Editing New Mexico (section)

==Transportation==
[[File:USA Mexico border New Mexico.JPG|thumb|In this photo, the [[Mexico–United States border]] divides [[Sunland Park, New Mexico|Sunland Park]] and the Mexican state of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]].]]

New Mexico has long been an important corridor for trade and [[human migration|migration]]. The builders of the ruins at [[Chaco Canyon]] also created a radiating network of roads from the mysterious settlement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/northamerica/chaco.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604094657/http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/northamerica/chaco.html|title=Chaco Canyon<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=June 4, 2010|access-date=August 23, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Chaco Canyon's trade function shifted to [[Casas Grandes]] in the present-day Mexican [[state of Chihuahua]]; however, north–south trade continued. The pre-[[Christopher Columbus|Columbian]] trade with [[Mesoamerican cultures]] included northbound exotic birds, seashells and copper. Turquoise, pottery, and salt were some of the goods transported south along the [[Rio Grande]]. Present-day New Mexico's pre-Columbian trade is especially remarkable for being undertaken on foot. The north–south trade route later became a path for horse-drawn colonists arriving from [[New Spain]] as well as trade and communication; later called ''[[El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro]],'' it was among the four "royal roads" that were crucial lifelines to Spanish colonial possessions in North America.<ref name="Suina">{{cite web |url=http://www.newmexicohistory.org/story2.php?catid=727 |title=Indigenous trade |last=Suina |first=Kim |website=Digital History Project{{snd}}Book of Migrations |publisher=New Mexico Office of the State Historian |access-date=March 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903153033/http://www.newmexicohistory.org/story2.php?catid=727 |archive-date=September 3, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Santa Fe Trail sign IMG 0516.JPG|thumb|Santa Fe trail sign]]

The [[Santa Fe Trail]] was the 19th-century territory's vital commercial and military highway link to the Eastern United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.santafetrail.org/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305202118/http://www.santafetrail.org/index.php|title=Santa Fe Trail Association|archive-date=March 5, 2011}}</ref> Several trails that terminated in northern New Mexico, including the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail and the [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]] are recognized as [[National Historic Trail]]s. New Mexico's latitude and low passes made it an attractive east–west transportation corridor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/safe/ |title=Santa Fe National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service) |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=June 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022212520/http://www.nps.gov/safe/ |archive-date=October 22, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a territory, the [[Gadsden Purchase]] increased New Mexico's land area for the purpose of constructing a southern [[transcontinental railroad]], that of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]. Another transcontinental railroad was completed by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]]. The railroads essentially replaced the earlier trails but prompted a population boom. Early transcontinental [[auto trail]]s later crossed the state, bringing more migrants. Railroads were later supplemented or replaced by a system of highways and airports. Today, New Mexico's [[Interstate Highway]]s approximate the earlier land routes of the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail and the transcontinental railroads.

===Road===

{{See also|Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction#New Mexico|List of New Mexico highways}}
[[File:National-atlas-new-mexico.png|thumb|left]]

Personal automobiles remain the primary means of transportation for most New Mexicans, especially in rural areas.<ref name="abqjournal.com" /> The state had 59,927 route miles of highway {{as of|lc=y|2000}}, of which 7,037 receive federal aid.<ref>U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-2: New Mexico Public Road Length, Miles by Ownership 2000 [http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_02.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017024457/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_02.html|date=October 17, 2008}}</ref> In that same year there were {{convert|1003|mi|km}} of freeways, of which a thousand were the route miles of Interstate Highways [[Interstate 10 in New Mexico|10]], [[Interstate 25 in New Mexico|25]] and [[Interstate 40 in New Mexico|40]].<ref>U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-1: New Mexico Public Road Length, by Functional System [http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_01.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017023538/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_01.html|date=October 17, 2008}}</ref> The former number has increased with the upgrading of roads near [[Pojoaque, New Mexico|Pojoaque]], [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] and [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]] to freeways. Notable bridges include the [[Rio Grande Gorge Bridge]] near [[Taos, New Mexico|Taos]]. Larger cities in New Mexico typically have some form of public transportation by road; [[ABQ RIDE]] is the largest such system in the state.<ref>{{cite web|title=ABQ RIDE{{snd}}City of Albuquerque|url=http://www.cabq.gov/transit/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317142408/http://www.cabq.gov/transit/index.html|archive-date=March 17, 2010|access-date=April 12, 2010|publisher=City of Albuquerque|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rural and intercity public transportation by road is provided by [[Americanos USA, LLC]], [[Greyhound Lines]] and several government operators.

New Mexico is plagued by poor road conditions, with roughly a third of its roadways suffering from "inadequate state and local funding".<ref name="By">{{Cite web|last=By|first=Robert Nott|title=Report: New Mexico motorists paying price for poor roads|url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/report-new-mexico-motorists-paying-price-for-poor-roads/article_615359ca-7d5c-11ec-bb2f-07ef0d6b82d9.html|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Santa Fe New Mexican|date=January 25, 2022|language=en|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126152418/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/report-new-mexico-motorists-paying-price-for-poor-roads/article_615359ca-7d5c-11ec-bb2f-07ef0d6b82d9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2001}}, 703 highway bridges, or one percent, were declared "structurally deficient" or "structurally obsolete".<ref>[http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-5: Highway Bridge Condition: 2001]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623111327/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|date=June 23, 2012}}.</ref> Data from 2019 found 207 bridges and more than 3,822 miles of highway in less than subpar condition, resulting in greater commute times and higher costs in vehicles maintenance.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 4, 2021|title=White House Releases Updated State Fact Sheets Highlighting the Impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Nationwide|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/04/white-house-releases-state-fact-sheets-highlighting-the-impact-of-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-nationwide/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=The White House|language=en-US|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126152418/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/04/white-house-releases-state-fact-sheets-highlighting-the-impact-of-the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-nationwide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

New Mexico has historically had a problem with drunk driving, though this has lessened: According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', the state once had the nation's highest alcohol-related crash rates but ranked 25th in this regard by July 2009.<ref>{{cite web |work=Los Angeles Times |title=New Mexico turns a corner on drunk driving |date=July 7, 2009 |first=Kate |last=Linthicum |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-07-na-new-mexico-dwi7-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 13, 2025}}</ref> The highway traffic fatality rate was 1.9 per million miles traveled in 2000, the 13th highest rate among U.S. states.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 2-1: Highway Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates: 2000|url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623111327/http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_02_01.html|archive-date=June 23, 2012|access-date=June 10, 2012|publisher=Bts.gov|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2022 report cited poor road as a major factor in New Mexico's continually high traffic fatalities; between 2015 and 2019, close 1,900 people were killed in automotive crashes in the state.<ref name="By"/>

===Highways===
{{See also|List of U.S. Routes in New Mexico}}
New Mexico has only three [[List of Interstate Highways in New Mexico|Interstate Highways]]: [[Interstate 10 in New Mexico|Interstate 10]] travels southwest from [[Arizona|the Arizona]] state line near [[Lordsburg, New Mexico|Lordsburg]] to the area between [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]] and [[Anthony, New Mexico|Anthony]], near [[El Paso, Texas]]; [[Interstate 25 in New Mexico|Interstate 25]] is a major north–south interstate highway starting from Las Cruces to the [[Colorado]] state line near [[Raton, New Mexico|Raton]]; and [[Interstate 40 in New Mexico|Interstate 40]] is a major east–west interstate highway starting from the Arizona state line west of [[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]] to the Texas state line east from [[Tucumcari, New Mexico|Tucumcari]]. In [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], I-25 and I-40 meet at a stack interchange called [[Big I|The Big{{spaces}}I]]. The state is tied with Delaware, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island in having the fewest primary interstate routes, which is partly a reflection of its rugged geography and sparse population.<ref>"[https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table03.cfm Table 3: Interstate Routes in Each of the 50 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711030748/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table03.cfm |date=July 11, 2018 }}". ''Route Log and Finder List''. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.</ref>

