Anyone have any new info on this? They keep throwing out vague target opening dates, then delaying them, and their FB page is a constant feed of saying "we don't know anything yet". Definitely makes it seem like the whole thing might not actually happen to the casual observer. I hope they can get it open within the next couple of months or I may lose all hope.

If I were making the decision, I would make sure it was running during as much of the Thunder season as possible to try to capitalize on Tulsans who may want to take the train down for a game similar to the OU/TX Heartland Flyer. But they really need to get better at the PR and marketing game.

Although passenger service is mandated by the sale agreement between ODOT and WATCO/Stillwater Central, they technically still have 4 years before they hit the penalty deadline. That said, I was under the impression that the passenger operator - Iowa Pacific - was very eager to get this thing going. Maybe they're waiting on WATCO to complete track improvements? I'll ask around in the railfan groups and see what (if anything) I can come up with.

I'm super ready for this thing to get going... I got my first taste of passenger/commuter rail while visiting family in Chicago last week; I rode the Metra from Wheeling to Chicago Union Station and back. I know that the Eastern Flyer won't be quite the same (long-distance passenger service and not commuter rail) but it still excites me nonetheless!

I had my first experience with commuter rail in Toronto and it got me super excited for this as well. Wish it would hurry up.

One other thought as to the delay of the start of service: They may also be waiting for the temporary Midwest City depot to be constructed first. I drove by that plot off of Sooner today, and no work has been done out there at all yet. Looking at city documents, it looks like the rezoning application was approved, but the building permit (BLDC-2014-12605) shows it's still in review, with $111 in fees outstanding.

They had such interest in the demonstration trains... they really need to get this service rolling soon before people forget about it...

Now they are saying closer to Fall...

I don't know why they got everyone's hopes up for spring if they are waiting for the stations to be complete. Should have just said early 2016 from the beginning. I stop paying attention when the carrot keeps getting pulled away.

Until some trackwork is repaired Oklahoma City rail service is restricted to Purcell and back. That is, if the Flyer is currently parked in OKC. Sure would like to see service through Tulsa, Springfield and on into St. Louis. What a beautiful ride that was back in the day.

From the Tulsa World : Passenger rail not coming to Tulsa as soon as hoped

Passenger rail not coming to Tulsa as soon as hoped - Tulsa World: Homepagelatest (http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/passenger-rail-not-coming-to-tulsa-as-soon-as-hoped/article_acf8b9f8-1724-5d3b-8f99-d438ad8fca74.html)

Until some trackwork is repaired Oklahoma City rail service is restricted to Purcell and back. That is, if the Flyer is currently parked in OKC. Sure would like to see service through Tulsa, Springfield and on into St. Louis. What a beautiful ride that was back in the day.

Agree, the ride through the Ozarks would be pretty scenic much like the ride through the Arbuckles but much longer. I'm hoping that happens someday, especially if you could then take HSR from St Louis to Chicago.

As far as OKC-Tulsa, it should be downtown to downtown when they start it even if it means a delay.

I agree BG918. We won't get a lot of shots at this so get it right the first time, even if it means waiting.

Reading into Ed Ellis' responses in that article, it seems clear to me that the delay is most likely due to two things: First, Iowa Pacific's interpretation of "doing this right the first time" is to wait for Oklahoma City and Tulsa to work on their respective stations. Second, agreements need to be made with Union Pacific and BNSF in Oklahoma City, and BNSF in Tulsa, to get the train from downtown to downtown. The second item will be far easier and faster than the first; renovations to the Santa Fe terminal building in OKC will need to be completed, as well as trackwork and additional platforms on top of the rail viaduct - not to mention the rehabilitation of the UP track separating Bricktown from Deep Deuce, and the construction of the southern leg of the wye to get the train to the platforms. I have no idea what Tulsa is planning, but as I understand it, the city doesn't own Tulsa Union Station anymore, so they would have to construct all new facilities.

If I am interpreting this correctly, we may not see Eastern Flyer service begin for at least a few years - much to my dismay. I'm a proponent of getting the service going now, and then growing into the OKC and Tulsa stops as they are ready, because Oklahomans are clearly hungry for this option right now. Iowa Pacific and WATCO have about 3½ years until their contractual obligations are breached, though, so I doubt they are in any real hurry right now.

