OKC Regional Transit System

[Plutonic Panda]

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.

I get it. We’ve just been sold this commuter for well over a decade now. I hope they can make it happen.

[Mississippi Blues]

I get it. We’ve just been sold this commuter for well over a decade now. I hope they can make it happen.

Oh I know. I was a teenager the first time I remember seeing commuter rail being discussed on here, long before this thread first began, and have been following it closely ever since. Yet here I am at 30 seeing an increasingly hostile sentiment to the most barebones service that still would be years away even in the most optimistic timeline.

[Sonicthunder]

Oh I know. I was a teenager the first time I remember seeing commuter rail being discussed on here, long before this thread first began, and have been following it closely ever since. Yet here I am at 30 seeing an increasingly hostile sentiment to the most barebones service that still would be years away even in the most optimistic timeline.

The reason for the delay is not a cause for concern in my opinion..

[cinnamonjock]

Oh I know. I was a teenager the first time I remember seeing commuter rail being discussed on here

And now, ideally, my children will be teenagers when it finally gets up and going

[bombermwc]

The reason for the delay is not a cause for concern in my opinion..

Please explain? The reason for the most recent delay is that more communities have pulled their support? How is that not concerning for any chance of this happening? The longer we seem to take, the less likely it gets as more and more barriers come up and more communities pull out. That's pretty concerning to me if you are someone that thinks we need this.

[Sonicthunder]

Please explain? The reason for the most recent delay is that more communities have pulled their support? How is that not concerning for any chance of this happening? The longer we seem to take, the less likely it gets as more and more barriers come up and more communities pull out. That's pretty concerning to me if you are someone that thinks we need this.

As those pushing the transit plan try to win over the hearts and minds of voters, it will likely be a while before residents in Edmond, Norman and OKC are asked to approve a sales tax to fund the light rail system that would connect the three biggest municipalities in the metro area. A vote initially suggested for mid-2025 has been delayed following the RTA’s receipt of a $400,000 federal grant to evaluate 52 railroad crossings between Edmond and Norman.

“This grant will allow us to evaluate and determine which crossings will need upgrades so we can improve traffic patterns across the metro and continue to advance the planning for commuter rail,” Ferbrache said. “Reducing rail congestion will help us create better pedestrian and automobile traffic flow for our residents.”

Former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, who is the board chairman of the RTA, told The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer he expects the matter to go before voters in the three cities sometime in mid-2026. However, there are also concerns about federal funding in the wake of the Trump administration’s attempts to slash government agencies and grant funding.

“We are concerned about the change in administrations,” Henry said. “It’s no secret the Biden administration was enthusiastic about transit. We don’t think the Trump administration will be negative at all. But they may have different priorities. On the other hand, they may be more willing to mitigate regulatory difficulties we face.”