Amtrak may offer OKC to KC rail service

[soonerguru]

This is the richest, most powerful country on the planet (for now, at least). We spend $3 trillion in Iraq, untold sums on defense systems, foreign aid, etc. Surely there is money for this somewhere. Frankly, it hasn't been a priority. I wonder how much lobbyists have to do with this? I can see no rational reason why we wouldn't want a state of the art public transportation infrastructure in the US.

[Kerry]

soonerguru - the biggest obsticle to a national rail transit system is distance. I drive 365 miles from Jacksonville to Atlanta every week. If I drove that same distance in Europe I would go through 7 or 8 countries.

[soonerguru]

Good point, Kerry. But if you look at the Amtrak map, you'll notice huge gaps where rail makes sense. E.g., you cannot go from Little Rock to Memphis. Does that make sense?

A trip from OKC to Atlanta may be better served by air. But Atlanta to Nashville, or Atlanta to Jacksonville would make sense by rail.

In Europe, I've taken some long hauls that were overnight trains; maybe not a great solution for business, but certainly for pleasure travel.

The biggest obstacle I see is no passenger-specific track in the middle of the country. There's just no infrastructure, which is why the schedules are so poor. It's a chicken and egg thing, just like our local bus service. I've used the bus to get to work, but i feel for the people who rely on it. The schedules are just not very good, and there aren't enough buses. This is the primary reason, IMO, more people don't ride.

If you're going to do it, do it, and invest in it so people can use it for work, shopping, entertainment, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to catch a bus after you've had a few beers in Bricktown? Certainly cheaper than cab fare.

[CCOKC]

I wish the bus stops had signs that actually told you where the lines run. I know the number 10 bus stops right in front of my house, but I have to look on the internet to find out just exactly where the number 10 bus goes and what the times are. Not really practical especially if you can't afford portable internet. I have ridden public transportation in other cities and for the most part you just look at the stop to find out where you want to go what transfers you need to take etc. A sign with a 10 on it doesn't give me a whole lot of info.

[soonerguru]

I'm somewhat easy. i would actually be happy if they just had benches for people waiting for the bus. There's nothing like having to sit on the curb to wait for a bus when you're dressed for the office. I think this may stem from the thought that only "those people' ride the bus, and they don't need to look nice anyway.'" I love OKC, but we have some weird southern caste stuff happening here.

[jbrown84]

I've never seen a stop that didn't at least have a concrete bench.

[okclee]

How many of you reading or posting have traveled on the Amtrak to Ft. Worth, TX??

My mother-in-law did and said she would never do it again.

[jbrown84]

I've ridden it as far as Purcell. And I've ridden Amtrak from Dodge City to Albuquerque and from Salt Lake City to Winter Park, CO.

[okclee]

I've ridden it as far as Purcell. And I've ridden Amtrak from Dodge City to Albuquerque and from Salt Lake City to Winter Park, CO.

What was the purpose of you travel?? I could see using it for a unique type of a vacation. But, it you need to get from point A to point B, I don't think it is pratical.

[CCOKC]

I've ridden it to Gainesville because I was visiting my mom when she lived in Allen and she was driving us back. I really enjoyed it and thought the scenery was quite beautiful and will definitely do it again.

[ADCS]

Took the Heartland Flyer to go to OU-texas this past year. It is an enjoyable experience; while it does take a while, they do serve adult beverages, which makes it seem much shorter . Mainly, if you're happy to not be rushed, it's certainly a good way to get across America. The more Type-A fellows among us, well, the train as it currently exists in this country is not for them.

[jbrown84]

What was the purpose of you travel?? I could see using it for a unique type of a vacation. But, it you need to get from point A to point B, I don't think it is pratical.

It was leisure/vacation. No it's not the fastest way, but it has an appeal in some situations.

[Superhyper]

I took it from here to get to Dallas for a conference, it was pretty nice. Didn't have to worry about a thing, I loved it.