New Mexico currently has [[List of U.S. Routes in New Mexico|15 United States Highways]], which account for over {{convert|2980|mi|km}} of its highway system. All but seven of its 33 counties are served by U.S. routes, with most of the remainder connected by Interstate Highways. Most routes were built in 1926 by the state government and are still managed and maintained by state or local authorities. The longest is [[U.S. Route 70 in New Mexico|U.S. 70]], which spans over {{convert|448|mi|km}} across southern New Mexico, making up roughly 15% of the state's total U.S. Highway length; the shortest is [[U.S. Route 160 in New Mexico|U.S. 160]], which runs just {{convert|0.86|mi|km}} across the [[Four Corners|northwestern]] corner of the state, between the [[Arizona]] and [[Colorado]] borders.

The most famous route in New Mexico, if not the United States, was [[U.S. Route 66|U.S. 66]], colloquially known as the nation's "Mother Road" for its scenic beauty and importance to migrants fleeing West from the [[Dust Bowl]] of the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 31, 2014|title=On What's Left of America's 'Mother Road,' Remnants of Road Trips and Migrations|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/141230-dust-bowl-grapes-of-wrath-drought-migrants-family-trip-route-66-part-2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605051239/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/141230-dust-bowl-grapes-of-wrath-drought-migrants-family-trip-route-66-part-2|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 5, 2021|access-date=2021-08-01|website=Science|language=en}}</ref> The road crossed through [[northern New Mexico]], connecting the cities of [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]] and [[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]], before being replaced by I-40 in 1985. Much of U.S. 66 remains in use for tourism and has been preserved for historical significance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Route 66 National Scenic Byway – New Mexico Tourism – Travel & Vacation Guide|url=https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/scenic-byways/route-66-national/|access-date=2021-08-01|website=www.newmexico.org|language=en-us|archive-date=August 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801222347/https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/scenic-byways/route-66-national/|url-status=live}}</ref> Another famous route was [[US 666|U.S. 666]], which ran south to north along the western portion of the state, serving the Four Corners area. It was known as the "Devil's Highway" due to the number [[666 (number)|666]] denoting the "[[Number of the beast]]" in Christianity; this numerical designation, as well as its high fatality rate was subject to controversy, superstition, and numerous cultural references. U.S. 666 was subsequently renamed U.S. Route 491 in 2003.
Many existing and former highways in New Mexico are recognized for their aesthetic, cultural, or historical significance, particularly for tourism purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Mexico Scenic Road Trips {{!}} 25 State and National Byways|url=https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/scenic-byways/|access-date=2021-08-01|website=www.newmexico.org|language=en-us|archive-date=August 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801222346/https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/scenic-byways/|url-status=live}}</ref> The state hosts ten out of 184 "America's Byways", which are federally designated for preservation due to their scenic beauty or national importance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Scenic Byways Program – Planning, Environment, & Real Estate – FHWA|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/|access-date=2021-08-01|website=[[Federal Highway Administration|Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)]]|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814052800/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/scenic_byways/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Rail ===
{{See also|List of New Mexico railroads}}
[[File:Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad excursion train headed by locomotive 484 in 2015.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad]]]]

There were 2,354 route miles of railroads in the year 2000; this number increased by a few miles with the opening of the [[New Mexico Rail Runner Express|Rail Runner]]'s extension to Santa Fe in 2006.<ref name="bts.gov2">U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-9: Freight Railroads in New Mexico and the United States: 2000 [http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_09.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320230412/https://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/new_mexico/html/table_01_09.html|date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> In addition to local railroads and other tourist lines, the state jointly owns and operates a heritage [[narrow gauge|narrow-gauge]] steam railroad, the [[Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway]], with the state of [[Colorado]] since 1970. Narrow-gauge railroads once connected many communities in the northern part of the state, from [[Farmington, New Mexico|Farmington]] to Santa Fe.<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|110}} No fewer than 100 railroads of various names and lineage have operated in the state at some point.<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|8}} New Mexico's rail transportation system reached its height in terms of length following admission as a state; in 1914, eleven railroads operated 3124 route miles.<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|10}}

