Short Line Proposed - NW New Mexico

[Gilbert B Norman]

The Associated Press reports that a Short Line is being proposed from around Farmington NM to interchange with BNSF Transcon, presumably at Gallup.

If CV-19, plus Binny and Vlady having their little playground fight, had not set the shale oil market into a "dry hole", I'd say this could have been a viable proposal. But until demand for oil returns, this appears a no start.

Here is New York Times coverage on how that region has been adversely affected by oil's collapse:

Fair Use:

..In Farmington, N.M., the economy was already struggling. Now everyone knows someone who is out of work because of the coronavirus. Very few say they know anyone who got sick.

[Backshophoss]

McKinley and San Juan counties have the highest case counts in NM,both are over 1,000 cases,also the Navajo Nation is over 1,000 cases
Gallup was under a week long LOCKDOWN order to slow the spread of the virus.
Navajo Nation is under nightly and weekend curfews
Coal "export" from the Navajo Nation mines,along with oil was part of the plan,BNSF has had interest in this in the recent past.
Possible "Railhead" is an industry track headed north from Gallup.
Not sure of status of the Defiance sub and the mines on that line.

[eolesen]

Diabetes is one of the pre-conditions that puts people at higher risk for COVID, and Native Americans are 2x more likely to have diabetes than the general population... which helps explains why those are hot zones.

As businesses resume and people start driving again, oil will come back. So will coal.