Its this just how the government and especially NM operate. Give a big contract to a relative that then disappears with the money. Its a federal state. Embezzlement 101
@dalegurule9198 and we still didn't get delivery of the product!! How in the hell do you think its ok because the tax payers paid up and got nothing g in return but out dated tech???
This. Isn't it just the weirdest way that Gov't prioritizes the needs of the people. "WI-FI on a moving object?" spend $8mil, "People are suffering" it was their choice. Such a dystopian way of problem solving. If only there was a person that could evaluate these problems and efficiently solve them...
$8,000,000 to give the handful of riders "free" internet... and it doesn't even work. BTW the entire route is covered by cell service with the exception of about 15 seconds when it crosses under I25
Just like the rest of New Mexico, they waste money and are not held accountable. And the citizens are the ones who suffer. The politicians and executives of different departments just spend more money and they keep their jobs. If the citizens don’t vote these politicians out then they get what they get. It’s truly the worst state ever.
I am not surprised in the least about Wabtec. Installation of event recorders and speedometers on locomotives I found some glaring defects and when I brought it to their attention I got blamed as the installer. Their game is deflecting blame.
Not having EVER been a slave to my mobile devices like most tech-addicts, I can't understand why people can't go a whopping 90 minutes without texting and other nonsense on their phones and laptops. Grow up, it's not THAT necessary.
If you want to do that then go ahead. But if I have work I could be making progress on or if I just want to scroll Fb or listen to my streaming music I fully expect that to be accommodated on a train in 2024. This is not rocket science. They should be able to get working WiFi on this train. 🙄
That company was formed by someone on the inside. Made a single business deal to Railrunner and then folded and closed shop. Using old obsolete tech they bought at a bargain.
Not surprised at all. Government waste is a very real nightmare. If these 3rd party vendors cannot make it work, why is the state not getting our money back. If I paid for something that doesn't work, I return that item and get a refund. Is the state really that stupid? Apparently so!
So in the end they install a satellite system that works. Who made the decisions to spend $8M on a ground based system? Not like it was groundbreaking stuff. Poor management decisions.
Agreed. Like if there are terrain issues why put in a terrain-based system? Just have satellite Internet for the WiFi access and be done with it. The airlines got this working so there is no excuse for passenger trains to not have this in 2024.
The entire Choo-Choo has already cost taxpayers over a billion dollars and is a complete failure... So what's another eight million flushed down the toilet 🤣
It is surprising that Wabtec wasn't able to figure out how to do train wifi of all things. They are a well-known rail equipment company, so Railrunner went with someone that should have known what they were doing.
There are a number of services the the railroad will have to use for the wifi That fact the it cost millions of dollars is unacceptable This is simple Wifi is through either 5g or satellite The hardware is not the expensive The fact the it took 15 years to figure out the right system to use is ridiculous 8 million dollars totally unacceptable
RF ( Radio Frequency ) propagation is a non-trivial technical problem, whether it's via towers, masts, or satellite - it isn't as simple as simply maintaining line of sight, either - terrain in proximity to both the transmitters and receivers reflects, refracts, and all these interfere with each other. Not to mention all the nearby and overhead metal objects along a railroad right of way. Satellite would over-simplistically seem to work, but those rely on the some number of satellites in the constellation visible above the local horizon, which along a rail track in high relief terrain would be constantly shifting as it goes through road cuts, tunnels, alongside cliffs, around curves, etc. My guess is that the contractors were 'flat landers' and never bothered to do an initial RF survey. Or just interviewed local first responders in communities along the route or ham clubs.
Expansion...? Almost no one uses it... and you want to expand it? 🤣 I guess they have already flushed over a billion taxpayer dollars down the toilet on the stupid thing, so what's another eight million right?
Most people have their cell phone which have access to internet. People in NM are slow to put it nice. The train is for transportation only!!!! NOT Wi-Fi
Right. If the gov't doesn't want to pay my phone bill, why do they want to pay for WI-FI on a moving object? Seems like they prioritize the wrong issues.
There is no excuse for passenger trains to not have WiFi access in 2024. This should be part of the service. If air travel made this happen there is zero excuses for trains to not have it.
@@rmstitanic89 The Airlines are a private business, charge for the service, and still manage to make a small profit. This stupid Choo-Choo has wasted over a billion taxpayer dollars, almost no one uses it, and it hemorrhages money every day.
Sadly the answer is complex if you insist on terrestrial installs, but if each car had a satellite antenna similar to commercial aircraft it would work. Sadly that is more $$.
