Old School Passenger Rail from Tulsa to OKC

[TulsaRufnex]

Clickity-clack; it takes you back: Train makes a trial run to Sapulpa
Posted: Friday, November 8, 2013 8:07 pm | Updated: 11:03 pm, Fri Nov 8, 2013.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/clickity-clack-it-takes-you-back-passenger-train-makes-a/article_bdf3838c-48e3-11e3-a152-001a4bcf6878.html

...for the roughly three-hour trip.

"There's not a Tulsan that wouldn't love to go to Oklahoma City on this track just as it is," he said. "It's a really enjoyable ride."

Ed McKechnie, executive vice president of Watco Cos. and organizer of the trip, said his company, which contracts with Oklahoma to operate on the line, plans to open the tracks up to special passenger trips.

Next year, McKechnie said, plans are in place to offer trips to select Oklahoma City Thunder games and possibly Christmas-themed trips for families during the winter.

Watco Cos. has contracted with Oklahoma to operate freight trains on the railroad since 1999.

A possible sale of the line by the state would put the contract and work Watco has put into the line at risk.

State Rep. David Perryman, D-Chickasha, said he hopes the line stays under the ownership of the state.

"Of course, my opinion is it doesn't need to be sold," Perryman said. "And if it is, we need to hope that it is sold to good stewards. ... If it is sold, Oklahoma loses the ability to manage it."

Perryman and others on the train Friday are pushing for the train to stay in the ownership of the state and for the state to make good on past intentions of adding passenger travel on the railroad.

Evan Stair, organizer of the Passenger Rail Oklahoma group, said passenger rail lines have been promised to Tulsa for 15 years, ever since the state purchased the all-but-abandoned line.

"The state stands to lose tens of millions in federal grants if it sells this railroad," Stair said. "Our belief is this railroad can benefit greatly from passenger rail."

Stair said Friday's ride was smooth but that the track would need some work before it could handle high-speed passenger lines.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is conducting an environmental study to determine how many patrons a passenger rail line from Tulsa to Oklahoma City would draw.

[carltonplace]

Well, it's a start.