Potential Tulsa - OKC Rail Line Sale

[Buffalo Bill]

Something I saw from ODOT:

http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/newsm...short_list.pdf

The State of Oklahoma Cabinet Secretaries of Commerce; Transportation; Energy and Environment; Agriculture and Finance; have announced that two firms have been selected Friday for further negotiations in the potential sale of the Sooner Sub rail line. The short-listed firms are BNSF Railway Company and Stillwater Central Railroad/Watco Companies.

This selection begins a more detailed negotiation process in which the five cabinet secretaries will determine the best interest of the state. The secretaries have up to 90 days from Jan. 30 to negotiate and evaluate final proposals. The option of a sale will only be considered if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the state.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation started accepting requests for proposals for the Sooner Sub rail line running between Midwest City and Sapulpa on Nov. 1, 2013, and is carefully following the legislative guidance for selling rail assets set forth in Oklahoma Statute Title 66, Sec. 304.

[AP]

Anyone want to bet on who wins?

[Buffalo Bill]

Also of note, and this is not the right thread, though of interest all the same, on OETA tonight at 8 PM, on American Experience:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The story of New York's Pennsylvania Station, which opened to the public in 1910. One of the greatest architectural and engineering achievements of its time, it covered nearly eight acres and required the construction of 16 miles of underground tunnels. It closed its doors some 50 years later, giving way to Madison Square Garden, a high-rise office building and sports complex.

[catch22]

Anyone want to bet on who wins?

You mean who won.

This was decided before the RFP went out, this is just a formality.

[LakeEffect]

You mean who won.

This was decided before the RFP went out, this is just a formality.

What's your basis of reality here?

[catch22]

What's your basis of reality here?

It's pretty obvious who will be awarded the line.

They mentioned the purpose of the Request was for the best interest of Oklahoma and the energy industry.

[Just the facts]

Also of note, and this is not the right thread, though of interest all the same, on OETA tonight at 8 PM, on American Experience:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The story of New York's Pennsylvania Station, which opened to the public in 1910. One of the greatest architectural and engineering achievements of its time, it covered nearly eight acres and required the construction of 16 miles of underground tunnels. It closed its doors some 50 years later, giving way to Madison Square Garden, a high-rise office building and sports complex.

If you want to get a small idea of what Penn Station was like check out Jacksonville Terminal if you ever make it down this way. It was designed by the same architect as Penn station and he borrowed heavily from Penn's design.

[OKCisOK4me]

Watco will probably still have trackage rights on the line since they run Stillwater Central between Lawton and Tulsa.

[CaptDave]

More ODOT/Fallin Admin shenanigans:

State officials keep rail line proposals secret after unsealing bids - Tulsa World: Local

[Just the facts]

So "what is best for Oklahoma" must be kept secret from the people of Oklahoma until AFTER the deal is done? What kind of world are we living in?

[catch22]

So "what is best for Oklahoma" must be kept secret from the people of Oklahoma until AFTER the deal is done? What kind of world are we living in?

Welcome to Tea Party favorite Mary Fallin and her administration.

[Easy180]

Welcome to Tea Party favorite Mary Fallin and her administration.

She is probably still waiting on word from her national handlers on how to act after the deal is made public

[Just the facts]

Welcome to Tea Party favorite Mary Fallin and her administration.

I think this is more ODOT than anything.

State officials keep rail line proposals secret after unsealing bids - Tulsa World: Local

BNSF is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. A subsidiary of the Omaha, Neb.-based company, BH Media, bought the Tulsa World last year.


A former Tulsa city councilor said he was not surprised by ODOT's decision to keep the bids secret.


"I may be a little bit jaded, and I will admit that up front, but that sounds like it is pretty consistent with ODOT's past behavior on the rail issue," said Rick Westcott. "This open records two-step is entirely consistent with their actions."

However, maybe since Warren Buffet is anti-Tea Party maybe he would be willing to self-release the information, or at least waive this ruling on his bid. No? I didn't think so either because this isn't a left-right issue. It is a 1%-99% issue.

[Plutonic Panda]

So "what is best for Oklahoma" must be kept secret from the people of Oklahoma until AFTER the deal is done? What kind of world are we living in?

what is so ironic about that is the same people who were mad at Pelosi for saying pass Obamacare to see what's in it, are the same people saying seal the deal before we let people know about it

[Spartan]

More ODOT/Fallin Admin shenanigans:

State officials keep rail line proposals secret after unsealing bids - Tulsa World: Local

And that's how they get the best proposal for the oil industry regardless of anything else, including higher bids.