We have a property in ABQ, for us to go from there to our favorite restaurant in SF via the RailRunner entails... 30 minute drive to station 10 minute walk to station after parking and walking through a sea of vagrants/addicts 1 hour and 42 minute ride on Choo-Choo 20 minute walk to restaurant For a grand total of 2 hours and 42 minutes *Or we could walk into our garage, hop into our car & drive, and be seated at a table in less than an hour* 😆😅😂🤣 We could literally drive up, sit and eat dinner, then drive back home in the same amount of time it takes just to get there via Choo-Choo Yup... great use of over a BILLION taxpayer dollars
How is this even a story? They signed a contract with a wifi company, it went out of business, and now they’re looking to replace it. Where’s the story?
Wrong. If I’m riding a passenger train in 2024 and beyond I fully expect WiFi to be offered. If the airlines can get this figured out then there is no excuse for this metro line.
Yeah no. Even air travel has working Wifi now. They should’ve looked at Satellite options instead of trackside towers. If planes can get this right the railroad has no excuse.
So, what wrong with cell phones like the entire rest of the country? Or Musk's StarLink. Both work great but I'm sure democrats 1st concern was how their wn corrupt pockets.
True, look at waste of space handicap parking takes up, they don't drive, why have the space? Another ridiculous fail are sidewalks and bike lanes, people are fat and lazy, nobody walks anymore unless you poor.
This is what happens when you let democrats do things!!! Let's vote these idiots out and bring in some maga Republicans in and make NM Great Again!!!! Elon can solve these problems for sure.....smh
Exactly, look at the healthcare system, repeal Obamacare and free up the hospitals. Repeal mandatory insurance on vehicles. Give us real freedom from gov't.
Do a story about millions wasted on roads and airports hardly used by anyone. Or if you're bashing rail, go back to 2008, the year Rail Runner began, and trace the beginning of Positive Train Control, federal mandate, railroad cost burden, the railroad equivalent of the first president Bush repeatedly scanning a carton of juice at a grocers convention.
Exactly, why do we even have sidewalks too? I don't see people walking, look at the tortas. Bike lanes, sidewalks, and other meaningless "what-if's" don't apply to all situations. Why do we even have handicap parking?
@@isaacalvarado7656 ART provided half a billion dollars worth of development to the city, and increased traffic throughput while making Central more pedestrian friendly. Spending $1 billion on the i-25 interchanges in the city for the next 3 years is a real waste when the whole commuter rail system was a third of that.
@shabblabbat The Rail Runner was financed by the federal government, with free yearly maintenance costs. The debt will be payed off in 2025.The Rail Runner was not built for a profit but more as a service to NM citizens, even though it will start building more revenue after the debt is payed off.
just like the waste of bike lanes and sidewalks, people don't use those to get around, they use their car. Also another progressive thing that is dumb, mandatory insurance on vehicles. Let's keep it conservative and keep gov't out of our lives. If people can't drive to wal-mart, stay home and order doordash.
Amtrak still doesnt have Wifi on a good portion of their trains. Why? Lack of network coverage. If Amtrak is having this issue, The rail runner will also have this issue.
You don’t need Wi-Fi on trains, planes or cars. If you depend on that to survive, you should live in the woods and live with the bare necessities for awhile
Its this just how the government and especially NM operate. Give a big contract to a relative that then disappears with the money. Its a federal state. Embezzlement 101
@@dalegurule9198 now hold on! Just how exactly was the debt "paid"??
@dalegurule9198 and we still didn't get delivery of the product!! How in the hell do you think its ok because the tax payers paid up and got nothing g in return but out dated tech???
@dalegurule9198 did you miss what this whole video was about? 8 million for outdated junk that will never work.
Wasn't there a warrantee on this crap!!?
Bet the folks at StarLink have a solution for this at a fraction of the price
$8 mil. In taxpayer money. But hey, NM is last in the Nation in child education and health . Great job.
This. Isn't it just the weirdest way that Gov't prioritizes the needs of the people. "WI-FI on a moving object?" spend $8mil, "People are suffering" it was their choice. Such a dystopian way of problem solving. If only there was a person that could evaluate these problems and efficiently solve them...
All to go to mansions smh
Wi-Fi on a train is a known technology. Wonder how they botched this installation?
Puts a lot of faith in 3rd party and state IT personnel, doesn't it?
$8,000,000 to give the handful of riders "free" internet... and it doesn't even work.
