Streetcar

[OKCisOK4me]

After looking at KC Streetcar stops, I'll take ours anyday.

[David]

Was it ever worked out such that Embark could sell advertisements on the kiosks?

Another thought that comes to mind, public Wi-Fi hotspot?

[Urban Pioneer]

Was it ever worked out such that Embark could sell advertisements on the kiosks?

Another thought that comes to mind, public Wi-Fi hotspot?

We are still working on the advertising issues jointly with Downtown OKC trying to iron that out. Regarding WIFI, I believe that we will have public access on the trains just as the EMBARK buses do.

[David]

Public access on the trains sounds great, but I was talking about it being provided by the kiosks as well (or maybe just something else at each stop). Set it up right and you should be able to let customers join the Wi-Fi while waiting for the streetcar and then board and ride to their destination while continuing to use the same network.

[Richard at Remax]

Is there going to be an App associated with streetcar? It wasn't streetcar but in Vail they had an app that showed where every bus was and how long it was until they got there. It was really neat and used it all the time.

[Urban Pioneer]

Yes. There is the Next Bus system that EMBARK uses. I believe that ties to an app and the streetcar is intended to be incorporated into that app.

Regarding WIFI at stops... I can understand the desire for it but there may be some risk that nearby tenants co-opt the signal as their internet source. Of course this could be mediated with a time-out feature that kicks people off every 20 minutes. I would hazard a guess from our earlier meetings that bringing Cox or AT&T to certain stops to provide the actual medium can be costly. This would vary from stop to stop. In Kansas City, they actually have a partner. I believe it is Verizon. In that case WIFI and connect-ability is a promotion by the utility piggybacking on the popularity of their streetcar system. Certainly I can imagine that AT&T, Cox, T-mobile, Sprint, or Cricket would be potential partners if they wanted positive public outreach on the system.

I will bring up your commentary at the next meeting. This may be applicable with the general advertising discussions being had.

[Bellaboo]

Is there going to be an App associated with streetcar? It wasn't streetcar but in Vail they had an app that showed where every bus was and how long it was until they got there. It was really neat and used it all the time.

Just a dream, but wouldn't it be cool for each stop to have an electronic display of the grid that had the location of the streetcars all the time ?

[Laramie]

Snow cured...

OKC's new streetcars (Cars No. 1 & 2,) both in the “redbud” color scheme, were photographed
as snow fell at Brookville Equipment Corp. in western Pennsylvania.

Car No. 1 is expected to arrive in about a month, said Doug Smith of Jacobs, the engineering consulting firm
that is managing development of the MAPS 3 streetcar.


The nearly $5 million streetcar will be delivered to the recently completed streetcar maintenance facility at SW 7 Street & Hudson Avenue by Silk Road Transport.

Smith said Cars No. 2 thru 6 would arrive at roughly 3-week intervals through the spring.--Oklahoman, William Crum Published: January 17, 2018

[HOT ROD]

Only thing, I wish the shelters in the CBD and near skyscrapers would be longer/larger than shown in the rendering as the crowds will be large with waits.

[OKC2017]

what is the difference between a modern street car and light rail metro transit?

[kevin lee]

Modern street cars tend to make more stops like the average city bus (maybe not ever block but maybe every few or so). Light rail is rapid transit over a longer distance.

[Urbanized]

Also light rail generally has protected ROW while streetcars generally share the road with automobiles. But not always, in either case.

[LakeEffect]

what is the difference between a modern street car and light rail metro transit?

If you want a little light reading, check this out: http://www.apta.com/resources/report...20Oct%2014.pdf

Light Rail & Streetcar Systems: How They Differ; How They Overlap

[Laramie]

We need to keep our investment vehicle (MAPS extension) to expand OKC's future & economy.

If you want to integrate the streetcar & the buses the challenge is the expensive rail lines become the greatest risk investment. You may want to look at streetcar expansion as far as the Penn Square Mall area (North), Crossroads Mall area (South), Outlet Mall area (West) & OKC Zoo area (East). From those focal points the buses could be used to splinter into those areas.

The key to an area like Crossroads Mall which needs to be revitalized, the streetcar line could be a crucial enhancement in redevelopment.

This (N-S-W-E) blueprint could be more attractive toward future commuter rail; it will be expensive, probably a better investment now than 20 years down the road.

Using our planned rail route from Santa Fe Intermodal Hub to:

Penn Square Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Crossroad Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Outlet Mall estimate 8 miles
OKC Zoo-Hall of Fame Stadium estimate 7 miles

Estimated rail line expansion 28 - 30 miles.

