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Nearly 90% of NM Rail Runner Passengers are Satisfied with Service Rail Runner Customers Say Train is Less Stressful, Costs Less and is Good for the Environment (Albuquerque,
NM - May 11, 2009) - According to a passenger survey
conducted between April 1 and April 15, nearly 90% of New Mexico
Rail Runner Express passengers are satisfied with the service.
This number is consistent with a passenger survey that
was conducted one year earlier when train service was only
available from Bernalillo to Belen. “Our passengers depend on us to get them to
their destination in a safe and efficient manner,” said Lawrence
Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments.
“We work very hard to provide the best service possible.
Surveys like this help us determine where we need to spend a
little more time and effort for the benefit of our passengers.” According to the survey, 93.5% of passengers
rank customer service as good or excellent and 95.4% rank staff
courtesy as good or excellent.
When it comes to ticket prices, 78.4% of passengers believe
the pricing structure is good or excellent and another 18.5% believe
it is fair. More than 60% of passengers responding to the
survey indicated that they use the train five days a week.
When asked what factors prevent them from riding the train
more often, the number one response was they already ride as often
as they can. Other top
responses to that question were, the train doesn’t fit their
schedule or the train doesn’t run on Sundays.
“It’s encouraging to see how New Mexicans have embraced commuter rail service,” said State Transportation Secretary Gary L. J. Girón. “Even though the majority of riders are happy with the service so far, we are always interested in doing better, and this survey gives us direction on how we can improve.” As part of the survey, the New Mexico Rail
Runner Express asked passengers about their starting point and
ending point of their commute. The survey also asked the ideal time
to reach their final destination in the morning and the evening.
Staff members are still analyzing those results and will use
the data to determine if schedule changes are needed in the future. More than 60% of survey respondents use a
monthly pass, while 28.1% of passengers using a day pass.
Less than 10% use a one way or annual pass. According to the survey, 90% of passengers are
using the train to get to work or school while only 8.4% are using
the train for leisure, entertainment or social visits.
The remaining 1.6% of respondents are using the train for
other appointments. According to the survey, 44.6% of passengers
walk to get to their final destination while 45.5% of passengers use
a shuttle or bus connection to get to their final destination. Of
those people who use a shuttle or bus connection, 82.2% say it is
convenient. If the New Mexico Rail Runner Express was not
available, 60.8% of passengers said they would drive alone in their
car. 14.7% said they would use the New Mexico Park & Ride and 12%
said they would carpool. According to the survey, the busiest station for
boardings is the Los Ranchos/Journal Center Station followed by the
Sandoval County/US 550 Station. The busiest station for exiting the
train is Downtown Albuquerque, followed by the South Capitol Station
and the Santa Fe Depot. The survey was conducted online between April 1
and April 15 with 1,815 people responding.
Passengers were given postcards on the train that encouraged
them to go to the New Mexico Rail Runner website to complete the
survey. A written survey was also available to passengers who didn’t
want to go online. Those completing the survey were entered into a
drawing for one of four all zone monthly passes valued at $110 each.
The drawing was held on April 17. Passengers from Belen, When asked the main reason people are using the
New Mexico Rail Runner Express, the number one answer was “It is
less stressful” followed by “it costs less” and “it’s good for the
environment.” Most passengers feel safe on board the train and
at the stations. According to the survey, 72.6% of passengers always
feel safe on the train and another 25.2% feel safe most of the time.
At the station platforms, 94.7% either feel safe most of the
time or always feel safe.
In the parking lots, 87.4% of passengers said they feel safe
most of the time or always feel safe.
While 77.2% of passengers indicated they knew
they could get a $10 discount if they purchased their ticket online,
but only 45.3% of passengers are actually purchasing their tickets
online.
The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is continuing
to evaluate the survey results in other categories such as potential
service and schedule changes, and will release that information when
it becomes available.
Contacts:
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