Iowa Pacific just started service between Indianapolis and Chicago with plans to quickly ramp up to 12 trains a day, plus start service to Ft. Wayne.

I have no idea what Tulsa is planning, but as I understand it, the city doesn't own Tulsa Union Station anymore, so they would have to construct all new facilities.

Union Depot is owned by the Tulsa County Industrial Authority and is leased to the Jazz Hall of Fame, which is constantly cash strapped and probably would love someone to sub-lease part of the building from them. If access to the rail lines can be negotiated. It's a good solution, Union Depot is badly underused by The Jazz Hall of Fame and it's a great deco building.

http://galenf.com/ok/depot01.jpg

Union Depot is owned by the Tulsa County Industrial Authority and is leased to the Jazz Hall of Fame, which is constantly cash strapped and probably would love someone to sub-lease part of the building from them. If access to the rail lines can be negotiated. It's a good solution, Union Depot is badly underused by The Jazz Hall of Fame and it's a great deco building.

http://galenf.com/ok/depot01.jpg

That would be great, any idea what the condition of the old platform is? It can not really be seen by google in any detail, though even if it is in very good shape, it looks like the track near it might need some work to get passengers right next to the platform.

That would be great, any idea what the condition of the old platform is? It can not really be seen by google in any detail, though even if it is in very good shape, it looks like the track near it might need some work to get passengers right next to the platform.

No idea what the platform is like, most of it is gone. You can see what the platforms used to be like in this old postcard, most of it was just cut away:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/tulsa/postcards/tundep.jpg

Looks similar in size and layout to Baltimore Penn Station.

I'm glad Iowa Pacific, WATCO, and the cities of TUlsa and OKC are collaborating on making the service a real transportation option and not just an excursion ride. I think the MWC to Sapulpa with shuttle buses scheme likely would have doomed this to a six month experiment predestined for failure. The last thing anyone needs to give ODOT or the legislature is an opportunity to say "I told you so" when it comes to passenger rail.

Tulsa Union Station no longer has a platform or passenger access to where the platform used to be. There used to be a passenger concourse that crossed over the tracks to platforms in the middle, with stairs leading down to the platforms. If I remember correctly, all of this was removed in the 80's when the station was rehabilitated. Swake's post has a picture of what it used to look like.

Tulsa Union Station no longer has a platform or passenger access to where the platform used to be. There used to be a passenger concourse that crossed over the tracks to platforms in the middle, with stairs leading down to the platforms. If I remember correctly, all of this was removed in the 80's when the station was rehabilitated. Swake's post has a picture of what it used to look like.

That doesn't look completely true, here's the back of the building today. There looks to still be stair access down to what would have been the first set of the tracks, the platform is gone replace with HVAC equipment for the building. The building would need a new platform, and maybe a new rail siding. Handicap access might be an issue, I can't recall if there's an elevator in there. I assume there is.

http://ivorytower.emuviews.com/deco/images/union_depot_north.jpg

Looks similar in size and layout to Baltimore Penn Station.

I'm glad Iowa Pacific, WATCO, and the cities of TUlsa and OKC are collaborating on making the service a real transportation option and not just an excursion ride. I think the MWC to Sapulpa with shuttle buses scheme likely would have doomed this to a six month experiment predestined for failure. The last thing anyone needs to give ODOT or the legislature is an opportunity to say "I told you so" when it comes to passenger rail.

I was thinking the same thing. The shuttle idea was kind of hokey and seemed destined to fail. While there is a ton of interest for this, there are also a ton of skeptics and we really need to get it right (or at least pretty close) the first time to ensure success. At minimum it needs to go downtown to downtown and take under 2.5 hours to have a chance.

That doesn't look completely true, here's the back of the building today. There looks to still be stair access down to what would have been the first set of the tracks, the platform is gone replace with HVAC equipment for the building. The building would need a new platform, and maybe a new rail siding. Handicap access might be an issue, I can't recall if there's an elevator in there. I assume there is.

http://ivorytower.emuviews.com/deco/images/union_depot_north.jpg

I like the dead-end part of Boston Ave on the far right of the photo. I remember as a small child going to Terry's Used Books on the overpass.

http://www.okc.gov/councilnotes/2015/090115files/rail%20memo.pdf


Public Project Reimbursement Agreement with the Uni
on Pacific Railroad Company to provide initial
feasibility study services to identify necessary in
frastructure requirements to enable proposed
passenger train operation on the Union Pacific Rail
road Company–owned corridor between NE 10th
and North Sooner Road and the Santa Fe Station on E
.K. Gaylord Boulevard, not to exceed $50,000.
Ward 7.