Railroad surveyors arrived in New Mexico in the 1850s shortly after it became a U.S. territory.<ref name="mapping">{{cite web |url=http://www.newmexicohistory.org/story2.php?catid=731 |title=New Mexico and its Railroads |date=August 1984 |website=La Crónica de Nuevo México/New Mexico Office of the State Historian: Digital History Project{{snd}}The Book of Mapping |publisher=Historical Society of New Mexico |access-date=March 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903152916/http://www.newmexicohistory.org/story2.php?catid=731 |archive-date=September 3, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first railroads incorporated in 1869,<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|9}} and the first railway became operational in 1878 with the [[Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway]] (ATSF), which entered via the lucrative and contested [[Raton Pass]]. The ATSF eventually reached [[El Paso, Texas]] in 1881, and with the entry of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] from the [[Territory of Arizona|Arizona Territory]] in 1880, created the nation's [[Transcontinental railroad#United States|second transcontinental railroad]], with a junction at [[Deming, New Mexico|Deming]].<ref name="Myrick">{{cite book|last=Myrick|first=David F.|title=New Mexico's Railroads{{snd}}An Historical Survey|publisher=[[Colorado Railroad Museum]]|location=Golden|year=1970|lccn= 70-116915|isbn=978-0826311856}}</ref>{{Rp|9, 18, 58–59}}<ref name="mapping" /> The [[Denver & Rio Grande Railway]], which generally used [[narrow gauge]] equipment in New Mexico, entered the territory from [[Colorado]], beginning service to [[Española, New Mexico|Española]] in December 1880.<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|95–96}}<ref name="mapping" /> These first railroads were built as long-distance corridors; later railroad construction also targeted resource extraction.<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|8–11}}  [[File:Tucumcari NM Train Station.jpg|thumb|The railway station in [[Tucumcari, New Mexico|Tucumcari]]]]

The rise of [[rail transportation]] was a major source of demographic and economic growth in the state, with many settlements expanding or being established shortly thereafter. As early as 1878, the ATSF promoted [[#Tourism|tourism in the region]] with an emphasis on Native American imagery.<ref name="Richards2">{{cite book|last=Richards|first=C Fenton Jr|title=Santa Fe{{snd}}The Chief Way|publisher=[[New Mexico Magazine]]|others=Robert Strein & John Vaughn|year=2001|isbn=978-0937206713|series=Second Printing, 2005}}</ref>{{Rp|64}} [[Named train]]s often reflected the territory they traveled: ''[[Super Chief]]'', the streamlined successor to the ''Chief'';<ref name="Richards2"/> ''[[Navajo (passenger train)|Navajo]]'', an early transcontinental tourist train; and ''[[Cavern (passenger train)|Cavern]]'', a through car operation connecting [[Clovis, New Mexico|Clovis]] and [[Carlsbad, New Mexico|Carlsbad]] (by the early 1950s as train 23–24), were some of the named [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway#Passenger service|passenger trains of the ATSF]] that connoted New Mexico,<ref name="Myrick" />{{Rp|49–50}}<ref name="Dorin">{{cite book|last=Dorin|first=Patrick C.|title=Santa Fe Passenger Trains in the Streamlined Era|publisher=TLC Publishing, Inc.|others=design and layout by Megan Johnson|year=2004|isbn=978-1883089993|location=US}}</ref>{{Rp|51}} The ''Super Chief'' became a favorite of early Hollywood stars and among the most famous named trains in the U.S.; it was known for its luxury and exoticness, with cars bearing the name of regional Native American tribes and outfitted with the artwork of many local artists{{snd}}but also for its speed: as brief as 39 hours 45 minutes westbound from Chicago to Los Angeles.<ref name="Richards2"/>[[File:RailRunner.jpg|thumb|The [[New Mexico Rail Runner Express]] is a commuter operation that runs along the Central Rio Grande Valley.]]At its height, passenger train service once connected nine of New Mexico's present [[#Settlements|ten most populous cities]] (the sole exception is [[Rio Rancho, New Mexico|Rio Rancho]]); currently, only [[Albuquerque]] and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] are connected by a rail network.<ref name="nmrailrunner.com" /> With the decline of most [[intercity rail]] service in the U.S. in the late 1960s, New Mexico was left with minimal services; no less than six daily long-distance roundtrip trains, supplemented by many branch-line and local trains, served New Mexico in the early 1960s. Declines in passenger revenue, but not necessarily ridership, prompted many railroads to turn over their passenger services in truncated form to [[Amtrak]], a state-owned enterprise. Amtrak, also known as the National Passenger Railroad Corporation, began operating the two extant long-distance routes on May 1, 1971.<ref name="Myrick" /><ref name="Richards2"/><ref name="Dorin" />