BTW the entire route is covered by cell service with the exception of about 15 seconds when it crosses under I25
They should have hired a Japanese company that specializes in this area. Japan has had Wi-Fi on their railway forever.
We🍁 have wifi on VIA passenger trains - where available. (I think it only works where there is good coverage for cars. So, not all rural areas.)
does japan rail run thru deserts and up to 7000ft?
@@PatricioGarcia1973No, but they run as fast as racing cars!!!😂
“That money could have been spent on a war!”- Lenny from The Simpsons.
Just like the rest of New Mexico, they waste money and are not held accountable. And the citizens are the ones who suffer. The politicians and executives of different departments just spend more money and they keep their jobs. If the citizens don’t vote these politicians out then they get what they get. It’s truly the worst state ever.
I am not surprised in the least about Wabtec. Installation of event recorders and speedometers on locomotives I found some glaring defects and when I brought it to their attention I got blamed as the installer. Their game is deflecting blame.
It sounded like they said Webtech???? What do I know?
Not having EVER been a slave to my mobile devices like most tech-addicts, I can't understand why people can't go a whopping 90 minutes without texting and other nonsense on their phones and laptops. Grow up, it's not THAT necessary.
Yeah, people can't be still with themselves. People label themselves as ADHD or whatever the alphabet soup of disfunction they just learned about.
90 minutes?! More like 9 seconds.
If you want to do that then go ahead. But if I have work I could be making progress on or if I just want to scroll Fb or listen to my streaming music I fully expect that to be accommodated on a train in 2024. This is not rocket science. They should be able to get working WiFi on this train. 🙄
You’re not getting it: why take the train rather than drive?
The entire route has 5G cell service with the exception of about 15 seconds where it crosses under I25
Just market it as a Social media detox train.
"new Mexico bright-minds"?! A natural contradiction in terms!!
Kind of like you not capitalizing the N in New Mexico. Another bright mind!
@johngreene6783 blame the phone
@@MA-vw1pl How about blame the typist and the lack of proof reading.
@johngreene6783 what for? The logic has been xferd
Do you actually have pride in this one-horse chili republic state?
That company was formed by someone on the inside. Made a single business deal to Railrunner and then folded and closed shop. Using old obsolete tech they bought at a bargain.
There should not be an apostrophe in the word Taxpayers in your title. Come on KRQE, I expect better from our local news source.
Not surprised at all. Government waste is a very real nightmare.
If these 3rd party vendors cannot make it work, why is the state not getting our money back. If I paid for something that doesn't work, I return that item and get a refund. Is the state really that stupid? Apparently so!
Damn, even Argo Semeru compartment class has wifi 😂
So in the end they install a satellite system that works. Who made the decisions to spend $8M on a ground based system? Not like it was groundbreaking stuff. Poor management decisions.
Agreed. Like if there are terrain issues why put in a terrain-based system? Just have satellite Internet for the WiFi access and be done with it. The airlines got this working so there is no excuse for passenger trains to not have this in 2024.
The entire Choo-Choo has already cost taxpayers over a billion dollars and is a complete failure...
So what's another eight million flushed down the toilet 🤣
It is surprising that Wabtec wasn't able to figure out how to do train wifi of all things. They are a well-known rail equipment company, so Railrunner went with someone that should have known what they were doing.
This is a prime example of the Blue State Blues. NM is my home state, and I hang my head in shame.
Meanwhile in Republican states, they're trying to push more pollution and more pedos like Trump
How were they convinced to go diesel in the end? Japan, Italy, the UK and France did it. Wi fi?
There are a number of services the the railroad will have to use for the wifi
That fact the it cost millions of dollars is unacceptable
This is simple
Wifi is through either 5g or satellite
The hardware is not the expensive
The fact the it took 15 years to figure out the right system to use is ridiculous
8 million dollars totally unacceptable
Public WIFI is notoriously vulnerable so I'm not sure why this is a priority, but maybe a star-link antenna/ system might work if it's a necessity.
Such a shame, it could've been put connectivity improvements or increased service. If people can't get 5G, it's only a 2 hour ride who cares.
Exactly, funds were wasted because people don't want to pay for the hotspot feature from their provider.
Because I fully expect a passenger service to have WiFi access in 2024. There is no excuse when airlines got this working with little issue.
