The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is hopping on board the craft beer craze with its new Rails, Trails & Ales Brew Tour.
The event encourages beer lovers to incorporate the train as part of a multi-modal transportation plan to tour breweries in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
A special kickoff is set for Saturday, Aug. 1, when attendees can use the train to link up with guided walking, biking and trolley tours of area breweries.
“This is an opportunity for the Rail Runner to help people explore what’s become a very popular and growing trend in Central New Mexico — the craft beer culture,” Jay Faught, Rio Metro Regional Transit District marketing manager, said in a news release. “It’s like we’ve taken a page from a European travel guide and connected the dots from brewery to brewery along the Rio Grande corridor.”
For the Aug. 1 kickoff, Rail Runner staff will greet passengers exiting the Nos. 703 and 704 trains at the Downtown Albuquerque station and the No. 704 train at the Santa Fe Depot. The first 1,000 passengers using the train to attend the kickoff will get a free commemorative pint glass.
In Albuquerque, participants can then join guided tours on traditional bicycles, a party bike, a trolley or even on foot. Prices run $20-50 and most start at the train station or are a bus ride or walk away.
There is also an organized bike tour in Santa Fe.
Many of the special guided brewery tours will be available on alternate dates from August through October.
Rails, Trails & Ales organizers also are promoting self-guided brewery tours. They’ve compiled a list of 15 breweries located within a walk, bus or bike ride from a Rail Runner station.
For more information, go online to nmrxbrewtour.com.
By Jessica Dyer (Albuquerque Journal)
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