OPINION: Is Tulsa-OKC passenger train possible

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.儲存Aug. 18--Discussing passenger train service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City is like thinking of your grandma's homemade cookies. It gives you a warm feeling.Passenger train service between Oklahoma's two largest cities, however, is a different bowl of dough.The idea is not new and there are dedicated folks who are sincere in their efforts to get it done. I really would like to see it happen.Among the benefits, other than simply connecting the two large cities, would be that rail travel is environmentally friendly and it would mean some long-term, good-paying jobs. Also, the state has existing lines.As pointed out in a recent guest column by Rick Westcott, former city councilor and current chairman of the Tulsa Rail Advisory Committee ("Area deserves the train service it pays for," Aug 13), Oklahoma taxpayers already own the rail line between Sapulpa and Oklahoma City and Burlington Northern owns the line between Sapulpa and downtown Tulsa. Therefore, a cost-effective deal might be worked out.I've taken passenger train trips and have had good and bad experiences. Still, I have reservations and some questions.1. Cost, of course, is always the first hurdle. According to Westcott, private carriers believe that the existing state-owned non-passenger rails could be upgraded for about $50 million and could be up and running within six months of an agreement. A public-private partnership, the Tulsa Rail Advisory Committee believes, would be the best route.If all that worked out, the cost to the taxpayers would be less than an Amtrak operation that would rely on operational subsidies and offer minimal runs.2. For a passenger route to be viable it probably would need to make several trips a day. Amtrak's Heartland Flyer, for instance, makes only one trip a day between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. It leaves at 8:25 a.m. and returns at 9:39 (I will give Amtrak the benefit of the doubt as far as always being on time). The proposed Tulsa-to-Oklahoma City run would make several trips a day.3. If it goes to Oklahoma City only, it has a built-in limitation. It would make stops in Bristow, Stroud and Chandler but the customers for those towns are limited. I, for one, have family in Seminole (about 40 miles from Stroud) and friends in Shawnee (about 40 miles from Chandler). I'd love to take the train. But once I get to Stroud or Chandler, I'm stuck, unless a rent-a-car business opens up in those towns. Then, I'm increasing the cost of my trip. There could be shuttles, but that would be cost-prohibitive unless subsidized.4. Who really wants or needs to go to Oklahoma City on a frequent basis? Politicians, lobbyists, some business people, the occasional protester and some Thunder basketball fans. Maybe that's enough to make a profit. Maybe.5. Ticket price and speed is going to be important. Right now, gasoline hovers around $3.15 a gallon. The higher the price, the better a train trip will look. But let's not put all of our train dreams新蒲崗迷你倉into that volatile market. Also, it's 100 miles from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. The speed limit on the Turner Turnpike is, officially, 75. The average speed of a passenger train is around 60 mph. Will potential passengers give up the time difference for the convenience and nostalgia? More important, are Oklahomans ready to leave their cars at home even for one day? The car or pickup truck of today is as much a part of life as was the horse to the cowboy.6. The biggest exodus from east to west likely happens from September to December. Why? University of Oklahoma football. Oklahoma City is not the destination. Proponents of the Tulsa rail believe that excursion trips would be arranged. If an OU fan train could leave Tulsa, go directly to Norman and return following the game, that might be workable and maybe even profitable. And make the turnpike a lot safer.As a futuristic alternative, an idea has been put forth by Tesla owner and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, although even he says that it's not likely soon.He somewhat idealistically proposed a "Hyperloop" from Los Angeles to San Francisco. It's a $6 billion high-speed transportation system that theoretically could get people from one city to another (about 350 miles) in about 30 minutes.It would put about 28 people into a capsule (with a couple of bags each) in a near-vacuum tube and shoot them at about 760 mph to their destination.Musk claims it's cheaper than a high-speed rail between the two cities (estimated to cost $68 billion).The "Hyperloop" is not likely to happen anytime soon. I, however, would gladly pay some of my taxes just to be able to stand along a route from Tulsa to Norman on a Saturday morning and watch all that red go flashing by. It would be like the tube used to take my blood to the American Red Cross.When the Legislature approved Oklahoma taxpayer money for the Heartland Flyer in 1999, service from Tulsa to Oklahoma City was promised to soon follow. Here we are 14 years later and the always-promised-but-seldom-fulfilled Tulsa Phase 2 is little more than a memory.The fact is, eastern Oklahoma is the most populated part of the state. Citizens in this part of the state have been helping pay for Oklahoma City's Fort Worth route for 14 years.I would love to see not only a viable passenger train service for this part of the state but one that might go hand-in-hand with a mass transit plan for all of Tulsa County. A private-public venture also sounds like a good plan.It will take a determined effort to get it done. I think the Tulsa Rail Advisory Committee is on the right track and wish those involved the best of luck.For the environment, for the possible convenience and for the nostalgia, I and a lot of other eastern Oklahomans would love to see that train come into the station.Mike Jones, 918-581-8332mike.jones@tulsaworld.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage