Parking while riding the train

[bushinspector]

I sure this has been discussed before but could not find anything after I did a search for it. I live 90 miles from OKC and was wanting to ride the train down to Ft Worth and have my brother to pick me up from there. Yesterday I tried to stop into the station and find out where to park but it is closed during most of the day. So I am thinking about leaving OKC on the 20th and returning on the 24th. So what would be the best way to do it? Or i could just drive down to Dallas and skip the train.

[foodiefan]

You can park at the lot at the station. There is an attendant at the lot a couple hours before the train leaves and he will charge you according to how long your gone (day trip, week-end, et cet). I think it was $8 for the day.

[kevinpate]

Is there long term parking under the Cox Business Center?

Another option to the train, and way more economical, is to look at megabus.com (although it goes to DT Dallas and then Grand Prairie, not into Fort Worth.)
Dirt cheap though. My son who attends a ministry program in Dallas will come home for turkey and family on Tues. and return to Dallas on Friday.
His RT fare (19 or 20 day advance purchase) .... $8.80 round-trip.

The only down side at all is his work schedule. To have him back in time for work on Black Friday, he had to book the 2 am departure time out of Norman Friday am. He'll have a friend, obviously a very good friend, pick him up at 4:30ish am Friday, or cab it to the housing complex if the friend sleeps in.

But shoot, the prices are amazing, and even at 6'5" he finds the seats reasonably comfortable. Even spur of the moment purchases aren't bad. If I wanted to bus down Monday and come up with him on Tuesday that short notice RT fare is still under 42.00.

I've been thinking of clearing some Tuesdays (one of his typical slow days) so I can bus down in the am have lunch and visit then bus back that eve. Next to no expense, and so long as I have enough reading and drafting to fill most of the drive, it won't even be a lot of down time for me.

[bushinspector]

bbb

[bushinspector]

You can park at the lot at the station. There is an attendant at the lot a couple hours before the train leaves and he will charge you according to how long your gone (day trip, week-end, et cet). I think it was $8 for the day.

Thanks, that is a real simple fix. Did not know they had a parking attendant at train arrival and departure times. Thanks again.

[Tritone]

Not sure where you live in relation to OKC. Consider boarding the train at Norman. The parking is more convenient.

[ou48A]

I too have thought about this problem.
The parking is more convenient in Norman for the train but I am not sure I would want to leave my car parked out in the open for several nights in that area? The same goes for the Megabus in Norman at the LNC.
The city bus system is an unrealistic option from my house.

[RadicalModerate]

For me, the bus would be ideal (except for lugging the luggage the 1/3 mi. to the bus stop).
When one factors in parking fees (for local people, not folk from 90 mi. away) perhaps a cab would be a viable, cost-effective option?

[ou48A]

I am traveling to this weekend’s OU TCU game and since the wife is not going I looked into taking the train and or mega bus. The game starts at 11 am, I was going to take a city bus shuttle to the game and back to the train station. I wanted to take the 5:25 PM train back to Norman that night. But when called on where I could store a small suitcase I found out there was no place to be had. Because of this I am pretty much forced to drive or wait until the next day’s train.

I sometimes think the people who are in charge of our public transportation are not very innovativ or flexible with their thinking.
They only operate one bus once an hour on game days that takes you from the stadium back to the Amtrak station. There is no place to store baggage. It would be nice if they delayed the train’s departure until 6 PM and operated several busses directly to/ from the Fort Worth Intermodal station.

Getting to the Norman mega bus station and to my final destination near Fort Worth was going to take about 8 hours.

It so much easier/ faster and probably even cheaper to drive.

If the advocates of public transportation want more people using it they need to make it far more user friendly !!!!!!