To some lawmakers, the Rail Runner Express is the little engine that shouldn't — and on Friday they gave the Richardson administration an earful about it.

Members of the Senate Rules Committee vented at a confirmation hearing for John Hummer of Las Cruces, Gov. Bill Richardson's appointee to the state Transportation Commission.

The administration-created commuter rail system is running between Belen and Bernalillo — through Albuquerque — and is under construction to Santa Fe.

The $400 million project has become a focal point for bipartisan criticism of the administration, with complaints that it won't reduce highway congestion and is gobbling up too much state money, leaving other initiatives underfunded.

"We have a tiger by the tail, and this thing is just out of control," said Sen. John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe.

The state is almost half a billion dollars short of what's needed to pay for highway projects approved four years ago, threatening to delay some of them.

"We're fighting now for maintenance money we don't have because somebody else is getting a train," complained President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, a Roswell Democrat.

The administration disputes that there's a connection between spending on the Rail Runner and the shortfall in highway funding.

Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught blames the problem mainly on rising construction costs and lower-than-expected federal revenue.

Rail Runner critics say the cities on the train line don't have the population density to justify the expense of the service.

Sen. Kent Cravens, R-Albuquerque, alleged that Richardson — who recently ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination — pushed the project for political reasons.

"I don't think it had much to do with reality," Cravens said. "I think the chickens are coming home to roost. ... We've got no money."

Despite the criticism, the committee unanimously recommended Hummer's confirmation by the full Senate, exhorting him and the commission to exhibit some independence from the governor.

"We don't always agree with the governor on issues. ... We try not to be a rubber stamp," Hummer said.

Another Richardson appointee to the Transportation Commission, Johnny Cope, also was scheduled to appear before the rules panel on Friday. But his confirmation is being delayed by a dispute between the committee and the governor over the administration's refusal to go along with the committee's request to do background checks on high-level appointees.