Excellent news, even if it is just one small step in the process. Glad to know the City is engaging Union Pacific to attempt to use that interchange track in Bricktown for the Eastern Flyer.

Council favors Regional Transit Authority - Local News - The Edmond Sun (http://m.edmondsun.com/news/local_news/council-favors-regional-transit-authority/article_cb2bacce-6096-11e5-afc7-17e88a65ad17.html?mode=jqm)

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-passenger-rail-line-in-jeopardy/article/5503562

It would be nice to see them stop funding this and save up and dedicate money to HSR between Dallas and Tulsa with OKC in the center. I don't think it is very wise to be investing over 3 million a year in outdated technology.

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-passenger-rail-line-in-jeopardy/article/5503562

It would be nice to see them stop funding this and save up and dedicate money to HSR between Dallas and Tulsa with OKC in the center. I don't think it is very wise to be investing over 3 million a year in outdated technology.

A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. High speed rail is a pipe dream for Oklahoma right now. No reason to drop a solid rail service to save up for something that may not be feasible for the next decade or two. I use the heartland flyer a few times a year and know a bunch of people that do as well. This "outdated technology" is what 99% of the American rail system runs on. Without a miracle, OKC will not have high speed rail before the east and west coasts regardless of whatever Texas is doing.

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

I've always thought this was the biggest issue with the service. Not enough frequency for people to use as much as they'd like.

last time I took the train I thought the same thing. .it would be great if I could stop at winstar, Gamble, see a concert and spend the night then come back tomorrow.

The BNSF rail corridor is about a mile and a half west of the casino, but if a platform was built around Rogers Rd/Gladney Lake Rd, WinStar could have shuttle busses ferrying people back and forth. If that was combined with expanded service - which both ODOT and TXDOT have said they would like to see - then that could become a very valuable stop for the Heartland Flyer.

I just hope that OKDOT/TXDOT is successful in keeping the train. They want to unbundle service and farm out parts of the operation to other carriers, in much the same way that the Indiana DOT unbundled the Hoosier State (Chicago - Indianapolis) train. This could result in enough savings to keep the train, I hope. Were Iowa Pacific to assume operations of the Heartland Flyer, I think that would also help to ensure the Eastern Flyer begins service too.

A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. High speed rail is a pipe dream for Oklahoma right now. No reason to drop a solid rail service to save up for something that may not be feasible for the next decade or two. I use the heartland flyer a few times a year and know a bunch of people that do as well. This "outdated technology" is what 99% of the American rail system runs on. Without a miracle, OKC will not have high speed rail before the east and west coasts regardless of whatever Texas is doing.

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

Exactly, right now is the time to fight to maintain what we have. When our state's finances improve, it would be appropriate to double down on our investment by adding more service. The state won't save money for HSR. If this is cut, that money will go somewhere else, never to be seen again. It won't be directed into a savings fund for HSR.

Ditto on the Flyer partnering with Winstar excursions. Or even doing something alongside the adventure Road campaign. No reason not to.

http://www.news9.com/story/32241024/odot-looks-for-amtrak-alternatives-for-fort-worth-route

I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

I would abuse the hell out of that! Winstar has some amazing concerts.

http://www.news9.com/story/32440060/changes-could-be-coming-for-the-heartland-flyer-service

It might be Nice for Iowa Pacific to get it so that they would be operating the Heartland and Eastern Flyers.

It might be Nice for Iowa Pacific to get it so that they would be operating the Heartland and Eastern Flyers.

What's the "Eastern Flyer"?

What's the "Eastern Flyer"?

A cruel joke.

http://easternflyer.com/timeline.html

Wish ODOT could make this happen between OKC and Dallas


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH-3FsmU6KQ

WATCO and Iowa Pacific are down to 2¼ years left to begin Eastern Flyer passenger operations before they breach their contractual obligations under the sale agreement for the Sooner Sub. If the Friends of the Eastern Flyer and Passenger Rail Oklahoma Facebook groups are correct, the delays basically boil down to two main bottlenecks: First, the City of Tulsa has not begun the process of communication with ODOT, BNSF, and Stillwater Central to enable passenger trains to get from Sapulpa into downtown Tulsa; ODOT has a 99-year Passenger Service Rights agreement (http://passengerrailok.org/memberfiles/Page13-14-1998-SaleAgreement-BNSF-to-State.pdf) with BNSF, guaranteeing access for up to 4 passenger trains a day to get from Sapulpa to Union Station in Tulsa. The scuttlebutt is that Mayor Bartlett is stonewalling this effort for unknown reasons. Second, thus far I can find no public documents that show that Union Pacific has completed it's $50,000 initial feasibility study (funded by the City of OKC (https://agenda.okc.gov/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=Published_Meetings&fileid=3173754&docid=59875&hits=52%2051)) for rehabilitating roughly 4½ miles of track in Oklahoma City to allow passenger service to Santa Fe Station. The trackage being studied extends east from the BNSF Viaduct connection in Bricktown, near NE 2nd and EK Gaylord, to the connection with the Stillwater Central trackage, near NE 10th and Vickie Dr. Funding for the study was approved by the City Council just over one year ago, but to the best of my knowledge the study is now several months overdue; it must be finished before any repairs and improvements can begin on this vital connection into downtown OKC.

In March of this year, WATCO reported to ODOT that they had fulfilled their end of one of their other contractual obligations - namely, improving the condition of the Sooner Sub track to FRA Class III specs, allowing freight trains to travel at up to 40mph, and passenger trains up to 60mph. This will greatly aid the operation of the Eastern Flyer once passenger service begins, making the travel time difference between train and car smaller.

In other passenger rail news, PhiAlpha and worthy cook, your dreams are being realized: According to the Norman Transcript (http://www.normantranscript.com/news/government/heartland-flyer-still-on-schedule/article_6bf1251d-8f8a-57f2-b93e-a39eae576984.html), the Chickasaw Nation entered into an agreement with ODOT to create a stop in Thackerville for the Heartland Flyer, making a connection to the WinStar World Casino possible. I haven't yet been able to come up with any timetable on this, but the agreement appears to have been made sometime around June of this year.

Oh that could be a huge boon for the heartland flyer. I hope there's advertising in OKC and DFW metros for this; should have a pos impact on filling up the trains.

I'm not sure if this has been posted anywhere, but this is some good news for the existing Amtrak train in Oklahoma: Amtrak is running a Buy One-Get One Free sale on coach accommodations to any destination along the route of the Heartland Flyer and Texas Eagle, through May 15. It's a good opportunity to go check out what Amtrak offers to Oklahoma if you've never taken the Heartland Flyer before. Details here: https://www.amtrak.com/buy-one-get-one-free-on-texas-eagle

Amtrak Train making a stop in Guthrie; possible expansion coming
By Guthrie News Page on June 5, 2017

Guthrie officials have been invited to hop along the Amtrak Train, which will be making a stop in Guthrie this week.

Amtrak is exploring expanding their passenger train service from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas, where other rail connections are possible.

Mayor Steve Gentling, Vice Mayor Ed Wood and City Manager Leroy Alsup have been invited to ride the Amtrak Inspection Train from Oklahoma City to Kansas City.

The train is expected to arrive in Guthrie on Friday, June 9 at 8:30 a.m.

The purpose of the trip is to see the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and explore the opportunity to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer.

The train will operate on the schedule shown below.

Each of the stops between Guthrie and Wichita will take place at the former Santa Fe stations in each of those respective cities. All remaining stops will be at the local Amtrak stations.

7:45am CDT DP Oklahoma City Santa Fe Station (downtown)
8:30am DP Guthrie
9:15am DP Perry
10:00am DP Ponca City
10:45am DP Ark City
12:05pm DP Wichita
1:00pm DP Newton
2:20pm DP Emporia
3:45pm DP Topeka
5:30pm AR Kansas City Union Station

http://guthrienewspage.com/2017/06/amtrak-train-making-a-stop-in-guthrie-possible-expansion-coming/

Those times seem odd. The Newton station only gets trains between 2 and 3 am. It is only manned during that time (ridden it twice round trip to Newton)

That likely means they will staff it more hours.

I looked at a lot of these train stations and they will need quite a bit of TLC. Likely in the millions for some of them. Hopefully they get the proper investment and not the cheapo Depot method.