Resurrection of passenger rail service from [[Denver]] to [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], a route once plied in part by the ATSF's ''El Pasoan'',<ref name="Dorin" />{{Rp|37}} has been proposed; in the 1980s, then–Governor [[Toney Anaya]] suggested building a [[high-speed rail]] line connecting the two cities with New Mexico's major cities.<ref>{{cite news|last=Herron|first=Gary|date=December 22, 2008|title=Media and politicians enjoy inaugural ride, public opening met with delays|work=The Observer|location=UK|url=http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2008/12/21/news/doc494d4df4b3d01455138411.txt|url-status=dead|access-date=February 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106185231/http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2008/12/21/news/doc494d4df4b3d01455138411.txt|archive-date=November 6, 2018}}</ref> In 2004, the Colorado-based nonprofit [[Front Range Commuter Rail]] was established with the goal of connecting [[Wyoming]] and New Mexico with high-speed rail;<ref>{{cite news|last=Proctor|first=Cathy|date=May 15, 2005|title=Idea floated for Front Range rail line|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/05/16/story2.html|url-status=live|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510015023/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/05/16/story2.html|archive-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref> however, it became inactive in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Front Range Commuter Rail – History and Documents|url=https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityHistory.do?quitButtonDestination=BusinessEntityDetail&pi1=1&nameTyp=ENT&masterFileId=20041413000&entityId2=20041413000&srchTyp=ENTITY|access-date=2021-08-01|website=Colorado Secretary of State|archive-date=August 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801222346/https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityHistory.do?quitButtonDestination=BusinessEntityDetail&pi1=1&nameTyp=ENT&masterFileId=20041413000&entityId2=20041413000&srchTyp=ENTITY|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Santa fe depot railrunner.jpg|thumb|Downtown Santa Fe train station]]Since 2006, a state owned, privately run [[commuter rail]]way, the [[New Mexico Rail Runner Express]], has served the [[Albuquerque metropolitan area]], connecting the city proper with Santa Fe and other communities.<ref name="nmrailrunner.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.nmrailrunner.com/stations.asp |title=Stations{{snd}}New Mexico Rail Runner Express |publisher=Nmrailrunner.com |access-date=June 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106174708/http://www.nmrailrunner.com/stations.asp |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Holmes">{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/14/mass_firm_sues_state_over_railrunner_name/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215020745/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/14/mass_firm_sues_state_over_railrunner_name/ |archive-date=December 15, 2012 |title=Mass. firm sues state over Railrunner name |last=Holmes |first=Sue Major |date=January 14, 2009 |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=February 2, 2009 }}</ref> The system expanded in 2008 with the adding of the [[BNSF Railway]]'s line from [[Belen, New Mexico|Belen]] to a few miles south of Lamy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Delays-mark-first-morning-of-commuter-train-service |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908203848/http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Delays-mark-first-morning-of-commuter-train-service |archive-date=September 8, 2012 |title=Delays, struck cow mark Rail Runner's first day, but riders optimistic |last=Grimm |first=Julie Ann |date=December 17, 2008 |newspaper=[[The Santa Fe New Mexican]] |access-date=February 2, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Phase II of Rail Runner extended the line northward to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] from the [[Sandoval County/US 550 (Rail Runner station)|Sandoval County]] station, the northernmost station under Phase I service; the service now connects [[Santa Fe County|Santa Fe]], [[Sandoval County|Sandoval]], [[Bernalillo County|Bernalillo]], and [[Valencia County|Valencia]] counties. Rail Runner operates scheduled service seven days per week,<ref>{{cite web|date=April 12, 2010|title=Rail Runner schedule page|url=http://www.nmrailrunner.com/schedule.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723135959/http://www.nmrailrunner.com/schedule.asp|archive-date=July 23, 2010|access-date=July 31, 2010|website=NM Railrunner|url-status=dead}}</ref> connecting Albuquerque's population base and central business district to downtown Santa Fe with up to eight roundtrips in a day; the section of the line running south to [[Belen, New Mexico|Belen]] is served less frequently.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmrailrunner.com/PDF/Weekday%20Schedule%20SF%2012-08.pdf |title=New Mexico Rail Runner Express weekday schedule |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325113040/http://www.nmrailrunner.com/PDF/Weekday%20Schedule%20SF%2012-08.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Amtrak's ''[[Southwest Chief]]'' passes through daily at stations in [[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]], Albuquerque, [[Lamy, New Mexico|Lamy]], [[Las Vegas, New Mexico|Las Vegas]], and [[Raton, New Mexico|Raton]], offering connections to Los Angeles, Chicago and intermediate points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/oct08/P03.pdf|title=Southwest Chief passenger timetable|date=October 2008|publisher=[[Amtrak]]|access-date=February 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304021219/http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/oct08/P03.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2009}}</ref> A successor to the ''Super Chief'' and ''[[El Capitan (passenger train)|El Capitan]],''<ref name="Dorin" />{{Rp|115}} the ''Southwest Chief'' is permitted a maximum speed of {{convert|90|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} in various places on the tracks of the [[BNSF Railway]];<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Blaszak|first=Michael W.|year=2009|title=Speed, Signals, and Safety|journal=Fast Trains|series=Classic Trains Special Edition No. 7|page=47|isbn=978-0890247631}}</ref> it also operates on [[New Mexico Rail Runner Express]] trackage. The ''[[Sunset Limited]]'' makes stops three times a week in both directions at [[Lordsburg, New Mexico|Lordsburg]], and [[Deming, New Mexico|Deming]], serving Los Angeles, New Orleans and intermediate points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/jan09/P01.pdf|title=Sunset Limited passenger timetable|date=January 2009|publisher=[[Amtrak]]|access-date=February 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205011407/http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/jan09/P01.pdf|archive-date=February 5, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Sunset Limited'' is the successor to the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]'s train of the same name and operates exclusively on [[Union Pacific]] trackage in New Mexico.

