Zia Road is a station on the

New Mexico Rail Runner Express The New Mexico Rail Runner Express ( AAR reporting mark NMRX) is a commuter rail system serving the metropolitan areas of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is administered by the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and the R ...

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

line, located in Santa Fe,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. 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 and the station opened in April 2017. 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 In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...

. 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 The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi ( es, Catedral basílica de San Francisco de Asís), commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Arc ...

. 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 Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to ...

. 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. In February 2015, The Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization completed tests of trains stopping at the station and the impact of the surrounding area.

Recent developments

In May 2016, the

New Mexico Department of Transportation The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT; es, Departamento de Transporte de Nuevo México) is a state government organization which oversees transportation in State of New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexic ...

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. 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. 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. 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. At that time, the opening of the station was expected to occur "as early as late March, following a public comment period." It was announced in March 2017 that the station would be opening on the 24th of April.

References

External links

Stations, Zia Road
''Official Rail Runner site'' {{Rail Runner , state=expanded Railway stations in New Mexico Railway stations in the United States opened in 2017 Buildings and structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico Transportation in Santa Fe County, New Mexico