Staff Report
Student Jessica Wyche commutes to UNM from her house near Balloon Fiesta Park.
She used to drive, but she didn't like the traffic and the gas prices.
Taking the Rail Runner solved her problems, she said.
"It seemed like the responsible thing to do," she said.
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UNM offers a free shuttle between campus and the train station Downtown.
The shuttle leaves the station at 6:30 and 7:35 a.m. Monday through Friday.
It leaves UNM for the station at 3:45 and 5 p.m.
The drive takes between 10 and 20 minutes.
The shuttle stop is on the corner of Yale Boulevard and Las Lomas Road, north of Dane Smith Hall.
Student Junko Boat took the shuttle and the train for the first time Thursday.
"I'm from Japan, so I'm used to having lots of public transportation," she said. "It's funny to have this train in New Mexico be a new thing that everyone's really excited about."
Boat usually drives from Rio Rancho with her husband, but sometimes their schedules make that inconvenient, she said.
"I don't know if I'll use this a lot, but I thought I would try it out," she said. "It seems like a really good service."
Wyche said riding the train is good for the city.
"I want to support Albuquerque urbanization, and I was really happy when the Rail Runner came to town," she said. "If it's going to be successful, somebody has to use it. It might as well be me."
Not enough people know about the shuttle, she said.
"The service could be a lot more visible to students," she said. "It wasn't at all easy for me to find out where the shuttle stops were."
UNM Rail Runner shuttle schedule
The UNM shuttle stop is at Yale Boulevard and Las Lomas Road, north of Dane Smith Hall.
From Downtown train station to UNM
6:30 a.m.
7:35 a.m.
From UNM to train station
3:45 p.m.
5 p.m.
