Zia Road station

Zia Road
Rail Runner Express commuter rail station
Zia Road Rail Runner station
General information
Location602 West Zia Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Coordinates35°38′47″N 105°57′25″W / 35.6464°N 105.9570°W / 35.6464; -105.9570
Line(s)
  Rail Runner Express
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zoneZone F
History
OpenedApril 24, 2017
Services
Preceding station New Mexico Rail Runner Express Following station
Santa Fe County/NM 599
toward Belen
 Rail Runner Express South Capitol
toward Santa Fe Depot
Location
Map

Zia Road is a station on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail line, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The station is the first Rail Runner stop to be constructed on private land. Officials had scheduled it to open in August 2011, following an agreement from the city's finance committee that the stop will open if the owners construct parking and transit facilities for the station[1] and the station opened in April 2017.[2]

The station is located at the intersection of Zia Road & St. Francis Drive, and is planned to be the center of a mixed-use, transit-oriented development.[3]

Each of the Rail Runner stations contains an icon to express each community's identity. The icon representing this station is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

NMDOT announced in 2013 that they were waiting to complete a traffic study before starting parking lot construction, and potential designation for mixed-use development.[4] However, Santa Fe City Council had indicated back in 2011 that although the land may be mixed use development, the station itself would be a Kiss-n-Ride station, meaning there will be no dedicated Rail Runner parking spots.[5] In February 2015, The Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization completed tests of trains stopping at the station and the impact of the surrounding area.[6][7]

Recent developments

In May 2016, the New Mexico Department of Transportation approved construction plans for infrastructure needed to create a passenger pick-up and drop-off area for the station, including an access road, sidewalks, and lighting.[8] As of August 2016, construction permits had been issued to the developer responsible for the site, allowing the start of construction of the passenger pick-up and drop-off area.[9] As of September 2016, construction at the site was temporarily altering traffic flow at a nearby intersection, of West Zia Road and Galisteo Road, through temporary lane changes.[10]

In January 2017, the New Mexico Department of Transportation issued a letter deeming improvements made by the city to be acceptable, and authorizing the station to open.[11] At that time, the opening of the station was expected to occur "as early as late March, following a public comment period."[12] It was announced in March 2017 that the station would be opening on the 24th of April.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Santa Fe council committee agrees to opening of Zia Rail Runner stop". www.therepublic.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.[dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Zia Road". riometro.org. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Zia Station – Santa Fe, NM". ziastation.com.
  4. ^ Horwath, Justin (November 19, 2013). "Stationary Promise: Traffic study nearly complete for idle Rail Runner train station at Zia Road". Santa Fe Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Chacón, Daniel J. (February 23, 2014). "Study looks at traffic impacts of opening Zia Road station". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  6. ^ Luby, Ryan (4 February 2015). "Rail Runner's $1M 'ghost train' station remains unused, off map". KOB TV. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  7. ^ Last, T.S. (20 January 2015). "Santa Fe studying opening Rail Runner Zia Station". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  8. ^ Chacón, Daniel J. (30 May 2016). "Plan to bring Zia Station online finally gaining traction". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  9. ^ Last, T.S. (2 August 2016). "Zia Station will finally open as 'kiss-and-ride' Rail Runner stop". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  10. ^ Chacón, Daniel J. (27 September 2016). "Traffic flow to change: Zia station construction begins". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  11. ^ "DOT says Santa Fe Rail Runner station can finally open". KRQE. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  12. ^ Carl, David (12 January 2017). "Long-awaited Zia Station to welcome passengers". KOAT. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Zia Road Station Opening". www.riometro.org. Retrieved July 11, 2021.[dead link‍]