Streetcar

[Spartan]

Yeah, the limiting factor is that to comply with ADA you cannot have a slope steeper than a 1" drop per foot of run (commonly known as a 1:12 slope) and no more than a 30' slope between landings so that if something gets away from someone it doesn't pick up too much speed.

In this case the vertical drop is maybe 10 feet, so that would mean about 120' of ramp minimum. The ramp would also need to have a certain width (not sure f that is 4' or 5' - I think ADA requires 4 and the City requires 5 in canal area). The good news is that the current retaining wall has quite a run, and it could be sacrificed to allow for long runs

Barring that, I think an elevator beside those stairs would still be great. They can be weather proofed better than the existing ones and cut down on maintenance.

To be honest, I think ADA is a hugely underestimated added cost to building transit systems. I was in Toronto recently, where the streetcars run on double tracks in the center two lanes, and traffic on all four lanes stops so that riders can walk across the road and step up into the streetcar. It was so non-ADA it wasn't funny, but it was very efficient. They must have well-funded demand-responsive specialized transit for mobility-challenged constituents.

[Just the facts]

Nm

[Urban Pioneer]

Two significant steps in moving Regional Transit forward-

https://www.facebook.com/okcstreetcar

[Anonymous.]

Fence is up around Santa Fe Station.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^
Hopefully someone doesn't become confused by that and accidentally demolish it.

[Teo9969]

^^^^^^^^
Hopefully someone doesn't become confused by that and accidentally demolish it.

I'd put my house on the market, leave, and never come back…maybe to visit family...

[Hutch]

Norman City Council Approves Regional Transportation Partnership

[baralheia]

So, I have two questions to satisfy my curiosity:

First, is there any data available on commuters from Shawnee into the OKC Metro for work?
Second, Shawnee is not part of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, and as such was not included in consideration for the OK!Go study. If Shawnee wanted to be a part of the RTA, would they be able to - and what would it take to include them?

I'm spitballing here, with a dream regional system in my head that includes commuter rail to Shawnee along the Union Pacific-owned, Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad-operated line that goes out that way, and wondering just how realistic of an idea that would actually be.

[Teo9969]

So, I have two questions to satisfy my curiosity:

First, is there any data available on commuters from Shawnee into the OKC Metro for work?
Second, Shawnee is not part of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, and as such was not included in consideration for the OK!Go study. If Shawnee wanted to be a part of the RTA, would they be able to - and what would it take to include them?

I'm spitballing here, with a dream regional system in my head that includes commuter rail to Shawnee along the Union Pacific-owned, Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad-operated line that goes out that way, and wondering just how realistic of an idea that would actually be.

I feel like connecting Shawnee is much further down the line. If we could complete the OK!GO objectives by 2030, I'd jump for joy. Shawnee has to be like 20-25 years away, and is really only useful after we get everything else set up.

In terms of connectivity, OKC could run a bus from Shawnee to the station at Tinker and provide a connection that way. I imagine that would be more cost effective, but I don't know for sure.

[baralheia]

No, I would absolutely agree - a commuter line to Shawnee would definitely come later. Probably a Phase III or Phase IV expansion of the currently imagined RTA. My question is mostly a mental exercise, a "Hey, I wonder how this could be done" sort of thing.

Mostly because I think the old ATSF passenger depot in Shawnee is gorgeous and I would love to be able to ride a train out there someday.

[betts]

Norman City Council Approves Regional Transportation Partnership

Excellent news!

[5alive]

I saw a train recently at the Santa Fe Station in Shawnee and as it was pulling out I thought how awesome it would be to have rail service. I think of the many who live in the Shawnee area and work at Tinker. A stop there would make sense. Then it's on to Midwest City for some shopping and dining. From there thet rain would take the rider downtown for a Dodger's game or the Thunder plus a trip to Bricktown. You could hop on the streetcar for many other downtown dining and entertainment options. It's a nice vision.

[Teo9969]

As per to MAPS 3 street car, do we have an idea of what the operational hours will be?

