Montaño Rail Runner Station

Per locals' recommendation, my friend and I took the Rio Metro for a day trip from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, and it was such a cool way to experience the Southwest! We started from the Montaño station, which has a spacious parking lot (free of charge) and is known for being safe. When my friend and I arrived on a weekday morning, we struggled to figure out the ticketing system. I downloaded the app, but had technical difficulties with buying round trip tickets. I explained this to the crew on board, and they were very laid back and accommodating, giving me the option to pay on board. Pro tip: Rio Metro offers discounts! My friend is a law school student and she was able to score a discounted ticket with proof of a student ID. Overall, the train was very well maintained and felt safer than other public transit options. The best part was the scenic views! I'd highly recommend the train experience over driving.

Cleanliness and excellent service during travel fro and to Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Excellent security service for get drugged out of the train at stop.

The Railrunner is about halfway there, as far as I'm concerned. It's half as fast, traveling half as far, with half as many trains as this state needs. Were it remotely quicker, or easier, to get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and back again, chances are good that I would have discovered the convenience of the Montaño station a long time ago. Imagine hopping a bullet to Taos, man, I'd be up there all winter. But it takes 75 minutes to get from one city to the other, and departures are few, which makes this public transportation option almost inconvenient. Almost. This station strongly argues in the Railrunner's favor.If you'll trade the time differential for the luxury of letting someone else do the driving, you can park your car at this station -- there's plenty of covered parking, for those hot summer days -- or put your bike in a locker. There are a few shaded benches on the platform, and all the arrival/departure info is listed. I personally really appreciate the option of paying for your ride inside the train, it's eases the worry about building in more time to purchase tickets at the station. I found the place to be remarkably clean, easy to navigate, and strangely, the Railrunner wasn't on the New Mexico Land of Mañana schedule. It was two minutes late.

I like this station better than others due to the location, openness, and cleanliness. I like if you pick up or drop off someone from this location you can see them from your vehicle -- unlike the downtown location where you either have to park and walk up to the platform or wait in your vehicle for your commuter(s). Compared to the Los Ranchos stop, this Montaño station does not have as many drop off times, but I wish it had as much as the Los Ranchos one. Yet, the Montaño station has a completely paved parking area so your car does not have to get dusty if you rest your car here for the day. If I lived off of Montgomery or Montaño, I would be happy that the city bus stops next to this place. There are also bike lockers. I am a fan of the Montaño Railrunner Station.

The floor on the train is really clea. The train itself is fast and easy, staff are nice. But the windows on the train could be cleaner.