Train Facts

• Every weekday, Rail Runner trains make 22 trips through points between Santa Fe and Belen
• There over 100 crossings in the 96.5 mile Rail Runner corridor
• Trains are heavy and may travel at high speeds, taking them a long time to stop
• Trains cannot swerve as they’re running along the train tracks
• The average train car is 85 feet long and weighs 120 tons (240,000 pounds); that’s the equivalent of 30 elephants!
• Top speed for the Rail Runner is 79 miles per hour
• As well as risking your life, being on or near train tracks is a misdemeanor
• Never throw things at a train or place things on the tracks; you could get hurt or even derail the train
• At any time of the day, you may find yourself near a train with 2 to 5 rail cars that may or may not stop at a station
• Not every train crossing is marked with warning bells, lights or gates
• Even in full emergency, it can take a train a mile or more to stop; if the engineer can see you, it is already too late to stop for you
• Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled
• Always expect a train, on any tracks, in either direction
• 90% of all rail deaths are caused by trespassing and vehicles crossing in front of a moving train
• Where locomotive wheels make contact with the rail the total area is not much larger than a silver dollar
• If there are two or more tracks, it means two trains can be traveling in the same or different directions at the same time