OKC Regional Transit System

[josefromtulsa]

In related news Fort Worth is improving the frequency of rail service to DFW from once an hour to every 30 minutes.

The next goal should be every 20 minutes and then every 15 minutes. It was interesting to see the images on social media of the traffic jams on the airport tollway after the Thanksgiving holiday.

[amocore]

Good morning,

Are you talking about the TEXrail ? I think due to the fact it is single track, 30 minutes is the fastest rotation doable as this time.

[josefromtulsa]

Good morning,

Are you talking about the TEXrail ? I think due to the fact it is single track, 30 minutes is the fastest rotation doable as this time.

Good morning!

Yes, and I wasn't aware it was only single track. Double tracking would probably be exorbitantly expensive but maybe 10-20 years down the line.

[Plutonic Panda]

Whelp now it’s getting even more interesting. All mayoral candidates in Edmond now oppose commuter rail so it may not come to Edmond who knows but all of the mayoral candidates in Norman support it. I’m optimistic Norman voters will support the proposal but I’m not so about Edmond.

https://nondoc.com/2025/01/31/norman...eless-shelter/

[BoulderSooner]

Whelp now it’s getting even more interesting. All mayoral candidates in Edmond now oppose commuter rail so it may not come to Edmond who knows but all of the mayoral candidates in Norman support it. I’m optimistic Norman voters will support the proposal but I’m not so about Edmond.

https://nondoc.com/2025/01/31/norman...eless-shelter/

i don't think that is totally correct .... they don't support an edmond sales tax to pay for it ..

[bison34]

i don't think that is totally correct .... they don't support an edmond sales tax to pay for it ..

It is the same exact thing, since it can only be funded by a sales tax, because of our beloved state law.

So not supporting a tax for it is not supporting it. The ends and means you know,

[Plutonic Panda]

i don't think that is totally correct .... they don't support an edmond sales tax to pay for it ..

I’ll just repeat what the other person said who responded to you. It’s the same thing. If they don’t support it in the sales tax fails, then the train doesn’t come to Edmond. Do you understand that?

[Plutonic Panda]

At this point if Edmund does end up voting against the commuter rail, what sense would it really make to build any of it at all? Why not just work with Amtrak and just run more trains per day between Norman and downtown Oklahoma City?

[HOT ROD]

^ or better yet get the state to change the tax law allowing transit on various modes other than just sales. The change could be exclusive to metro areas over one million if they want, but OKC should have the ability to fund transit expansion by more than just the OKC city sales tax.

[Plutonic Panda]

ODOT is studying the removal of certain at grade RR crossings as part of the Edmond to Norman commuter rail. A bunch of ones come to mind but specifically the Britton Crossing and Wilshire BLVD ones would be great to see grade separated. The Britton one won’t be cheap but the one crossing through Wilshire shouldn’t be much trouble and they could directly connect Classen while they’re at it.

https://www.progressiverailroading.c...project--73843

I am a bit worried about Edmond‘s potential mayors. Not a single one of them supports this project. If the city of Edmond pulls out, I really don’t see much use for investing all this money and just connecting Norman to OKC. I’m not so sure the RTA would be all that interested to extend the line north if Edmond pulls out. I guess a Norman to OKC line could get the ball rolling. But without Edmond being on board I don’t see it being of much use.

[BoulderSooner]

ODOT is studying the removal of certain at grade RR crossings as part of the Edmond to Norman commuter rail. A bunch of ones come to mind but specifically the Britton Crossing and Wilshire BLVD ones would be great to see grade separated. The Britton one won’t be cheap but the one crossing through Wilshire shouldn’t be much trouble and they could directly connect Classen while they’re at it.

https://www.progressiverailroading.c...project--73843

I am a bit worried about Edmond‘s potential mayors. Not a single one of them supports this project. If the city of Edmond pulls out, I really don’t see much use for investing all this money and just connecting Norman to OKC. I’m not so sure the RTA would be all that interested to extend the line north if Edmond pulls out. I guess a Norman to OKC line could get the ball rolling. But without Edmond being on board I don’t see it being of much use.

even with out edmond they could build a stop with a park and ride all the way north at Kelly and memorial

[Plutonic Panda]

even with out edmond they could build a stop with a park and ride all the way north at Kelly and memorial

They could, but I don’t think it would see much use. I suppose it could be built in future anticipation that Edmond reevaluate its position one day and rejoin the RTA if in fact they do pull out. I’m not sure about Midwest city but I have a sneaking suspicion that the city of Moore will rejoin the RTA at some point.

[citywokchinesefood]

With rail likely being dead the RTA should just focus on having a robust CNG bus system. Increase frequency, add more stations, make stops better etc. Hell, maybe Tulsa would partner with OKC to setup some frequency of busses between the two cities. I know greyhound has some service, but greyhound is pretty dreadful.

[bamarsha]

But without Edmond being on board I don’t see it being of much use.

I'm not exactly pro-passenger rail in OKC, but there may be more of a use of one between OKC and Norman than Edmond. Edmond to OKC has I-35, Broadway Ext, LHP, and I-344 has highways to/from; whereas, Norman only has I-35 (maybe include I-44). That was the major reason I chose NW OKC / Edmond area over Norman when moving back Oklahoma.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm not exactly pro-passenger rail in OKC, but there may be more of a use of one between OKC and Norman than Edmond. Edmond to OKC has I-35, Broadway Ext, LHP, and I-344 has highways to/from; whereas, Norman only has I-35 (maybe include I-44). That was the major reason I chose NW OKC / Edmond area over Norman when moving back Oklahoma.

