OKC Regional Transit System

[Hutch]

These are exciting times for supporters of a regional transit system for the Oklahoma City metro area.

The leaders of OKC, Edmond, Norman, Moore, Midwest City and Del City have executed a Memorandum of Understanding and are in the process of creating a Regional Transit Authority for the purpose of developing a regional transit system.

Santa Fe Station has been acquired and is undergoing a $30 million Phase 1 redevelopment to serve as the Intermodal Transit Hub for the regional transit system.

Construction is underway on the $131 million, 4.6 mile Modern Streetcar system, which will connect to Santa Fe Station and provide "last mile" rail transit distribution service throughout the downtown area for riders of the regional transit system.

Clearly, It's no longer a question of "if" we're going to have a regional transit system...we're already well on our way...it's now just a question of how soon before it's a reality.

So, it seems appropriate at this time to create a new thread specifically dedicated to this very important issue in order to allow for valuable discussion and to keep everyone informed and up-to-date on our progress.

[Hutch]

I'll kick this off by re-posting some general information to provide a brief review of where we've been, where we are and where we're headed:

Since 2005, OKC and other metro area cities have been working with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) toward the goal of developing a regional transit system.

Regional Transit System

In 2014, ACOG completed the Commuter Corridors Study, which recommended Commuter Rail between OKC, Norman and Edmond as part of the future regional transit system.

Commuter Corridors Study Executive Summary

In 2015, the mayors and city councils of OKC, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City approved a memorandum of understanding to create a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Task Force.

Mayor's Vow Cooperation for Regional Transit

That task force, which is made up of mayors and council members from the participating cities, has been meeting regularly at ACOG and working toward the goal of creating an RTA.

RTA Task Force

The next steps are the most critical and include creation and approval of a new RTA by the participating cities, followed at some point by a referendum vote on a permanent dedicated transit system funding source. The goal is to create the RTA within the next two years, followed by a vote on a dedicated funding source within the next three to five years.

Once a funding source is in place and the new RTA in operation, development of the various components of the regional transit system will begin. Rapid development of an expanded metro-wide bus system would occur in the first few years, with initial commuter rail service commencing several years after that due to the additional infrastructure development needed for that service.

While we're still a number of years away from having a comprehensive regional transit system, the good news is we're well on our way to getting there.

You can keep up with all of the news as we continue toward our goal here and at the OnTrac website:

OnTrac

[Hutch]

I'm going to copy and reply here to a comment by catch22 from the Commuter Rail thread, as it's very relevant to the the future regional transit system:

I think details like that are way too refined for the current phase. Given that the completed system will span different counties as well as different municipalities I would venture a guess that transit police will need to be independent of current police. I would also bet that the newly formed transit agency will either absorb Embark (or Embark morph into the larger agency).

As part of the current efforts of the RTA Task Force to create a regional transit authority, they will be evaluating the pros and cons as to whether or not to create a completely new RTA that would replace/absorb Embark or to restructure COTPA/Embark to become the new RTA. There are a number of legal, organizational, operational and financial questions that will have to be thoroughly reviewed before a decision can be made on that issue.

[catch22]

Thank you Hutch for keeping us in the loop with factual, non-biased information. Also, thank you for your dedication to this over the years.

[Hutch]

The Modern Streetcar, Santa Fe Station and Commuter Rail are exciting transit projects to envision and discuss. However, creating a regional transit authority and district, and figuring out how best to govern and finance a regional transit system just doesn't have the same allure. But resolving those issues is critical to achieving our transit goals nonetheless. So, for those who are interested in keeping up with the non-sexy side of regional transit system development, here are links to two RTA Task Force presentations on where we're likely headed in terms of RTA governance and boundaries.

RTA Governance

RTA Boundaries

If you make it through those and need some rail transit excitement to wake you back up, here you go:

Fastest Train in the World

[Hutch]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

[Ross MacLochness]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

Wow. That would be pretty incredible.

