neroden wrote:If Railrunner fares are raised, New Mexico should also toll the highway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It's only fare. Out west there are way too many freeways and not enough toll roads. Motorists are not paying their fare share of transportation costs. Look at the success of the Eastern Turnpike Complex (All of the Illinois Toll Roads, Indiana Toll Road, Ohio Turnpike, Pennsylvania Turnpike, NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Deleware Turnpike, Del's Route 1 Turnpike, Maryland's toll roads, NY Thruway, Masspike, and New Hampshire Turnpike). It is an interconnected network of toll roads, often augmented with toll bridges too, that covers its own maintainment cost. The tolls don't deter people from traveling. There are proposals to toll all of New Jersey's interstates as well as I-80 in Pennsylvania too.goodnightjohnwayne wrote:You really do have to wonder just how many people would ride Railrunner if the fare structure reflected reality? Multiply the current fares by a factor of five or ten for a realistic rate of farebox recovery.Well, I think it would still be pretty popular, given the Santa Fe - ABQ bottleneck. Especially now that people have gotten used to it (teaser pricing does work).
They should bite the bullet and increase fares before people get too used to the current prices. If the goal is 'congestion mitigation' I can see an argument for pricing it somewhat cheaper than gas for the trip in a decent car, but that should get the maximum number of people off the roads so I can't see the argument for making it much cheaper than that.
"The Erie only sells 1 way tickets on the NJ&NY because it only has a 99 year lease on the line."