Tulsa's exciting rail possibilities

[OurTulsa]

I don't remember and can't make the time right now to shuffle through previous posts but has Oklahoma committed any resources to a rail extension or high speed improvements to the existing connection.  Until we are committed as a state to upgrading the lines the feds will continue to ignore us.  We'll be one of the last legs upgraded and unless we step up on our own it certainly won't happen before Texas gets their piece of the pie.

That said I'm glad to see our country get serious about passenger rail again.  Wish we were a swing state like Ohio and Florida or had our $heet together like Cali. - maybe we would have had some consideration.

[stageidea]

Isn't there still 2.5 billion in funds to be spent by congress this year.  I am guessing we have very little shot at those funds. 

[OurTulsa]

We somehow ended up on the map even though we didn't receive any funding. 

High-Speed Rail for the US, Finally! (cleantechnica.com)

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/01/28/high-speed-rail-for-the-us-finally/

That's the vision and has been for some time - as far as I can remember Tulsa's always been on that map.  What I don't understand is why the vision stops at Tulsa.  Why not connect through to either KC or St. Louis.  Same question with Louisville.  Why stop there.  Why not continue south to Nashville and then connect to Atlanta.  That one seems even more odd than the stop at Tulsa.  So to get from Chicago to the SE you have to go all the way around this hole in the ground called Tennessee?  Did a massive mountain range pop up there when I wasn't looking.

Isn't there still 2.5 billion in funds to be spent by congress this year.  I am guessing we have very little shot at those funds. 

there is more to come.  The feds are talking about even more available in the current Jobs bill but we don't have our crap together and we're not a political swing state.  I'm sure our state reps aren't out there fighting for rail resources either - too busy upholding our values, loving freedom, fighting global warming monsters, taking a stand on gov't spending and blah blah blah.

[SXSW]

^ I agree, it makes the most sense for a Dallas-OKC-Tulsa line to connect with Springfield and St. Louis where it continues to the Midwest hub of Chicago.  That would mean Tulsa would be on the link between the Midwest and Texas which would be great for this city.

[dsjeffries]

I can hear the Tulsa Boosters now, "Tulsa's got its train back, so get on the track! Come to Tulsa and see where it's at!"

[TheArtist]

Well, we struck out. No funding made its way to Oklahoma.

Hate to say it... Ok, actually I don't, but "I told ya so". 

I think it was absolutely absurd and delusional to think we have what it takes to get any funding. 

The next "I told ya so" will be the line that Oklahoma builds up to Newton bypassing Tulsa. We could get some funding from the state to help our own inner city rail projects... IF we played our cards right. But I seriously doubt Tulsa will do that.  Tulsa will holler about getting the rail line to go through Tulsa (and holler about only that line, while not using this situation as a bargaining chip to get inter city rail funding), but the state wont be able to afford the line through Tulsa and will go with the far, far, far, cheaper line up to Newton.

[we vs us]

Hate to say it... Ok, actually I don't, but "I told ya so". 

I think it was absolutely absurd and delusional to think we have what it takes to get any funding. 

The next "I told ya so" will be the line that Oklahoma builds up to Newton bypassing Tulsa. We could get some funding from the state to help our own inner city rail projects... IF we played our cards right. But I seriously doubt Tulsa will do that.  Tulsa will holler about getting the rail line to go through Tulsa (and holler about only that line, while not using this situation as a bargaining chip to get inter city rail funding), but the state wont be able to afford the line through Tulsa and will go with the far, far, far, cheaper line up to Newton.

I have to second this. There was just no compelling reason to believe that we'd be in the first round of federal funding.  We're a third tier city in a minor red state outside of a major commercial corridor.  I hate to say this but we're not a major economic destination and we're not on the way to anywhere in particular.  That they want to include us -- eventually -- as a spur for one of the regional systems is great in and of itself, but it's gonna be one of those things that might get done by 2020 or 2030, maybe, if we mind our P's and Q's and lobby for it like our hearts were in it.  Oh, and somehow pony up some serious state matching funds.

[Conan71]

I have to second this. There was just no compelling reason to believe that we'd be in the first round of federal funding.  We're a third tier city in a minor red state outside of a major commercial corridor.  I hate to say this but we're not a major economic destination and we're not on the way to anywhere in particular. 

Sure we are.  I-44 is a vital drug-trafficking and human smuggling route.  Did you not know this? 

As far as the Map Our Tulsa posted, why would Tulsa not be a logical mid way on a Kansas City to Dallas line.  That almost makes too much sense.  Especially since there's a railroad R.O.W. which parallels 169, I believe all the way up to KC.  Something makes me think there's got to be another line to Omaha or Des Moines.