[5alive]

Love it! Let's get it done while I am still living

[HangryHippo]

That system would be the tits!

[Hutch]

Just to be clear, all of the commuter rail corridors marked with stations are existing railroad right-of-way and most have existing track. However, we will likely be required by the railroads to install a second dedicated mainline for rail transit operations on the primary north-south (BNSF) and east-west (Union Pacific) corridors. The line to the airport is even in place, except for the short section that would be needed to get a station at the terminal doorstep. Also, the orange line without stations represents a likely Express Bus/BRT or Rapid Streetcar/Light Rail line up Classen Boulevard and out Northwest Expressway. And if you look real close, the current Modern Streetcar route is shown downtown in dark blue, with possible extensions to Health Sciences and Capitol Hill shown in pink. I have all of that information saved in Google Earth, so if anyone wants to see the system from a different vantage point (direction, height, angle), just let me know and I will post it.

[Zuplar]

I've done some light reading over the past few months about commuter rail and whatnot, and the biggest reason I've seen for it not taking off is the fact it doesn't have it's own dedicated rail, and there is zero incentive for those that own the rail to prioritize anyone's traffic over their own. Something interesting I hadn't thought of, but to me it makes a lot of sense. I think this would have to have it's own dedicated rail to be successful.

[Hutch]

I've done some light reading over the past few months about commuter rail and whatnot, and the biggest reason I've seen for it not taking off is the fact it doesn't have it's own dedicated rail, and there is zero incentive for those that own the rail to prioritize anyone's traffic over their own. Something interesting I hadn't thought of, but to me it makes a lot of sense. I think this would have to have it's own dedicated rail to be successful.

You're absolutely right. Installing a second mainline will not only be a requirement of the Class I railroads, it will be necessary to provide effective and dependable rail transit service. Besides creating the RTA and getting a dedicated funding source approved by the voters, the other big hurdle is negotiating a workable agreement with BNSF, UP and the other railroad operators. It can be a win-win situation, where if we agree to pay for and install a second mainline, they will prioritize our rail transit operations during our systems operating hours and in return they will have a second mainline to utilize for their operations during our rail transit systems non-operational hours. Installing the additional mainline, including overpass widening and other infrastructure requirements, is the most costly part of developing the commuter rail system. However, it's still only 20-25% of the cost of developing a light rail system.

[Hutch]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

Just so you know I'm not blowing smoke, or should I say smoking something, the rail transit system that I've described and shown in the posted image has been previously studied and determined to be feasible by Jacobs and other rail transit engineering consultants, including detailed work done as part of the Intermodal Transportation Hub Master Plan to confirm that Santa Fe Station could be developed and expanded over time to serve all of the illustrated rail transit lines.

It's been a number of years since the Hub Master Plan was completed and many of you may not know or recall some of the details of the study, so here's a few images showing the details of how all of these rail transit lines will integrate at Santa Fe Station in the future:

[David]

Sounds good, let's make it happen.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Can't wait for my grandchildren to enjoy this. Just being sarcastic.

What would you say the chances of these even happening?

[shawnw]

2030 is my wager

[AP]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

[KayneMo]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

Mine too!

[LocoAko]

Mine too!

Me three!

[catch22]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

37 here.

[Hutch]

Can't wait for my grandchildren to enjoy this. Just being sarcastic.

What would you say the chances of these even happening?

I got involved in all of this in 2008. I was 47 then. I'll be 56 this summer. I'm hoping the OKC-Norman commuter rail line is up and running by the time I'm 65. And I'm an optimist. Seriously. That's just the reality of planning and developing a comprehensive regional transit system. But it is doable.

As I said previously, it's really no longer a question of "if", but "when". The initial phase of the system will likely need to be in operation within a decade or things will start to get ugly from a traffic congestion, quality of life and economic impact perspective.

