Oklahoma Passenger Rail Updates(non-HSR)

[baralheia]

Tulsa Union Station no longer has a platform or passenger access to where the platform used to be. There used to be a passenger concourse that crossed over the tracks to platforms in the middle, with stairs leading down to the platforms. If I remember correctly, all of this was removed in the 80's when the station was rehabilitated. Swake's post has a picture of what it used to look like.

[Swake]

Tulsa Union Station no longer has a platform or passenger access to where the platform used to be. There used to be a passenger concourse that crossed over the tracks to platforms in the middle, with stairs leading down to the platforms. If I remember correctly, all of this was removed in the 80's when the station was rehabilitated. Swake's post has a picture of what it used to look like.

That doesn't look completely true, here's the back of the building today. There looks to still be stair access down to what would have been the first set of the tracks, the platform is gone replace with HVAC equipment for the building. The building would need a new platform, and maybe a new rail siding. Handicap access might be an issue, I can't recall if there's an elevator in there. I assume there is.

[PhiAlpha]

Looks similar in size and layout to Baltimore Penn Station.

I'm glad Iowa Pacific, WATCO, and the cities of TUlsa and OKC are collaborating on making the service a real transportation option and not just an excursion ride. I think the MWC to Sapulpa with shuttle buses scheme likely would have doomed this to a six month experiment predestined for failure. The last thing anyone needs to give ODOT or the legislature is an opportunity to say "I told you so" when it comes to passenger rail.

I was thinking the same thing. The shuttle idea was kind of hokey and seemed destined to fail. While there is a ton of interest for this, there are also a ton of skeptics and we really need to get it right (or at least pretty close) the first time to ensure success. At minimum it needs to go downtown to downtown and take under 2.5 hours to have a chance.

[rte66man]

That doesn't look completely true, here's the back of the building today. There looks to still be stair access down to what would have been the first set of the tracks, the platform is gone replace with HVAC equipment for the building. The building would need a new platform, and maybe a new rail siding. Handicap access might be an issue, I can't recall if there's an elevator in there. I assume there is.

I like the dead-end part of Boston Ave on the far right of the photo. I remember as a small child going to Terry's Used Books on the overpass.

[ljbab728]

http://www.okc.gov/councilnotes/2015...ail%20memo.pdf

Public Project Reimbursement Agreement with the Uni
on Pacific Railroad Company to provide initial
feasibility study services to identify necessary in
frastructure requirements to enable proposed
passenger train operation on the Union Pacific Rail
road Company–owned corridor between NE 10th
and North Sooner Road and the Santa Fe Station on E
.K. Gaylord Boulevard, not to exceed $50,000.
Ward 7.

[baralheia]

Excellent news, even if it is just one small step in the process. Glad to know the City is engaging Union Pacific to attempt to use that interchange track in Bricktown for the Eastern Flyer.

[Plutonic Panda]

Council favors Regional Transit Authority - Local News - The Edmond Sun

[Plutonic Panda]

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-passenge...rticle/5503562

It would be nice to see them stop funding this and save up and dedicate money to HSR between Dallas and Tulsa with OKC in the center. I don't think it is very wise to be investing over 3 million a year in outdated technology.

[PhiAlpha]

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-passenge...rticle/5503562

It would be nice to see them stop funding this and save up and dedicate money to HSR between Dallas and Tulsa with OKC in the center. I don't think it is very wise to be investing over 3 million a year in outdated technology.

A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. High speed rail is a pipe dream for Oklahoma right now. No reason to drop a solid rail service to save up for something that may not be feasible for the next decade or two. I use the heartland flyer a few times a year and know a bunch of people that do as well. This "outdated technology" is what 99% of the American rail system runs on. Without a miracle, OKC will not have high speed rail before the east and west coasts regardless of whatever Texas is doing.

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

[AP]

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

I've always thought this was the biggest issue with the service. Not enough frequency for people to use as much as they'd like.

[Bullbear]

last time I took the train I thought the same thing. .it would be great if I could stop at winstar, Gamble, see a concert and spend the night then come back tomorrow.

[baralheia]

The BNSF rail corridor is about a mile and a half west of the casino, but if a platform was built around Rogers Rd/Gladney Lake Rd, WinStar could have shuttle busses ferrying people back and forth. If that was combined with expanded service - which both ODOT and TXDOT have said they would like to see - then that could become a very valuable stop for the Heartland Flyer.

I just hope that OKDOT/TXDOT is successful in keeping the train. They want to unbundle service and farm out parts of the operation to other carriers, in much the same way that the Indiana DOT unbundled the Hoosier State (Chicago - Indianapolis) train. This could result in enough savings to keep the train, I hope. Were Iowa Pacific to assume operations of the Heartland Flyer, I think that would also help to ensure the Eastern Flyer begins service too.

[catch22]

A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. High speed rail is a pipe dream for Oklahoma right now. No reason to drop a solid rail service to save up for something that may not be feasible for the next decade or two. I use the heartland flyer a few times a year and know a bunch of people that do as well. This "outdated technology" is what 99% of the American rail system runs on. Without a miracle, OKC will not have high speed rail before the east and west coasts regardless of whatever Texas is doing.