New Mexico is served by two of the nation's ten [[class I railroad]]s, which denote the highest revenue railways for freight: the [[BNSF Railway]] and the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]. Together they operate 2,200 route miles of railway in the state.<ref name="bts.gov2"/>

===Aerospace===
{{See also|List of airports in New Mexico}}

New Mexico has four [[List of airports in New Mexico|primary commercial airports]] that are served by most major domestic and international airliners. [[Albuquerque International Sunport]] is the state's main [[Port of entry|aerial port of entry]] and by far the largest airport: It is the only one designated a medium-sized hub by the [[Federal Aviation Administration]], serving millions of passengers annually.
[[File:Spaceport America terminal - The Gateway (15094090585).jpg|thumb|223x223px|Spaceport America terminal, ''The Gateway'']]
The only other comparatively large airports are [[Lea County Regional Airport]], [[Roswell International Air Center]], and [[Santa Fe Regional Airport]], which have varying degrees of service by major airlines. Most airports in New Mexico are small, [[general aviation]] hubs operated by municipal and county governments, and usually served solely by local and regional [[Regional airliner|commuter airlines]].

Due to its sparse population and many isolated, rural communities, New Mexico ranks among the states most reliant on [[Essential Air Service]], a federal program that maintains a minimal level of scheduled air service to communities that are otherwise unprofitable for commercial airlines.

==== Spaceport America ====
New Mexico hosts the world's first operational and purpose-built commercial [[spaceport]], [[Spaceport America]], located in [[Upham, New Mexico|Upham]], near [[Truth or Consequences, New Mexico|Truth or Consequences]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ohtake |first=Miyoko |date=August 25, 2007 |title=Virgin Galactic Preps for Liftoff at World's First Commercial Spaceport |journal=Wired Magazine |volume=15 |issue=10 |url=https://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-10/st_spaceport |access-date=January 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515205505/http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-10/st_spaceport |archive-date=May 15, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="BizWeek">{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2008/12/29/daily19.html|title=NM Spaceport, Virgin Galactic sign 20-year lease|last=Robinson-Avila|date=December 31, 2008|publisher=New Mexico Business Weekly|access-date=January 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102002859/http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2008/12/29/daily19.html|archive-date=January 2, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Discovery">{{cite news|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/19/spaceport-commercial.html|title=First Commercial Spaceport Gets Green Light|author=AFP|date=December 19, 2008|publisher=Discovery Channel|access-date=January 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208090325/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/19/spaceport-commercial.html|archive-date=February 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> It is operated by the state-backed [[New Mexico Spaceport Authority|New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA)]]. [[Rocket launch]]es began in April 2007,<ref name="Discovery" /> with the spaceport officially opening in 2011.<ref>[http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/10/06/story13.html?b=1223265600^1710262 UP Aerospace does launches 'quickly and cheaply'], DenverBiz Journal, October 2008. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226042148/http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/10/06/story13.html?b=1223265600%5E1710262|date=December 26, 2008}}.</ref> Tenants include [[HAPSMobile]], [[UP Aerospace]], [[SpinLaunch]], and [[Virgin Galactic]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tenants, Customers and Partners|url=https://www.spaceportamerica.com/business/customers/|access-date=2021-04-27|website=Spaceport America|language=en-US|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814081243/https://www.spaceportamerica.com/business/customers/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Over 300 [[suborbital]] flights have been successfully launched from Spaceport America since 2006, with the most notable being Virgin Galactic's [[VSS Unity|VSS ''Unity'']] on May 22, 2021, which made New Mexico the third U.S. state to launch humans into space, after California and Florida.<ref name="Robinson-Avila 2021">{{cite news|last=Robinson-Avila|first=Kevin|date=May 22, 2021|title=NM 'has finally reached the stars'|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/2393160/lift-off-virgin-galactic-spaceship-is-in-the-air.html|access-date=2021-05-30|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814152937/https://www.abqjournal.com/2393160/lift-off-virgin-galactic-spaceship-is-in-the-air.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|agency=Associated Press|title=New Mexico paid $1.5 million to show state logo during Virgin Galactic space flight|url=https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2021/07/14/new-mexico-logo-virgin-galatic-flight-1-5-million-dollars/7965802002/|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Las Cruces Sun-News|language=en-US|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802003641/https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2021/07/14/new-mexico-logo-virgin-galatic-flight-1-5-million-dollars/7965802002/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 22, 2021, Spaceport America was the site of the first successfully tested vacuum-sealed "suborbital accelerator", which aims to offer a significantly more economical alternative to launching satellites via rockets.<ref name="Houser-2021">{{Cite web|title=SpinLaunch: Company hurls satellites into space using giant, spinning machine|url=https://bigthink.com/the-future/spinlaunch-company-hurls-satellites-into-space-using-giant-spinning-machine/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=Big Think|date=December 4, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206202330/https://bigthink.com/the-future/spinlaunch-company-hurls-satellites-into-space-using-giant-spinning-machine/|url-status=live}}</ref> Conducted by Spaceport tenant SpinLaunch, the test is the first of roughly 30 demonstrations being planned.<ref name="Houser-2021" />