In 2003, the concept of passenger rail serving the Central New Mexico corridor had been discussed for decades, but it wasn’t until August of that year, when New Mexico governor Bill Richardson announced that his administration was going to pursue the implementation of commuter rail service, that a serious effort got under way. Later that same year, grants were given to NMDOT and MRCOG to begin the effort, and the New Mexico State Legislature passed Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership (GRIP), a transportation improvement package with the Rail Runner included as one of the bill's projects.

Over the next few years, NMDOT and MRCOG developed a strategy for implementing rail service. In 2005, a name and a branding scheme was chosen. The name “Rail Runner” is a play on the name of New Mexico’s state bird the roadrunner. The cars and locomotives were received throughout the year of 2005 and groundbreaking for the first Rail Runner station took place on October 31, 2005. During this time the state also made negotiations with BNSF for usage of the railroad track. After assessing the needs of the track, the State of New Mexico purchased the railroad corridor from Belen to the New Mexico-Colorado border from BNSF, to ensure that commuter trains would always get the right-of-way and have priority over freight trains in the corridor. While the engines are capable of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h), the track limits the maximum speed to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h)[2].

The Rail Runner officially went into service on July 14, 2006, serving the
The Los Lunas Rail Runner station, located at the site of the Los Lunas Transportation Center, is close to residential areas, as well as Valencia County administration offices and the judiciary complex. If you’re feeling energetic, historic Main Street is but a 15-minute walk from the station. Once there, you’ll discover the local flare and flavor of the Village. Whether it’s authentic Mexican cuisine you’re craving, or simply good conversation with the locals – you can find it in the heart of Los Lunas. The NM Rail Runner is a high speed train which travels between Los Lunas and Santa Fe with stops along the way including Albaquerqe.