If Amtrak wants to make the Heartland Flyer more profitable, it should add more departure times in OKC and FTW to make it more practical as a means of transportation. I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

Exactly, right now is the time to fight to maintain what we have. When our state's finances improve, it would be appropriate to double down on our investment by adding more service. The state won't save money for HSR. If this is cut, that money will go somewhere else, never to be seen again. It won't be directed into a savings fund for HSR.

[Richard at Remax]

Ditto on the Flyer partnering with Winstar excursions. Or even doing something alongside the adventure Road campaign. No reason not to.

[Plutonic Panda]

http://www.news9.com/story/32241024/...rt-worth-route

[Dustin]

I think they could also add a lot of service by working out a deal with Winstar in which Winstar would build a platform along the line behind the casino and Amtrak would offer stops there. You would have to think that evening or late afternoon trains leaving OKC or Fort Worth could get a solid uptick in ridership if you added people going to concerts at Winstar or just the casino in general.

I would abuse the hell out of that! Winstar has some amazing concerts.

[Plutonic Panda]

http://www.news9.com/story/32440060/...-flyer-service

[AP]

It might be Nice for Iowa Pacific to get it so that they would be operating the Heartland and Eastern Flyers.

[Swake]

It might be Nice for Iowa Pacific to get it so that they would be operating the Heartland and Eastern Flyers.

What's the "Eastern Flyer"?

[Jersey Boss]

What's the "Eastern Flyer"?

A cruel joke.

http://easternflyer.com/timeline.html

[Plutonic Panda]

Wish ODOT could make this happen between OKC and Dallas

[baralheia]

WATCO and Iowa Pacific are down to 2¼ years left to begin Eastern Flyer passenger operations before they breach their contractual obligations under the sale agreement for the Sooner Sub. If the Friends of the Eastern Flyer and Passenger Rail Oklahoma Facebook groups are correct, the delays basically boil down to two main bottlenecks: First, the City of Tulsa has not begun the process of communication with ODOT, BNSF, and Stillwater Central to enable passenger trains to get from Sapulpa into downtown Tulsa; ODOT has a 99-year Passenger Service Rights agreement with BNSF, guaranteeing access for up to 4 passenger trains a day to get from Sapulpa to Union Station in Tulsa. The scuttlebutt is that Mayor Bartlett is stonewalling this effort for unknown reasons. Second, thus far I can find no public documents that show that Union Pacific has completed it's $50,000 initial feasibility study (funded by the City of OKC) for rehabilitating roughly 4½ miles of track in Oklahoma City to allow passenger service to Santa Fe Station. The trackage being studied extends east from the BNSF Viaduct connection in Bricktown, near NE 2nd and EK Gaylord, to the connection with the Stillwater Central trackage, near NE 10th and Vickie Dr. Funding for the study was approved by the City Council just over one year ago, but to the best of my knowledge the study is now several months overdue; it must be finished before any repairs and improvements can begin on this vital connection into downtown OKC.

In March of this year, WATCO reported to ODOT that they had fulfilled their end of one of their other contractual obligations - namely, improving the condition of the Sooner Sub track to FRA Class III specs, allowing freight trains to travel at up to 40mph, and passenger trains up to 60mph. This will greatly aid the operation of the Eastern Flyer once passenger service begins, making the travel time difference between train and car smaller.

In other passenger rail news, PhiAlpha and worthy cook, your dreams are being realized: According to the Norman Transcript, the Chickasaw Nation entered into an agreement with ODOT to create a stop in Thackerville for the Heartland Flyer, making a connection to the WinStar World Casino possible. I haven't yet been able to come up with any timetable on this, but the agreement appears to have been made sometime around June of this year.

[HOT ROD]

Oh that could be a huge boon for the heartland flyer. I hope there's advertising in OKC and DFW metros for this; should have a pos impact on filling up the trains.

[baralheia]

I'm not sure if this has been posted anywhere, but this is some good news for the existing Amtrak train in Oklahoma: Amtrak is running a Buy One-Get One Free sale on coach accommodations to any destination along the route of the Heartland Flyer and Texas Eagle, through May 15. It's a good opportunity to go check out what Amtrak offers to Oklahoma if you've never taken the Heartland Flyer before. Details here: https://www.amtrak.com/buy-one-get-o...on-texas-eagle

[KayneMo]

Amtrak Train making a stop in Guthrie; possible expansion coming
By Guthrie News Page on June 5, 2017

Guthrie officials have been invited to hop along the Amtrak Train, which will be making a stop in Guthrie this week.

Amtrak is exploring expanding their passenger train service from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas, where other rail connections are possible.

Mayor Steve Gentling, Vice Mayor Ed Wood and City Manager Leroy Alsup have been invited to ride the Amtrak Inspection Train from Oklahoma City to Kansas City.

The train is expected to arrive in Guthrie on Friday, June 9 at 8:30 a.m.

The purpose of the trip is to see the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and explore the opportunity to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer.

The train will operate on the schedule shown below.

Each of the stops between Guthrie and Wichita will take place at the former Santa Fe stations in each of those respective cities. All remaining stops will be at the local Amtrak stations.

7:45am CDT DP Oklahoma City Santa Fe Station (downtown)
8:30am DP Guthrie
9:15am DP Perry
10:00am DP Ponca City
10:45am DP Ark City
12:05pm DP Wichita
1:00pm DP Newton
2:20pm DP Emporia
3:45pm DP Topeka
5:30pm AR Kansas City Union Station

http://guthrienewspage.com/2017/06/a...ansion-coming/