Heartland Flyer

[Plutonic Panda]

Officials from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas met with Amtrak very recently to move the Heartland Flyer extension to Newton forward. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this. I am planning a SW Chief trip from LAUS to Newton in July but I am not thrilled about having to take Greyhound to OKC.

I would not mind at all even booking a hotel room in downtown Newton for one night while waiting for a train connection. I just wish downtown Newton would get a boutique hotel. Maybe once this connection is built it will be more feasible.

https://jcpost.com/posts/cdf29c89-3c...9-d1c5b0125251

[baralheia]

Officials from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas met with Amtrak very recently to move the Heartland Flyer extension to Newton forward. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this. I am planning a SW Chief trip from LAUS to Newton in July but I am not thrilled about having to take Greyhound to OKC.

I would not mind at all even booking a hotel room in downtown Newton for one night while waiting for a train connection. I just wish downtown Newton would get a boutique hotel. Maybe once this connection is built it will be more feasible.

https://jcpost.com/posts/cdf29c89-3c...9-d1c5b0125251

Amtrak does offer a thruway bus connection between Newton and OKC, just FYI... you can ticket your trip all the way to OKC all through Amtrak without needing to rely on a different transportation provider. I've done this for trips to and from Chicago from OKC (the hours are less convenient but travel time is much better when going to Chicago via Newton, by a factor of like 12 hours IIRC)

[Plutonic Panda]

Amtrak does offer a thruway bus connection between Newton and OKC, just FYI... you can ticket your trip all the way to OKC all through Amtrak without needing to rely on a different transportation provider. I've done this for trips to and from Chicago from OKC (the hours are less convenient but travel time is much better when going to Chicago via Newton, by a factor of like 12 hours IIRC)

With current infrastructure we will have no choice but the prospect is better than let’s say a direct train to LAUS. We’ll likely always have to connect at Newton for that unless Amarillo and ABQ have some massive boom which does not look likely.

PS, I’m likely going to get the sleeper cabin. Have you any experience with that? Is it worth the price?

[LakeEffect]

Officials from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas met with Amtrak very recently to move the Heartland Flyer extension to Newton forward. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this. I am planning a SW Chief trip from LAUS to Newton in July but I am not thrilled about having to take Greyhound to OKC.

I would not mind at all even booking a hotel room in downtown Newton for one night while waiting for a train connection. I just wish downtown Newton would get a boutique hotel. Maybe once this connection is built it will be more feasible.

https://jcpost.com/posts/cdf29c89-3c...9-d1c5b0125251

AND, Amtrak is including this extension in its strategic plan for growth (along with 2 more round trips to Fort Worth per day). It has real legs, and I'll be very happy to take it north to connect to Chicago (and Michigan).

https://media.amtrak.com/amtrak-connects-us/

[baralheia]

AND, Amtrak is including this extension in its strategic plan for growth (along with 2 more round trips to Fort Worth per day). It has real legs, and I'll be very happy to take it north to connect to Chicago (and Michigan).

https://media.amtrak.com/amtrak-connects-us/

It's really important, though, to remember that while Amtrak's leadership sees the Heartland Flyer expansion effort as one of their top priorities, and expansion looks more likely than it has in a long time, actually operating the train will still require funding from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas due to the cost-sharing methodology mandated by PRIIA Section 209. This effort is so important to Amtrak that their current proposal is to use infrastructure funding to pay for all of the costs necessary to start the service - both the necessary capital improvements and the increased operational expenses - but after the third year, we'd be back on the hook for operational costs. With the increase in route-miles from the expanded service - both the extension to Newton and the additional frequencies to Fort Worth - I expect Oklahoma's share of the operational burden will be substantially larger than it is today. Without a strong champion on the state or federal level, that increased cost will be a difficult pill for Oklahoma lawmakers to swallow - and I have my doubts that ODOT would be willing or able to simply absorb that additional burden without some sort of additional funding (increased appropriations or federal assistance as was used to start the Heartland Flyer back in '99). Amtrak is estimating that the capital improvements alone would generate an economic impact of $1.9 billion, along with an annual economic impact of $64.8 million, so I do hold out hope that lawmakers will see the value in keeping the expanded service going once the states are back on the hook for operational costs... but knowing Oklahoma, I personally expect that to be a frustrating, uphill fight.

This is still in the early planning phases so costs - and the state's share of the burden - have yet to be determined; Amtrak seems very confident that the economic impact will offset the increased operational burden, but it remains to be seen how committed Oklahoma will be to supporting this extension. To me, it's notable that the only representative from Oklahoma on a recent Amtrak media event was the mayor of Ponca City... and that is a bit worrysome.

That media event, btw, can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/560982534