I think I said this before, but I personally know a couple people that have said they would definitely use the park-and-ride station if one was built out at Broadway and coffee Creek, which is where the terminus Edmond is proposed. Obviously there will be a stop in downtown Edmond and I know back before the last couple mayors there was a lot of momentum and enthusiasm to build a downtown multimodal transit center. I don’t know what the standing is on that I need the message the city and ask them. I know they wanted to build a performing arts center, and then that completely died.

I think there would be much higher ridership from Edmond citizens then people suspect. Though I do agree a Norman OKC line would probably have higher ridership. I don’t think that alone would justify that one line. Remember that Moore pulled out.

[HOT ROD]

when you really think about it, Edmond would only be funding their downtown station. MOST of the rail travels through OKC, so we very well could just build PnR at I-235 and I-344 to serve Edmondites if they chose not to participate. While there may not initially be much ridership, over time it would build and once established and the PnR is full could force the hand of Edmond to expand to its downtown and perhaps also N Edmond/S Guthrie.

Having some presence at/near Edmond is essential IMO for Oklahoma City due to the draw of bringing in passengers into the city, so I strongly encourage the RTA to still pursue regardless of what the mayor says. Actually, I also think we should still design for the West route to Yukon/El Reno as well; have it ready and once the N-S routing is complete go ahead and build the W route with a PnR at or near the OKC Outlets; again, capturing Yukon/Mustang/El Reno passengers into the city.

Totally agree that the primary rail traffic will be N-S between Oklahoma City and Norman. This is LONG overdue and much needed, today, in that IMO they should expand the current 'express' bus service by adding more frequencies and upgrading to coach bus - creating a real Commuter Bus until the RTA builds the rail. Could still continue with Commuter Bus to supplement rail and perhaps capture "local" passengers in Moore and S OKC.

OKC has a long way to go to really connect the metro area to build synergy, I hope we don't just wait for rail but start now with better connecting downtown OKC and Norman/OU but not using a low floor 40' local transit bus but coach, articulated, and/or double floor Alexander Dennis buses (I saw there's some for sale in Tacoma, WA; could be a quick/cheap way to get started).

[bombermwc]

Well the Tinker one was already nixed too. Now Edmond. What's the point then? Moore already won't contribute to the Norman line either.

And all the while, it would still only be a secondary traffic on the existing freight line. Which is pretty darned busy. Schedules for commuter will just be a joke and will have to get bumped any time freight wants to do their thing.

The whole thing is a joke and it's slowly dying before it's even a thing. I'm just glad this sort of mess got brought to the surface before it became a financial drain on everyone.

[Thunderbolt]

I wonder how the jail fiasco will impact this. It looks inevitable that Oklahoma County will now need to vote on a sales tax initiative for the jail (on top of the previous bond). The OKC GO Bond vote is coming up later this year. Plus the recent arena vote. As some point, OKC's luck of winning tax initiative on the ballot could run out.

[Plutonic Panda]

when you really think about it, Edmond would only be funding their downtown station. MOST of the rail travels through OKC, so we very well could just build PnR at I-235 and I-344 to serve Edmondites if they chose not to participate. While there may not initially be much ridership, over time it would build and once established and the PnR is full could force the hand of Edmond to expand to its downtown and perhaps also N Edmond/S Guthrie.

I think there was at least two stops proposed in Edmond. One in downtown which would be a broader part of an overall transit hub. Don’t forget it could potentially be an Amtrak stop as well if Amtrak extends the Heartland Flyer to Newton. And they were gonna have a park-and-ride station somewhere around Broadway and Coffee Creek.

[OKCTalker]

A question for the transportation experts here: When one proposes an A to B passenger rail concept, how do proponents prove the demand? Is a wheeled concept first introduced (not unlike BRT) where ridership could be quantified?

[SEMIweather]

I wonder how the jail fiasco will impact this. It looks inevitable that Oklahoma County will now need to vote on a sales tax initiative for the jail (on top of the previous bond). The OKC GO Bond vote is coming up later this year. Plus the recent arena vote. As some point, OKC's luck of winning tax initiative on the ballot could run out.

If I had to guess, I’d say that the RTA vote is more likely to pass than the jail vote, but honestly I don’t think that either are going to pass.

[Jake]

Good quality rail service from Edmond-OKC-Norman would be great so it makes sense it's unlikely to happen.

[SEMIweather]

Apparently this vote will be delayed until mid-2026.

https://nondoc.com/2025/02/19/for-ok...-to-be-aboard/

[Plutonic Panda]

“Imagine this it’s summer 2040”

Yeah, I just stopped reading and close the article after that.

[Mississippi Blues]

“Imagine this it’s summer 2040”

Yeah, I just stopped reading and close the article after that.

To be fair, most of the time when there’s an “imagine this” scenario illustrated, it’s meant to convey that whatever is being discussed has been around long enough to become normalized i.e. part of the culture, but it does feel defeatist to think of that as a fantasy timeline.