The good news is that most of the necessary planning has been done. At this point, the single most important factor in determining when the first trains will run is the date upon which local voters approve a dedicated funding source to develop and operate the system. If our funding requirements are similar to other cities like ours, we'll probably need approval of a permanent 1/2-cent to 3/4-cent sales tax by local voters within the associated regional transit district. My guess is that we're likely 3-5 years away from seeking that funding. Assuming it passes, the RTA can issue bonds and immediately commence transit system development and operation. A new and expanded modern bus system would rapidly be developed in the first few years. Due to the additional planning, engineering and infrastructure that would be necessary for the commuter rail system, it would likely take an additional 5-7 years from approval of funding before the first commuter rail line was in operation.

All bets are off if we can't maintain the political will and leadership to get us to the point of seeking a funding source, or if we can't convince the public to vote to approve the necessary funding for developing and operating a comprehensive transit system. If either or those happen, we'll likely remain stuck for another 20 years in the 20th Century of transportation as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country without a regional transit system.

[OUman]

So with such a system in place, could I do something like park somewhere close to the Norman depot if not right in front of it, take the first train out to the Santa Fe depot in Okahoma City and connect to to an Embark bus to 50 Penn Place (there is a stop very close to it)? That would be something. I would do that today if it were an option, maybe not everyday but definitely most days of the week. It would allow me to skip the minimum 40-45-minute drive to work, relax with some coffee or something or read the morning paper. Heck, even if the train were crowded I would still take it. Plus, not having to deal with the some of the idiots in this city we have for drivers would be a great bonus!

Frequency would definitely be key for something like this to work though.

[Hutch]

So with such a system in place, could I do something like park somewhere close to the Norman depot if not right in front of it, take the first train out to the Santa Fe depot in Okahoma City and connect to to an Embark bus to 50 Penn Place (there is a stop very close to it)? That would be something. I would do that today if it were an option, maybe not everyday but definitely most days of the week. It would allow me to skip the minimum 40-45-minute drive to work, relax with some coffee or something or read the morning paper. Heck, even if the train were crowded I would still take it. Plus, not having to deal with the some of the idiots in this city we have for drivers would be a great bonus!

Frequency would definitely be key for something like this to work though.

You got it! The plan is not just to build a regional transit system...the plan is to build an regional intermodal transit system. That means you will be able to connect to any of the various transit modes...commuter rail, modern streetcar, bus, bus rapid transit, light rail...at Santa Fe Station. So yes, you could park at the Norman Station...take a train to Santa Fe Station...and then quickly transfer to the Streetcar system to get to a destination downtown...or switch to an Express Bus or Rapid Streetcar (depending on what mode is chosen for that corridor) to take you up Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway to 50 Penn Place. And the cool thing about commuter rail vehicles versus light rail is that they are roomier...they have work tables for laptops...and even bathrooms on board. Instead of stressing out as you crawl down the interstate trying to avoid all of the bumpers in front of you, you can relax with your favorite coffee and get some work done on your way to the office. How awesome would that be?

[OUman]

^That would be amazing! I look forward to this, if it's done properly it will be worth the wait no doubt. Appreciate your efforts on this, I will be very willing to support such a system.

[Hutch]

^That would be amazing! I look forward to this, if it's done properly it will be worth the wait no doubt. Appreciate your efforts on this, I will be very willing to support such a system.

Thanks OUman...we need all of the support we can get.

Many of the metro area residents who will eventually cast the deciding votes for funding a regional transit system have likely never used a transit system. However, most of them have experienced the frustration and stress of wasted time stuck in traffic. And many of them are already aware that other cities like ours offer effective, alternative transportation options, such as commuter rail and light rail.

One of the best things transit supporters like you can do to help the cause is to visit with friends, family, co-workers and others you know that may not be familiar with OKC's efforts in order to help raise greater awareness, understanding and support for a regional transit system among the general public.

OnTrac has created an intermodal transit presentation that provides easy-to-understand information about what it is...why we need it...and what we're doing about it. Here's the link...feel free to share it with anyone that you know:

OnTrac Intermodal Rail Transit Presentation