Is there a time line for this or are they just studying feasilbity? I would love to have an option of going to Newton and then linking to OKC. I'd ride it around once a year or so. I would likely need to grab a hotel however. This could be a good deal for a lot of towns. More transportation options is never bad.

With that said, they need an option for commuter rail to Stillwater-OKC. I've riden Amtrak from DTOKC to Norman a couple times in the morning.

Amtrak Train making a stop in Guthrie; possible expansion coming
By Guthrie News Page on June 5, 2017

Guthrie officials have been invited to hop along the Amtrak Train, which will be making a stop in Guthrie this week.

Amtrak is exploring expanding their passenger train service from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas, where other rail connections are possible.

Mayor Steve Gentling, Vice Mayor Ed Wood and City Manager Leroy Alsup have been invited to ride the Amtrak Inspection Train from Oklahoma City to Kansas City.

The train is expected to arrive in Guthrie on Friday, June 9 at 8:30 a.m.

The purpose of the trip is to see the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and explore the opportunity to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer.

The train will operate on the schedule shown below.

Each of the stops between Guthrie and Wichita will take place at the former Santa Fe stations in each of those respective cities. All remaining stops will be at the local Amtrak stations.

7:45am CDT DP Oklahoma City Santa Fe Station (downtown)
8:30am DP Guthrie
9:15am DP Perry
10:00am DP Ponca City
10:45am DP Ark City
12:05pm DP Wichita
1:00pm DP Newton
2:20pm DP Emporia
3:45pm DP Topeka
5:30pm AR Kansas City Union Station

http://guthrienewspage.com/2017/06/amtrak-train-making-a-stop-in-guthrie-possible-expansion-coming/

That's really cool!!

Those times seem odd. The Newton station only gets trains between 2 and 3 am. It is only manned during that time (ridden it twice round trip to Newton)

This is the schedule for the inspection train on Friday. not a permanent schedule. If they did expand service the schedule could be entirely different.

^Exactly. The northbound train gets in OKC around 930ish. Continue that north and it would get to Newton around ~130am. Which would be pretty good timing to catch the Southwest Chief. Timing would work going southbound too as the OKC train departs around 8am IIRC.

It would be awesome to have the option to catch the train to Wichita or Topeka or KC for weekend trips.... plus the connections potential...

if this were definitely happening, what would the timeline be you think?

Great news. Hopefully Amtrak gets continued federal funding (unless I've missed something) for this to come to fruition! I would definitely do a Thursday night ride to KC, come back on a late Sunday/Monday morning ride if this were extended.

Would this mean that our station would start hosting two trains? Or can this be done with just the one we have

This is good news.

http://www.edmondsun.com/news/public-invited-to-come-out-show-support-for-passenger-rail/article_6e2f8750-4b8d-11e7-bc86-c37ef961b774.html#

Hopefully a stop in Edmond will be a reality as I think Edmond warrants a stop. Norman has one. I really hope this goes through sooner rather than later.

A couple of other wishlists:

Passenger rail to Stillwater and Tulsa. Eventually a line to Little Rock would be nice. I'd also really like it if they got new rail cars for the Heartland Flyer.

I know I got some responses in another thread I can't find right now about the Southwest Chief, but I have another question about it. Does anyone know the its fastest operating speed? It would be nice to see speeds of at least 120MPH in most areas.

I hate to temper everyone's excitement, but please keep in mind that an inspection train does not necessarily mean that passenger service will start. There have been a lot of people pushing for this extension for a long time, and running this inspection train is among the very first steps to establishing service or even seeing if it is feasible. The main problem in getting an expansion of service is going to be cost. The last time Amtrak explored extending the Heartland Flyer into Kansas, in 2010, the minimum infrastructure improvement cost was nearly $88 million before the first Amtrak train could even begin rolling - and that was only to Newton to connect with the Southwest Chief - with an additional $4.4 million annual subsidy from the state of Kansas. To get a daily train all the way through to Kansas City, the infrastructure improvement ask was a whopping $245 million, with an additional $10 million annual subsidy from KS. In both cases, the subsidy required from Oklahoma would also increase from the current $3.2 million, as the number of route miles through the state would roughly double. Truthfully, I don't know what all that cost entails, but it's quite steep despite the generally very good condition of the BNSF line between here and Newton. Most or all of that cost would rest on the shoulders of the states the train travels through, as all Amtrak routes under 750 miles in length require the states they serve to fund their operations - and neither Oklahoma nor Kansas have that kind of money to throw at passenger rail, unfortunately.

