Las Vegas
The 13,500 resident town of Las Vegas, New Mexico saw 5,400 board and alight the SWC in
2013. Local schools and universities include New Mexico Highlands University and the United
World College. Albuquerque is the primary commercial airport serving the city, although the
far smaller Santa Fe municipal airport is closer.
Raton
Raton, New Mexico currently has a ridership of 15,700 annually, of which more than 80 percent
of the traffic is associated with the Philmont Ranch (approximately 9,400 passengers) and the
connecting motor coach service (approximately 3,800) to Denver. In addition to Philmont
Ranch, other popular destinations include Sugarite Canyon State Park, Capulin Volcano
National Monument, Cimmaron Canyon State Park, and the National Rifle Association’s
Whittington Center. The major Denver and Albuquerque airports are equidistant from Raton,
with Colorado Springs being closer.
Stations Located on Both Alignments
Albuquerque
Ridership at the Albuquerque, New Mexico station is anticipated to increase by 1,700 from
78,100 to 79,800 riders annually if the SWC were rerouted to BNSF’s Transcon across Texas and
Oklahoma. This net increase in volume is associated with ridership to and from the new SWC
cities of Amarillo and Wichita, KS (approximately 4,800 riders) offsetting the loss of existing
ridership to and from Lamy, Las Vegas, and Raton (3,100 riders). Half a million residents reside
in the city of Albuquerque while the metropolitan area encompasses over 900,000 total
residents. Albuquerque hosts the only major commercial airport in New Mexico, with the
International Sunport handling around 6 million passengers annually in recent years.
Gallup
Ridership at the Gallup, New Mexico station is anticipated to increase by 1,200 from 15,600 to
16,800 due to the proposed new alignment of the SWC. With roughly 22,000 residents, there are
numerous hotels for visitors along the historic Route 66. Gallup serves as the closest location
for various national parks and monuments, including El Morro, El Mapais, Chaco Culture,
Aztec Ruins, Canyon de Chelly, and the Hubbell Trading Post. Combined, these national sites
receive over 1 million visitors annually, largely due to Canyon de Chelly’s position as one of the
most visited national monuments in the United States. The closest major commercial airport is
Albuquerque.
Proposed New Mexico Southwest Chief Stations
Belen
Belen, New Mexico is projected to serve 7,800 riders with the new alignment of the SWC.
Located approximately 35 miles south of Albuquerque, this town of 7,000 residents anchors thesouthern extent of the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Since 2006, Belen has been the southern
terminus for the Rail Runner Express that operates between Belen, Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
While the Southwest Chief could carry passengers between Belen and Albuquerque, it is
presumed potential riders would prefer to use the more frequent, and less expensive, Rail
Runner Express service.
Vaughn
Vaughn, New Mexico is projected to serve 2,600 riders with a rerouted SWC. With a current
population in the 400’s, Vaughn and environs is not a significant tourist draw, with the closest
outdoor recreational opportunity being White Sands National Monument, located 150 miles
south of this town. The nearest commercial air service can be found in Albuquerque. Vaughn
would be the closest Amtrak station to the New Mexico cities of Santa Rosa (39 miles away), Las
Vegas (69 miles), Roswell (96 miles), and Artesia (130 miles). The model cannot estimate how
many passengers to or from these cities would use an Amtrak station in Vaughn.
Clovis
Ridership in Clovis, New Mexico is projected at 7,400 with the new alignment of the SWC. With
a population of nearly 40,000, Clovis is an essential air service community served by Clovis
Municipal Airport, which has roughly 1,400 enplanements a year. The nearest major
commercial airport is located in Amarillo. While some distance from national parks, a station at
Clovis would service several universities including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at
the nearby Cannon Air Force Base as well as Eastern New Mexico University 20 miles to the
south. Clovis would be the closest Amtrak station to the New Mexico cities of Portales (18 miles
away), Tucumcari (83 miles) Lovington (102 miles), and Hobbs (116 miles). The model cannot
estimate how many passengers to or from these cities would use an Amtrak station in Clovis.