Does anyone know the cost of this expansion: $30 - $40 - $50 million; is the cost of rail $1 million a miles?

Also can streetcar & commuter cars use the same rail lines?

[Laramie]

Our neighbors south (Dallas); what they are doing with commuter rail & the streetcar:

The 1.6-mile starter line, from downtown’s Union Station to Oak Cliff’s Methodist Medical Center, traverses the Trinity River corridor, which separates southern Dallas from the city’s largest employment centers. The project targeted commuters in mixed-use districts adjacent to downtown and helped connect them to transportation choices available in the city center.

Using hybrid technology, the streetcar returned an iconic mode of transit to the aging borough of Oak Cliff, southwest of downtown Dallas, which is a historically low-income area cut off from the city by the Trinity River and its sprawling floodplain. Since the streetcar’s implementation, as well as an adjacent shared-use pathway, Oak Cliff residents now have multiple transportation options.

Dallas Streetcar Connects Commuters to City Center: http://www.metro-magazine.com/rail/a...to-city-center

[Mott]

We need to keep our investment vehicle (MAPS extension) to expand OKC's future & economy.

If you want to integrate the streetcar & the buses the challenge is the expensive rail lines become the greatest risk investment. You may want to look at streetcar expansion as far as the Penn Square Mall area (North), Crossroads Mall area (South), Outlet Mall area (West) & OKC Zoo area (East). From those focal points the buses could be used to splinter into those areas.

The key to an area like Crossroads Mall which needs to be revitalized, the streetcar line could be a crucial enhancement in redevelopment.

This (N-S-W-E) blueprint could be more attractive toward future commuter rail; it will be expensive, probably a better investment now than 20 years down the road.

Using our planned rail route from Santa Fe Intermodal Hub to:

Penn Square Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Crossroad Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Outlet Mall estimate 8 miles
OKC Zoo-Hall of Fame Stadium estimate 7 miles

Estimated rail line expansion 28 - 30 miles.

Does anyone know the cost of this expansion: $30 - $40 - $50 million; is the cost of rail $1 million a miles?

Also can streetcar & commuter cars use the same rail lines?

Why not work with the OK Railway Museum, and run a connection from Bricktown to the Museum, Zoo, Remington Park and Firefighters Museum. You would need a mile of new track to bypass the Union Pacific yard, and the rest of the right of way already exists. Maybe even get some historic trolley equipment like Dallas does on Mckinney Ave.

[baralheia]

We need to keep our investment vehicle (MAPS extension) to expand OKC's future & economy.

If you want to integrate the streetcar & the buses the challenge is the expensive rail lines become the greatest risk investment. You may want to look at streetcar expansion as far as the Penn Square Mall area (North), Crossroads Mall area (South), Outlet Mall area (West) & OKC Zoo area (East). From those focal points the buses could be used to splinter into those areas.

The key to an area like Crossroads Mall which needs to be revitalized, the streetcar line could be a crucial enhancement in redevelopment.

This (N-S-W-E) blueprint could be more attractive toward future commuter rail; it will be expensive, probably a better investment now than 20 years down the road.

Using our planned rail route from Santa Fe Intermodal Hub to:

Penn Square Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Crossroad Mall estimate 6.5 miles
Outlet Mall estimate 8 miles
OKC Zoo-Hall of Fame Stadium estimate 7 miles

Estimated rail line expansion 28 - 30 miles.

Does anyone know the cost of this expansion: $30 - $40 - $50 million; is the cost of rail $1 million a miles?

Also can streetcar & commuter cars use the same rail lines?

Commuter rail, like Chicago's Metra or DFW's Trinity Railway Express, is heavy rail and generally cannot share the same track with light rail vehicles like streetcars, due to regulations by the Federal Railroad Administration. The only commuter rail corridor currently being planned by any local government or planning agency is the BNSF corridor from Edmond to Norman; this is being planned by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments to be part of the forthcoming regional transit authority (assuming voters approve a tax increase to fund the RTA). The Crossroads Mall area has been proposed as a stop on that line. The RTA task force is also in the (very) early planning stages for an extension of the streetcar, following the historic Classen right of way, from Midtown, up through the Asian District, to Classen Curve, and then through the Chesapeake campus to the proposed commuter rail stop on 63rd and the BNSF tracks. [Source] Again, this would be dependent upon a funding source being secured for the RTA. I understand the City has considered at least one light rail line intended to go up NW Expressway but I have no idea if any actual planning work has actually been done for that corridor.