The 2010 study identified four potential service options: A) Using the existing single trainset to shuttle back and forth between Newton and Fort Worth to connect the Southwest Chief to the Texas Eagle; B) Keeping the Heartland Flyer as-is and then adding a new trainset that would shuttle back and forth between Kansas City and OKC - but it wouldn't connect with the Southwest Chief; C) Replacing the Heartland Flyer with a new daytime service between Kansas City and Fort Worth via Newton and OKC, with two new trainsets (one in each direction); and D) Starting a new, stand-alone route between Kansas City and OKC, with two new trainsets (one in each direction). Options A and C were ultimately studied in depth, leading to the cost numbers in the first paragraph; however, these numbers are now 7 years old so a new study may be required first.

I do seriously hope that the Heartland Flyer does get the expansion that many of us want... it just may take a while before it happens.

I know I got some responses in another thread I can't find right now about the Southwest Chief, but I have another question about it. Does anyone know the its fastest operating speed? It would be nice to see speeds of at least 120MPH in most areas.

According to it's Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Chief), the maximum speed of the Southwest Chief is 90MPH, but across it's entire route, the average speed is only around 55MPH. The only routes capable of speeds greater than 120mph are along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor from Washington, DC to Boston, MA - and only a few routes are even capable of 100MPH+ operations. It would take enormous infrastructure investment by the freight railroads hosting Amtrak trains to even reliably attain 80MPH sustained operations.

I wonder if they factored in potential ridership from DFW that would use the Southwest chief. I don't know if that would be better for people than taking the line down to San Antonio through El Paso further south which would then need to link up with the PacSurf. People from Dallas might use this line to connect to Newton.

It just seems like this is a fairly large missing link in the puzzle, but perhaps I could be wrong.

I see that 425 million as a good investment. That isn't that much. They're asking almost 200 billion for NE Corridor improvements as I'm sure you know. Have you heard anything new on that?

Edmond will need a complete new station from the ground up though they've already identified a need and they are working to secure funding for it. Guthries station looks like it will need several million dollars worth of investment and to do it right I would guess 5-10 million. Perry's station needs a lot of work. Not familiar with Ark City's or Wichita's.

I wonder if they factored in potential ridership from DFW that would use the Southwest chief. I don't know if that would be better for people than taking the line down to San Antonio through El Paso further south which would then need to link up with the PacSurf. People from Dallas might use this line to connect to Newton.

It just seems like this is a fairly large missing link in the puzzle, but perhaps I could be wrong.

I see that 425 million as a good investment. That isn't that much. They're asking almost 200 billion for NE Corridor improvements as I'm sure you know. Have you heard anything new on that?

Edmond will need a complete new station from the ground up though they've already identified a need and they are working to secure funding for it. Guthries station looks like it will need several million dollars worth of investment and to do it right I would guess 5-10 million. Perry's station needs a lot of work. Not familiar with Ark City's or Wichita's.

I know Wichita's is pretty large and undergoing a major renovation.

I know Wichita's is pretty large and undergoing a major renovation.
That's great to hear! I don't know if Guthries is in that bad of shape. I think they even have a cafe or a shop open inside. But I assume it would need several million in renovations to accommodate passenger trains.

Btw for anyone interested here is a Facebook page to follow: https://www.facebook.com/PassRailOK/

That's great to hear! I don't know if Guthries is in that bad of shape. I think they even have a cafe or a shop open inside. But I assume it would need several million in renovations to accommodate passenger trains.

To the best of my knowledge, the Guthrie Santa Fe Depot is empty right now. There was a restaurant in it as recently as 2013, however - so I don't think a ton of investment would be necessary to get it in proper order again. Looking at it on Google Maps Streetview, it looks to still be in good shape, although the platform definitely needs some help.

Amtrak 822 North at Britton Oklahoma
Amtrak Oklahoma City to Kansas City inspection train 822 North splits the South Britton signals.
Raymond D. Woods, Jr.: Photo 6/09/2017


https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4280/35067103461_90e5e1d981_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/VqL596)Amtrak 822 North at Britton (https://flic.kr/p/VqL596) by Raymond D. Woods, Jr. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/39213183@N02/), on Flickr

That's is very exciting to see!!!