[shawnw]

If they operate at least on the schedule of Route 50 (Downtown Discovery -- runs on Sundays), that would be a good start. But would have to also run later.

[baralheia]

I saw a train recently at the Santa Fe Station in Shawnee and as it was pulling out I thought how awesome it would be to have rail service. I think of the many who live in the Shawnee area and work at Tinker. A stop there would make sense. Then it's on to Midwest City for some shopping and dining. From there thet rain would take the rider downtown for a Dodger's game or the Thunder plus a trip to Bricktown. You could hop on the streetcar for many other downtown dining and entertainment options. It's a nice vision.

It's a very nice vision and I love it, but the Midwest City/Tinker component, unfortunately, wouldn't work for the Shawnee line - the line that would get you out to Shawnee starts at the railyard at NE 4th and Sunnylane, then heads up toward and roughly follows NE 23rd - going through Nicoma Park, Choctaw, and Harrah, before curving to the southeast through McLoud and Dale, then entering Shawnee. This would, unfortunately, not line up with the stub of track that once served Tinker AFB - though the western origin point of both lines is at the same railyard. (As an aside - that Tinker line - originally the Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway - used to also serve Shawnee by way of Newalla, but the line was pulled up in the 70's by the ATSF. The former ROW goes through the deepest part of what is now Wes Watkins reservoir.)

The bit of track in Shawnee that the Santa Fe station sits on is a short 9-mile stub of a line that used to extend from Pauls Valley to Cushing. Most of the tracks north and south of Shawnee were abandoned and removed in the 70's. Today, that line only extends from the Wolverine Tube plant just south of Aydelotte, OK, south to the scrap yard just south of Hardesty Rd, south of Shawnee. Oddly enough, BNSF still retains control of this line, and has trackage rights over the UP/AOK line that comes into Shawnee from the west to get to it. I think they work that line only once or twice a week.

All of that is to say that I am a train nerd. Oh - and also, neither line are really busy, and it would be a perfect fit for commuter service (assuming that there are sufficient customers to make it viable).

[Urban Pioneer]

As per to MAPS 3 street car, do we have an idea of what the operational hours will be?

The intent is to run late although the frequency may shift from 10 minute intervals at peak times to longer frequency at slow times.

[Teo9969]

The intent is to run late although the frequency may shift from 10 minute intervals at peak times to longer frequency at slow times.

Naturally.

But is late like 11PM or 2AM?

[Urban Pioneer]

I think that the public should speak up to the EMBARK board and have influence on that decision....

[OKCisOK4me]

Id have to imagine theyd be running after NBA games...

[Hutch]

Norman City Council Approves Regional Transportation Partnership

Edmond City Council approved the Regional Transit Authority MOU last night. OKC, Norman, Edmond and Moore are in...Midwest City and Del City still pending.

[shawnw]

I thought it was said last night at the ACOG CAC mtg that Del City had approved.

[Teo9969]

Edmond City Council approved the Regional Transit Authority MOU last night. OKC, Norman, Edmond and Moore are in...Midwest City and Del City still pending.

That's excellent news. Midwest City and Del City at this point are tertiary. I obviously hope that they will participate, especially because I think Tinker connectivity can be massively helpful, but this gives us all of the North/South corridor which is the more important corridor in the metro.

Hopefully we can have revenue models in place in the next 5 years. I would be happy to vote for a one-cent to one-and-one-half-cent tax increase for the RTA. I would definitely like to see some BID taxing as well though.

[LakeEffect]

I thought it was said last night at the ACOG CAC mtg that Del City had approved.

It was on their Sept. 8 agenda...

[Hutch]

It was on their Sept. 8 agenda...

I guess that I missed that one...good news...Midwest City will be considering it soon...little chance it won't be approved.

[LakeEffect]

I guess that I missed that one...good news...Midwest City will be considering it soon...little chance it won't be approved.

You don't read the Del City Council Agenda every week?!