NMSS - High Technology Industrial Clusters, Precision Manufacturing: Metro New Mexico

Infrastructure: Air Travel

sandy — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:26:32 -0600

Air

The Albuquerque International Sunport, located in the southwestern part of town, is the state's largest commercial airport. The Double Eagle II Airport, located on Albuquerque's West Side, is undergoing major renovations and is adjacent to the newly approved Aerospace Technology Park.

General Aviation Facilities

Albuquerque International Sunport is the largest cargo and passenger facility serving the Metro New Mexico area. It offers free wireless internet access throughout the terminal. Sunport will offer direct flights to Puerto Vallarta beginning in December 2007.
Double Eagle II Airport, a large general aviation facility, is located near both Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. It will become home to Eclipse Aviation (now located near the Sunport) and several other aviation manufacturing enterprises.
Santa Fe Municipal Airport is located on the southwest side of Santa Fe and offers facilities for commercial planes carrying up to 60 passengers and for general aviation. The Santa Fe Airport will offer daily nonstop flight to Dallas-Fort Worth, Salt Lake City and LA beginning in December 2007. The airport is currently offering commuter flights to Denver.
Alexander Municipal Airport is the general aviation airport for Belen.
Mid-Valley Airport near Los Lunas offers general aviation services.
Moriarty Airport provides general aviation services for Torrance County.

Commercial Passenger Carriers

The Albuquerque International Sunport is served by 8 major commercial carriers:

American - nonstop service to Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth
Continental - nonstop service to Houston
Delta - nonstop service to Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Cincinnati
Frontier - nonstop service to Denver with regional connections
Northwest - nonstop service to Minneapolis-St. Paul
Southwest - the largest carrier at the Sunport with nonstop service to Dallas Love Field, Phoenix, El Paso, Lubbock, Midland, Baltimore-Washington, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago, Orlando, San Diego, Oakland, Houston, Kansas City, Amarillo, Tucson and Tampa
United - nonstop service to Denver, Los Angeles, San Fransico, San Antonio and Chicago
US Airways - nonstop service to Phoenix and Las Vegas

The Sunport also receives regular service from commuter airlines:

Express Jet -nonstop service to 6 cities in California, Texas and Oklahoma
Great Lakes - service to ABQ from Silver City and Clovis, to Santa Fe from ABQ and to Denver from Santa Fe
Mesa Airlines - nonstop service to Colorado Springs and many cities in New Mexico
Skywest - regional jet service to Salt Lake City

Air Cargo carriers

BAX Global
DHL
Federal Express
Integrated Airline Service
Parcel Delivery of Albuquerque
UPS

Infrastructure: Rail

sandy — Mon, 08 May 2006 15:37:07 -0600

Rail

The 1880 decision of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to locate their passenger depot in Albuquerque grew the heart of Metro New Mexico. Today the railroad is still a part of New Mexico life - freight is still present, and a commuter train is charging up from the south of the metro area towards to Santa Fe.

Freight

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway's (BNSF) north-south mainline runs through Albuquerque, connecting with its east-west mainline in Belen.
Intermodal freight shipment using truck-to-rail links is available, with 'piggybacking' accessible throughout the region.
Santa Fe Southern, a short haul railroad, offers local area freight connections.
The city of Bernalillo, five minutes north of Rio Rancho, offers an additional rail access point.

Passenger

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is the metro area commuter train that currently runs through the 50-mile corridor from Belen to the south, through Albuquerque, north to Bernalillo.
Construction is currently under way to extend service into Santa Fe by late 2008, opening business opportunities for the Middle Rio Grande Corridor.
The Rail Runner has become the fastest start-up of a commuter rail train in the country in the past 20 years.
Amtrak provides passenger rail service. Albuquerque is a stop on the Chicago/Los Angeles route.

Infrastructure: Roads

sandy — Mon, 08 May 2006 14:36:26 -0600

Roads

Interstate highways 25 and 40 intersect at the heart of Metro New Mexico. They provide:

Extraordinary interstate motor freight routes in all directions
Ease of access to each of the communities in Metro New Mexico. Allowable speeds on the Interstates are 65 to 75 miles per hour.

Major reconstruction of the interchange for the two interstates (locally called 'The Big I') was completed in 2002. The expansion will handle anticipated traffic levels through 2030.

Santa Fe is located about 60 miles north of Albuquerque on I-25.
Regularly scheduled vanpool service is available between the Albuquerque and Santa Fe for $7.50-$11 per day.
Sandoval Country (Rio Rancho) is located approximately 10 miles NNW of Albuquerque
Valencia County (Belen/Los Lunas) is located approximately 25 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25.
Torrance County (Estancia Valley) is located approximately 25 miles east of Albuquerque on 1-40.

LOCAL TRANSIT

ABQ Ride provides extensive local routes and free circulation service downtown. Rapid Ride is the bus rapid transit service operated by ABQ Ride. It began operations in late 2004 and serves as a pilot project for a potential light rail line.
A central transportation hub in downtown Albuquerque facilitates transfers among Greyhound, Amtrak, and city buses.
Albuquerque has 86 miles of dedicated off-street bicycling facilities and over 70 miles of bike lanes. The bicycle-commuting infrastructure is designed to serve the major employment area.