Save your receipts
RF ( Radio Frequency ) propagation is a non-trivial technical problem, whether it's via towers, masts, or satellite - it isn't as simple as simply maintaining line of sight, either - terrain in proximity to both the transmitters and receivers reflects, refracts, and all these interfere with each other. Not to mention all the nearby and overhead metal objects along a railroad right of way. Satellite would over-simplistically seem to work, but those rely on the some number of satellites in the constellation visible above the local horizon, which along a rail track in high relief terrain would be constantly shifting as it goes through road cuts, tunnels, alongside cliffs, around curves, etc. My guess is that the contractors were 'flat landers' and never bothered to do an initial RF survey. Or just interviewed local first responders in communities along the route or ham clubs.
Money could have been used towards service expansion
Expansion...? Almost no one uses it... and you want to expand it? 🤣
I guess they have already flushed over a billion taxpayer dollars down the toilet on the stupid thing, so what's another eight million right?
Most people have their cell phone which have access to internet. People in NM are slow to put it nice. The train is for transportation only!!!! NOT Wi-Fi
Right. If the gov't doesn't want to pay my phone bill, why do they want to pay for WI-FI on a moving object? Seems like they prioritize the wrong issues.
There is no excuse for passenger trains to not have WiFi access in 2024. This should be part of the service. If air travel made this happen there is zero excuses for trains to not have it.
@@rmstitanic89
The Airlines are a private business, charge for the service, and still manage to make a small profit.
This stupid Choo-Choo has wasted over a billion taxpayer dollars, almost no one uses it, and it hemorrhages money every day.
"Rail Runner rubbish" (sic) Same first letter in each word of the headline. Nice.
Why don’t hey just say we now use starlink because the others didn’t work?😂
Starlink came into existence in 2019, 10 years after the RR.
No wonder NM is such a mess. Is anyone actually in charge of this state?
Leftist clowns run the state... which is why it is such a disaster.
Blue State Brain Dead. The lights are on, but nobody is home.
Sadly the answer is complex if you insist on terrestrial installs, but if each car had a satellite antenna similar to commercial aircraft it would work. Sadly that is more $$.
We have a property in ABQ, for us to go from there to our favorite restaurant in SF via the RailRunner entails...
30 minute drive to station
10 minute walk to station after parking and walking through a sea of vagrants/addicts
1 hour and 42 minute ride on Choo-Choo
20 minute walk to restaurant
For a grand total of 2 hours and 42 minutes
*Or we could walk into our garage, hop into our car & drive, and be seated at a table in less than an hour*
😆😅😂🤣
We could literally drive up, sit and eat dinner, then drive back home in the same amount of time it takes just to get there via Choo-Choo
Yup... great use of over a BILLION taxpayer dollars
Tell us you’re a “blue” state without telling us you’re a “blue” state!
Understatement 🤣
I get what you're saying, but there are equally inept Red states.
@@virgilhilts3924Maybe to braindead MAGATs
Go transit was able to do it, 4 years ago.
Same train set
Dewey C pocketed About 1.5 Million $$$
How is this even a story? They signed a contract with a wifi company, it went out of business, and now they’re looking to replace it. Where’s the story?
Twice!
Amtrak doesn't have wifi either. I know because I rode the train from ABQ to Portland. Took three days. No wifi.
It’s a product that is not needed. Make the passengers use their cell data, duhh!
The whole train wasn't needed... Which is why almost no one uses it.
The train was for transportation not for communications. Nothing wrong with no WiFi
Wrong. If I’m riding a passenger train in 2024 and beyond I fully expect WiFi to be offered. If the airlines can get this figured out then there is no excuse for this metro line.
@ I guess that’s your priority. Mine is the train is on time and isn’t losing tax payers money
@@rmstitanic89
Use your cell phone and pay for your own data
Why was it not satellite wi fi/internet?
Maybe we should have the right to repair the things we own
Right, that will solve THIS issue. SMFH at the stupidity.
Just don’t put WI-FI on the train. Problem solved.
Yuup.
Yeah no. Even air travel has working Wifi now. They should’ve looked at Satellite options instead of trackside towers. If planes can get this right the railroad has no excuse.
Passengers who want to connect can use their cell data.
@@CJinsoo Exactly. They did not need to spend millions.
@@rmstitanic89
Spend your own money if you want internet
Derelict state
So, what wrong with cell phones like the entire rest of the country? Or Musk's StarLink. Both work great but I'm sure democrats 1st concern was how their wn corrupt pockets.
So, what is that satellite internet system? SpaceX and Elon Musk… Starlink? Why didn’t you say?
5:39 Why didn’t they go with the satellite system to begin with?
Why go with anything...?
