Terrell, Santa Fe New Mexican; February 15, 2019
The federal government will pump $50 million into Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger train route, which passes through New Mexico, members of the state’s congressional delegation announced Friday.
The measure — pushed by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján — will provide money for safety improvements and maintenance along the Southwest Chief route. Previously, Amtrak had proposed replacing train service with bus service along a significant portion of the route.