[catch22]

While the oil and energy industry is providing a ton of energy and positive momentum of our state's economy, they don't need to take priority to transportation assets over our people.

It should be much easier to coordinate a freight schedule into a passenger schedule, than trying to get passenger trips in between a nonregular freight trains.

If the passenger train is on a fixed schedule, you still have plenty of opportunities to get a freight train between the passenger train trips. If that means your 25 tanker cars full of oil will arrive 35 minutes late, that won't be the end of the world. But delaying a passenger train by 35 minute, to let a commodity go by, is a disservice.

No matter the buyer, if this were me, I'd sell it with strict restrictions on allowing passenger trains to take priority over freight in all instances. If you can't handle that restriction, then you don't need to place a bid.

We can support both the energy industry and our own citizens, but only if we choose to and make the contract of sale very specific on how to integrate the two modes on the line. But that doesn't seem to be a high priority for ODOT.

[Just the facts]

what is so ironic about that is the same people who were mad at Pelosi for saying pass Obamacare to see what's in it, are the same people saying seal the deal before we let people know about it

That is why we have this thread...

http://www.okctalk.com/politics/3686...ctly-same.html

[Spartan]

While the oil and energy industry is providing a ton of energy and positive momentum of our state's economy, they don't need to take priority to transportation assets over our people.

It should be much easier to coordinate a freight schedule into a passenger schedule, than trying to get passenger trips in between a nonregular freight trains.

If the passenger train is on a fixed schedule, you still have plenty of opportunities to get a freight train between the passenger train trips. If that means your 25 tanker cars full of oil will arrive 35 minutes late, that won't be the end of the world. But delaying a passenger train by 35 minute, to let a commodity go by, is a disservice.

No matter the buyer, if this were me, I'd sell it with strict restrictions on allowing passenger trains to take priority over freight in all instances. If you can't handle that restriction, then you don't need to place a bid.

We can support both the energy industry and our own citizens, but only if we choose to and make the contract of sale very specific on how to integrate the two modes on the line. But that doesn't seem to be a high priority for ODOT.

It goes God > Oil > Humanoids

Luckily God doesn't ask for much.

[ou48A]

what is so ironic about that is the same people who were mad at Pelosi for saying pass Obamacare to see what's in it, are the same people saying seal the deal before we let people know about it

Its the same thing even in our state and on this board too.
Its those same people who bend or break rules / laws when it fits their agenda but are just as quick to cry foul when their agenda is in anyway threatened..... Its part of the same crowd who thinks Gean Stipe who plead guilty to federal charges of perjury is a good guy and the few on that side who don't think he was such a great guy hardly ever speek aginst the crowd who still thinks Gean Stipe was a good guy.

[CaptDave]

Oklahoma City Council joins their Tulsa, Bristow, and Sapulpa counterparts in unanimously opposing the sale of the OKC-Tulsa line.

Will the Governor force her cabinet staff to listen to the state's two largest cities and several small towns?

Or are the debts owed to BNSF too great and it will be business as usual at ODOT?

[Just the facts]

Oklahoma City Council joins their Tulsa, Bristow, and Sapulpa counterparts in unanimously opposing the sale of the OKC-Tulsa line.

Will the Governor force her cabinet staff to listen to the state's two largest cities and several small towns?

Or are the debts owed to BNSF too great and it will be business as usual at ODOT?

You are about to witness first hand the power of the 1%.

[CaptDave]

You are about to witness first hand the power of the 1%.

Wouldn't be the first time.... but need to stay in the fight until all options exhausted.

[CaptDave]

Even Iraq will have a more advanced passenger rail system than the US.....good to know the trillions in US "investment" is building advanced infrastructure somewhere.

Iraqi inter-city train rolled out - Railway Gazette

[Just the facts]

I am not sure about the whole US, but certainly better than a majority of American cities.

[CaptDave]

I am not sure about the whole US, but certainly better than a majority of American cities.

True - I wonder how many NEC repairs and upgrades a small percentage of what we spent in Iraq would have bought? Maybe even paid for a MidWest Corridor HSR system with Chicago as the hub, CA HSR.

But water - and bags of cash - under the bridge. What do we do now going forward? That is the most important question. Initiatives like the Eastern Flyer are probably the best place to start.