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For Mike Baca and his family, it's a no-brainer.

When Baca and his family want to get from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, their only choice is Amtrak and its venerable Southwest Chief. This family is not alone.

Which begs the question: How much longer can people in Albuquerque expect to have long-distance rail service in the city?

From a distance, things are quieter now than they were a year ago, when Mayor Martin Chavez laid down the law about Amtrak's well-worn station here.

The mayor described the depot as "litter-strewn," going so far as to say he might ask city inspectors to declare the little building next to the new Alvarado transportation center a nuisance.

Tough talk from a frustrated city leader. But for regular folks like Mike Baca - plus his son and young daughter, his brother and his kid, his sister and his mother - the appeal isn't amenities.

"To fly, it would cost us over $3,000," Baca said. Taking the Amtrak alternative, the cost is just more than $600.

They do it three times a year.

A no-brainer.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, the station - which would look more at home in Belen or Gallup than in the biggest city in the state - reveals not even a shred of litter.

The signs, however, do not look good. Compared with the new transportation building next door, the little Amtrak shack looks more vulnerable than ever.

It seats no more than 30; the bathroom is locked; two rental-car hot-line phones on the wall look like they haven't felt fingers in forever. The place does not have the feel of progress.

Up on the platform, where tagged freight cars stand silent, the signs of what's coming - and what may be going - are all too clear.

That's in marked contrast to a nearby steel sign that points would-be travelers toward the Rail Runner platform, the train that serves Albuquerque-area commuters - and one day will go all the way to Santa Fe.

The dichotomy couldn't be more striking.

For Rail Runner riders, a sleek, covered waiting area with comfortable benches and etched glass partitions welcomes riders. On the Amtrak end, it's all open sky. No overhang, no waiting area, no seats.

The message couldn't be clearer. If you ride the Amtrak, you're on your own.

Perhaps President Bush, who has proposed cuts for Amtrak - and thus, the Southwest Chief - should talk with the Bacas to understand the value of long-distance train travel. It goes beyond the financial savings.

For Mike Baca, who considers the potential loss of the station "ridiculous," the pluses go beyond scenery, the chance to watch a movie or read a book on the way. There are practical matters to consider.

"We're all big in our family, and there's really no way on an airplane to be comfortable," he says. "My mom is handicapped and gets sat in the bulkhead seat, but even that's kind of cramped."

For his son, Joseph, a student at the Secondary Learning Center Charter School, this afternoon heralds his first train ride. He lights up noticeably when he hears about the observation car and how he can tote his laptop there.

It could be the beginning of a lifelong love affair with train travel, not unlike his dad's.

But if the trend continues, with the Southwest Chief unfunded in Washington and unloved in Albuquerque, Joseph Baca may be asking - more sooner than later - "Now what?"

Grant's column runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Send e-mail to gene@genegrant.c

By

Tough talk from a frustrated city leader. But for regular folks like Mike Baca - plus his son and young daughter, his brother and his kid, his sister and his mother - the appeal isn't amenities.

"To fly, it would cost us over $3,000," Baca said. Taking the Amtrak alternative, the cost is just more than $600.

They do it three times a year.

A no-brainer.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, the station - which would look more at home in Belen or Gallup than in the biggest city in the state - reveals not even a shred of litter.

The signs, however, do not look good. Compared with the new transportation building next door, the little Amtrak shack looks more vulnerable than ever.

It seats no more than 30; the bathroom is locked; two rental-car hot-line phones on the wall look like they haven't felt fingers in forever. The place does not have the feel of progress.

Up on the platform, where tagged freight cars stand silent, the signs of what's coming - and what may be going - are all too clear.

That's in marked contrast to a nearby steel sign that points would-be travelers toward the Rail Runner platform, the train that serves Albuquerque-area commuters - and one day will go all the way to Santa Fe.

The dichotomy couldn't be more striking.

For Rail Runner riders, a sleek, covered waiting area with comfortable benches and etched glass partitions welcomes riders. On the Amtrak end, it's all open sky. No overhang, no waiting area, no seats.

The message couldn't be clearer. If you ride the Amtrak, you're on your own.

Perhaps President Bush, who has proposed cuts for Amtrak - and thus, the Southwest Chief - should talk with the Bacas to understand the value of long-distance train travel. It goes beyond the financial savings.

For Mike Baca, who considers the potential loss of the station "ridiculous," the pluses go beyond scenery, the chance to watch a movie or read a book on the way. There are practical matters to consider.

"We're all big in our family, and there's really no way on an airplane to be comfortable," he says. "My mom is handicapped and gets sat in the bulkhead seat, but even that's kind of cramped."

For his son, Joseph, a student at the Secondary Learning Center Charter School, this afternoon heralds his first train ride. He lights up noticeably when he hears about the observation car and how he can tote his laptop there.

It could be the beginning of a lifelong love affair with train travel, not unlike his dad's.

But if the trend continues, with the Southwest Chief unfunded in Washington and unloved in Albuquerque, Joseph Baca may be asking - more sooner than later - "Now what?"