The entire route is covered by 5G except for about 15 seconds when it enters a tunnel under the interstate
All to go to mansions smh
So sad!!
Starlink?
Bonglink!
Call Elon
The Princess Lujan would never do a smart thing like that.😂😂
Those idiots must have never heard of starlink.😂😂 you don't need towers. Probably would have cost a 5th of that
They didn't even need that... The entire route is covered by 5G cell service
Yet, KOB 4 is definitely "on your side."
Duh... Starlink.....
You must be very young and have no concept of time or cost
Starlink came into existence in 2019, 10 years after the RR.
@@tvviewer4500 @66 I've more than enough of govt waste. you want it done half as fast or less and at three time the cost, have at it.
@@pshodean please write real sentences.
Thanks to Elon
DOGE, where you at?
Pipe dream! 😢
You must be joking
Exactly, repeal mandatory vehicle insurance.
That is federal, not state.
People graduate but they still stupid. VOTE BLUE they say lol FAIL hahahahahahhahahaha
True, look at waste of space handicap parking takes up, they don't drive, why have the space? Another ridiculous fail are sidewalks and bike lanes, people are fat and lazy, nobody walks anymore unless you poor.
It’s NM, so no surprise 😂😂
This is what happens when you let democrats do things!!! Let's vote these idiots out and bring in some maga Republicans in and make NM Great Again!!!! Elon can solve these problems for sure.....smh
Maga gonna pick the crops! 😂
Elon and the Republicans don't usually like to fund trains.
@@dalegurule9198 Leftist gunna pick crops. With their pointless failed college degree's.
Exactly, look at the healthcare system, repeal Obamacare and free up the hospitals. Repeal mandatory insurance on vehicles. Give us real freedom from gov't.
@@OBSMProductions
They do not fund them... the taxpayer does
Electronic do-dads.
LOVE the Railrunner❤💛 i got the internet on a trip
Do a story about millions wasted on roads and airports hardly used by anyone. Or if you're bashing rail, go back to 2008, the year Rail Runner began, and trace the beginning of Positive Train Control, federal mandate, railroad cost burden, the railroad equivalent of the first president Bush repeatedly scanning a carton of juice at a grocers convention.
Yeah sounds about right raton built a bike lane for a area where no one uses it and it’s just becoming a eye sore
Exactly, why do we even have sidewalks too? I don't see people walking, look at the tortas. Bike lanes, sidewalks, and other meaningless "what-if's" don't apply to all situations. Why do we even have handicap parking?
@ hey ur stating facts lol 😂
The whole rail runner has been nothing but a waste of money.
You think the rail runner is a waste of money, people actually use it. ART was a real waste.
@@isaacalvarado7656 ART provided half a billion dollars worth of development to the city, and increased traffic throughput while making Central more pedestrian friendly. Spending $1 billion on the i-25 interchanges in the city for the next 3 years is a real waste when the whole commuter rail system was a third of that.
Tell that to the commuters that use it every day.
@@dalegurule9198 the question is, does it pay for itself or is it a subsidy for a small section of the population that commutes daily?
@shabblabbat The Rail Runner was financed by the federal government, with free yearly maintenance costs. The debt will be payed off in 2025.The Rail Runner was not built for a profit but more as a service to NM citizens, even though it will start building more revenue after the debt is payed off.
Rail Runner... Biggest waste of taxpayer money in state history
Sooo Progressive
just like the waste of bike lanes and sidewalks, people don't use those to get around, they use their car. Also another progressive thing that is dumb, mandatory insurance on vehicles. Let's keep it conservative and keep gov't out of our lives. If people can't drive to wal-mart, stay home and order doordash.
State funded trains in California have had wifi for several years now. It's very popular with customers.
Brought to you by the same people who did the El Camino Real Museum, no doubt.
Amtrak still doesnt have Wifi on a good portion of their trains. Why? Lack of network coverage. If Amtrak is having this issue, The rail runner will also have this issue.
Funny, people said this would happen. I bet Starlink would work
You don’t need Wi-Fi on trains, planes or cars. If you depend on that to survive, you should live in the woods and live with the bare necessities for awhile
What about students & workers who want to work on their assignments?
@ they can patiently wait to get home or to their place of school or work
@C25-150 Not many people have Internet or work a job after school
@@DarkLink1996 they can go to the library for internet
@C25-150 Not everyone lives close to a Library
Yet somehow Amtrak does it seamlessly???
Amtrak is well known for either:
a) Not having any service in most areas
b) Having bad/intermittent in the areas it does have coverage