[OkieHornet]

i rode it from FTW to OKC and enjoyed it. it wasn't crowded at all, just a nice leisurely time... i brought on my own snacks and drinks (not sure if you're supposed to), and once i got used to the idea that it wasn't going to be a quick trip, i settled in, listened to some Johnny Cash on the iPod, and had a nice ride...

[CuatrodeMayo]

OKC to FTW is fine...FTW to San Antonio is a drag. There are many times the train is sitting still in the middle of a cornfield waiting on a freight train to pass. It is a unique was to travel, but not the least bit practical.

[soonerguru]

I've never seen a stop that didn't at least have a concrete bench.

I have to ask, have you ever ridden our city buses? There are numerous stops without benches or even, in some cases, any demarcation or signage. It's a major embarassment.

I've been told the city does the least it has to do to continue receiving the federal subsidy. I'm not sure if it's true, but our system is a total disgrace for the most part.
Wichita probably has better service.

[kevinpate]

I've only ridden two lines, and not regularly. The express from Norman and then the route that is Capitol Hill, S Shields Crossroads and back around. As to those two lines, clean bus each time thus far, and friendly folk, though not many folk any single time. If there was a later evening bus back toward Norman, I'd be a regular rider. Taking the bus in and devouring the paper instead of just scanning it is not a bad way to slide through the morning traffic.

[OUman]

How many of you reading or posting have traveled on the Amtrak to Ft. Worth, TX??

My mother-in-law did and said she would never do it again.

Read my previous post. I thought it was pretty good.

While on the subject of rail, if any of you think that high-speed trains are for the birds, I can only point to Europe and Japan. Many European countries have high-speed rail. Granted, many of those countries are no bigger than the state of Texas, but even if we had regional high-speed service, I think that would alleviate at least some of the congestion at airports and give an option to those who wanted to avoid airports but didn't want to drive 200-400 miles.

[kevinpate]

If there was high speed rail in Oklahoma, I'd use it. The few rail trips Ihave made were very enjoyable. Pick up some speed to boot and that's a nice way to travel.

[transport_oklahoma]

During peak periods (Spring Break/Summer weekends), a last minute reserved Amtrak ticket OKC-FTW may be in the $40s, but most of the time you can snag one for $25-35 each way.

OKC - San Antonio is $66 for tomorrow, for example.

At $3/gallon, the train is about the same as the out-of-pocket cost to drive for the solo traveler. Far less than the IRS or AAA full cost of driving.

When you see your state legislators, tell them you want better (more routes, more frequencies/faster speeds) train service in Oklahoma. They still think that we want just roads for transportation.

Amtrak

Oklahoma Rail Home

[Kerry]

I read a few years ago that AmTrak was considering abandoning a national rail network in favor of a high speed regional network that was run mostly by the states. This sounds like a much better plan to me. I drive from Atlanta to Jacksonville every week and it cost me about $120 in gas for the round trip plus the 42,000 miles I have put on my car in the last 14 months. Not to mention the 6 hours of driving each way. If I could take a high speed train for $150 round trip I would. Under the current national rail plan it takes 2 days to get from Jacksonville to Atlanta because the train goes to Charolette. Get rid of the long distance trains and move to a regional network.

[mburlison]

Have ridden Amtrak a few times... once a # of years ago, from OKC to Jackson, MI. That was cool because of changing trains in Chicago and passing through the big yards at Newton and Kansas City. Here a while back, took the train from Buffalo down to NYC, that was a lot of fun and get to pass through some spectacular scenery... fast too. I think we left Buffalo around 10:30 or so and got to Penn Station not so late in the afternoon. I would love to do the Heartland Flyer when I have a chance, especially since I'm down here in Plano now. Maybe they will eventually put a stop at Denton, that would be a nice place to park'n'ride.

[mmonroe]

1. Why is there not a car rental place right by the tracks in OKC?
2. This was interesting http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/national.pdf
3. I think the Heartland flyer only goes a whopping 79mph in OK, and 59mph in TX.

[CuatrodeMayo]

79 mph is not bad for a train on freight tracks.

[jbrown84]

2. This was interesting http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/national.pdf

We seem to be the only city at the end of a dead end line. It would seem to make much sense to connect to Newton.