[David]

A few times recently I've eaten lunch in midtown and gone for a walk afterwards, and along 11th street I have noticed the following:




They're on the correct side of the road for it, so I have been assuming they are the stand-ups for the eventual power lines for the streetcar. If so, I have a couple questions. First, is that the final finish, or will it be cleaned up with concrete instead of the asphalt once the poles are installed? Second, several of the locations are more or less right in the middle of the sidewalk, leaving not a lot of room to get around. Will the sidewalk be expanded in those locations to provide more room for someone in, say, a wheelchair?

If these aren't for the streetcar, what are they for?

[catch22]

David,

Yes those are the posts for the overhead wire. I believe they used asphalt so they can dig it up easier when it comes time to actually running the wire into the foundation. I believe the sidewalk will be reverted to concrete after installation. In the meantime the sidewalk is open with asphalt.

[Laramie]

Why not work with the OK Railway Museum, and run a connection from Bricktown to the Museum, Zoo, Remington Park and Firefighters Museum. You would need a mile of new track to bypass the Union Pacific yard, and the rest of the right of way already exists. Maybe even get some historic trolley equipment like Dallas does on Mckinney Ave.

This was the first project you would have thought that they would have accomplished; they talked about that 40 years ago using one of the old rail type trolleys on the Katy line.

Would love to see some kind of streetcar transit near the Hall of Fame Stadium & Zoo; that would bode well for OKC with TV coverage of the Womens' College World Series.

[KayneMo]

Is the angled parking along Broadway being taken out? Where the pavement as been cut out looks like there won't be enough room, maybe enough for parallel parking, however?

[Ross MacLochness]

Is the angled parking along Broadway being taken out? Where the pavement as been cut out looks like there won't be enough room, maybe enough for parallel parking, however?

I'm pretty sure angled parking is being removed, replaced by parallel parking. That side of will now be 2 lanes instead of one.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^
This is correct.

[catch22]

Is the angled parking along Broadway being taken out? Where the pavement as been cut out looks like there won't be enough room, maybe enough for parallel parking, however?

Angled parking is not very compatible with streetcar due to sight. Much easier to see traffic and the streetcar with parallel.

[Laramie]

Here are some articles about the streetcar; nothing has been set in stone:


• The 4.9-mile D Line will traverse the central business district, linking Midtown and Bricktown.
• Dubbed the B Line, the 2-mile Bricktown loop will link Bricktown and the convention center district.

Plans are for the vast majority of service hours to the devoted to the D Line. Streetcars are to run from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

On the B Line, regular service will be 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Oklahoma City streetcar contract approved with minimal Sunday service: http://m.newsok.com/oklahoma-city-st...5551449http://

The MAPS3 streetcar project continues to make progress downtown.

If you drive between Midtown and Bricktown, you've surely noticed construction on the tracks.

By this time next year, the trolleys should be cruising down Broadway and Robinson.

Oklahoma City considers pedestrian safety ahead of streetcar installation: http://kfor.com/2017/12/14/okc-consi...-installation/

By comparison, the consultants' report said Cincinnati charges $1 for a two-hour pass. Detroit charges $1.50 for a three-hour pass.

Riders in Portland get two-and-a-half hours for $2.

Single rides vary from $1 in Atlanta to $1.50 in Tucson, $2.25 in Seattle and $2.50 in Tampa.

$1 fare recommended for Oklahoma City streetcar: http://newsok.com/1-fare-recommended...rticle/5576091

And if all goes as planned, passenger service will begin by late 2018. Two routes traveling 6.9 miles will link Bricktown, Automobile Alley, Midtown, the Central Business District and the area known as Core to Shore.

Oklahoma City's streetcar story is all about development: http://newsok.com/article/5480157

The 4.6-mile main line will serve the central business district, Midtown, Bricktown and Automobile Alley. By doubling up on some parts of the route, the main line and Bricktown loop will create 6.9 miles of what consultants call "service track."

David Todd, MAPS 3 program director, said the project is being coordinated to impede only in short segments and to limit obstruction to businesses.

Streetcar work begins in Bricktown: http://newsok.com/article/5534815

OKC Considers Driverless Streetcars: http://www.news9.com/story/36522608/...ess-streetcars

Hope this will answer most questions; OKC will have to tweak the system once it gets into operational mode. Plans to add a stoplight at N.W. 8th Street to slow traffic between N.W. 10th and N.W. 4th. The Bricktown Line will be the key to how they tweak and trouble shot the system because it will have the most challenges for pedestrian & vehicle traffic.