[SXSW]

Tulsa is along a potential Dallas-St. Louis-Chicago route.  We can be a major stop on the line that connects the Midwest to Texas if we lobby for it.  There are two other routes that could be chosen over us: Dallas-OKC-KC-St. Louis and Dallas-Little Rock-St. Louis.  We need to make sure we are ready for the next round of funding.  Getting the I-244 bridge built (see thread http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=13740.0) with its high speed rail line right-of-way is an important step in the right direction.

[BKDotCom]

TW Article:

High-speed plan derailed
Federal funds won't be coming to Tulsa or the state, but ODOT says the process was still useful.

By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 1/29/2010  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 1/29/2010  4:30 AM

WASHINGTON — Oklahoma was shut out Thursday in its bid for construction funds from the Obama administration to be part of the first nationwide program for high-speed passenger rail service.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation expressed disappointment in not receiving any of the $2 billion it requested to improve and expand existing rail service in the state and restore passenger service to Tulsa.

"However, the department acknowledges the great demand across the nation for the grant money," ODOT's statement read. "The federal application process was certainly time well spent and has allowed ODOT to gain a better understanding of high-speed rail corridors and needs and to prepare for future development."

ODOT again cited an agreement to provide as much as $125,000 to help Kansas fund a study on the corridor running from Kansas City south to Wichita and on to Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

Currently, the Heartland Flyer provides passenger service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

Like ODOT, Oklahoma Rail President Matthew Dowty, who advocates for passenger rail service, looked toward the future.

"Though we would have preferred to see an award in this round for construction in Oklahoma, we still see this as a win for the state," he said.

"Significant engineering and environmental work necessary to win future rounds of awards has been completed."

In its announcement, the Obama administration awarded $8 billion in stimulus funds for projects across the country.

"Through the Recovery Act, we are making the largest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System was created," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "That investment is how we can break ground across the country, putting people to work building high-speed rail lines, because there's no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains when we can build them right here in America."

Examples of projects chosen for the highly competitive grant money include as much as $1.25 billion to develop a new high-speed rail corridor between Tampa and Orlando, Fla., and as much as $2.25 billion for California's plans to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Among other projects selected were those from Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia and New York.

[patric]

^ I agree, it makes the most sense for a Dallas-OKC-Tulsa line to connect with Springfield and St. Louis where it continues to the Midwest hub of Chicago.  That would mean Tulsa would be on the link between the Midwest and Texas which would be great for this city.

+1.  Having to go from Tulsa to Chicago via DFW is absurd, and potential riders would just drive I-44 instead.

Connecting Tulsa to St Louis would have made much more sense.  Much of that route already has rail ROW.

[TheTed]

+1.  Having to go from Tulsa to Chicago via DFW is absurd, and potential riders would just drive I-44 instead.

Connecting Tulsa to St Louis would have made much more sense.  Much of that route already has rail ROW.

It's far from ideal, but Amtrak has a bus that goes from OKC-Tulsa-Kansas City in the middle of the night, connecting with the Southwest Chief in Kansas City, which goes to Chicago.

I've driven to KC to catch the train to Chicago before. It's only 8 hours from KC-Chicago on that line, which is relatively fast for Amtrak. I've also driven to St. Louis to catch a train to Chicago. Beats driving all the way, and you can usually find free parking in smaller cities like KC and St. Louis, where you'd be paying a princely sum to park your car in downtown Chicago.

Rail connections become more important every year. It seems we've lost most of our flights from TIA to St. Louis, and I can imagine the trend of the Tulsa airport getting more expensive and with fewer flights to fewer places will only continue.

[Red Arrow]

I've driven to KC to catch the train to Chicago before. It's only 8 hours from KC-Chicago on that line, which is relatively fast for Amtrak. I've also driven to St. Louis to catch a train to Chicago. Beats driving all the way, and you can usually find free parking in smaller cities like KC and St. Louis, where you'd be paying a princely sum to park your car in downtown Chicago.

Kind of a long distance Park-and-Ride.

[Red Arrow]

We're a third tier city in a minor red state outside of a major commercial corridor. 

How do you ever expect to turn the state purple with an attitude like that?

[we vs us]

How do you ever expect to turn the state purple with an attitude like that?

It's long lost, my friend, long lost. Red it has been and red it shall stay. The sad part is for our loyalty we get relatively little.  

EDIT:  And actually to clarify a bit, I mean "third tier" in comparison to, say Dallas or Chicago as first tier, and Kansas City and St Louis and Oklahoma City as second tier and us, Little Rock, and Wichita, etc as third tier.  And our commercial corridor, while maybe regionally important, doesn't really fall within the sphere of influence of one of those first tier cities.  If we were, say, Milwaukee, or Austin, it might be different.  But we're pretty far from any of those major hubs.