The

New Mexico Department of Transportation

(NMDOT) plans to invest $283.1 million in freight- and passenger-rail service over the next four years, according to its recently finalized

2026 State Rail Plan

.

The plan outlines the priority rail projects through 2030 that will improve grade crossing safety, reduce motor vehicle congestion and improve freight efficiency, NMDOT officials last week in a press release.

Of the $283.1 million, NMDOT intends to invest $113.9 million in passenger-rail service projects; $165.2 million in safety improvement projects; and $4 million in freight-rail improvement projects. The plan prioritizes grade separations and freight connectivity projects that align with federal grant funding criteria, said NMDOT officials.

Key projects outlined in the plan include a grade separation project in Gallup, which was awarded $45 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA); a grade separation project in Texico, which was awarded $73 million from the FRA and will be completed in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation; a freight connectivity project in Santa Teresa, which received FRA funding of $37 million; a freight connectivity project in Clovis that received FRA funding of $1 million; and continued planning work for a proposed freight-rail line that would connect Farmington to the national rail network.

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