OKC Regional Transit System

[Hutch]

These are exciting times for supporters of a regional transit system for the Oklahoma City metro area.

The leaders of OKC, Edmond, Norman, Moore, Midwest City and Del City have executed a Memorandum of Understanding and are in the process of creating a Regional Transit Authority for the purpose of developing a regional transit system.

Santa Fe Station has been acquired and is undergoing a $30 million Phase 1 redevelopment to serve as the Intermodal Transit Hub for the regional transit system.

Construction is underway on the $131 million, 4.6 mile Modern Streetcar system, which will connect to Santa Fe Station and provide "last mile" rail transit distribution service throughout the downtown area for riders of the regional transit system.

Clearly, It's no longer a question of "if" we're going to have a regional transit system...we're already well on our way...it's now just a question of how soon before it's a reality.

So, it seems appropriate at this time to create a new thread specifically dedicated to this very important issue in order to allow for valuable discussion and to keep everyone informed and up-to-date on our progress.

[Hutch]

I'll kick this off by re-posting some general information to provide a brief review of where we've been, where we are and where we're headed:

Since 2005, OKC and other metro area cities have been working with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) toward the goal of developing a regional transit system.

Regional Transit System

In 2014, ACOG completed the Commuter Corridors Study, which recommended Commuter Rail between OKC, Norman and Edmond as part of the future regional transit system.

Commuter Corridors Study Executive Summary

In 2015, the mayors and city councils of OKC, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City approved a memorandum of understanding to create a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Task Force.

Mayor's Vow Cooperation for Regional Transit

That task force, which is made up of mayors and council members from the participating cities, has been meeting regularly at ACOG and working toward the goal of creating an RTA.

RTA Task Force

The next steps are the most critical and include creation and approval of a new RTA by the participating cities, followed at some point by a referendum vote on a permanent dedicated transit system funding source. The goal is to create the RTA within the next two years, followed by a vote on a dedicated funding source within the next three to five years.

Once a funding source is in place and the new RTA in operation, development of the various components of the regional transit system will begin. Rapid development of an expanded metro-wide bus system would occur in the first few years, with initial commuter rail service commencing several years after that due to the additional infrastructure development needed for that service.

While we're still a number of years away from having a comprehensive regional transit system, the good news is we're well on our way to getting there.

You can keep up with all of the news as we continue toward our goal here and at the OnTrac website:

OnTrac

[Hutch]

I'm going to copy and reply here to a comment by catch22 from the Commuter Rail thread, as it's very relevant to the the future regional transit system:

I think details like that are way too refined for the current phase. Given that the completed system will span different counties as well as different municipalities I would venture a guess that transit police will need to be independent of current police. I would also bet that the newly formed transit agency will either absorb Embark (or Embark morph into the larger agency).

As part of the current efforts of the RTA Task Force to create a regional transit authority, they will be evaluating the pros and cons as to whether or not to create a completely new RTA that would replace/absorb Embark or to restructure COTPA/Embark to become the new RTA. There are a number of legal, organizational, operational and financial questions that will have to be thoroughly reviewed before a decision can be made on that issue.

[catch22]

Thank you Hutch for keeping us in the loop with factual, non-biased information. Also, thank you for your dedication to this over the years.

[Hutch]

The Modern Streetcar, Santa Fe Station and Commuter Rail are exciting transit projects to envision and discuss. However, creating a regional transit authority and district, and figuring out how best to govern and finance a regional transit system just doesn't have the same allure. But resolving those issues is critical to achieving our transit goals nonetheless. So, for those who are interested in keeping up with the non-sexy side of regional transit system development, here are links to two RTA Task Force presentations on where we're likely headed in terms of RTA governance and boundaries.

RTA Governance

RTA Boundaries

If you make it through those and need some rail transit excitement to wake you back up, here you go:

Fastest Train in the World

[Hutch]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

[Ross MacLochness]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

Wow. That would be pretty incredible.

[Hutch]

Here's the potential commuter rail system that could be developed as part of a regional transit system.



We're fortunate to have existing rail right-of-way and infrastructure in most of the right places to be able to develop an effective commuter rail system.

Just so you know I'm not blowing smoke, or should I say smoking something, the rail transit system that I've described and shown in the posted image has been previously studied and determined to be feasible by Jacobs and other rail transit engineering consultants, including detailed work done as part of the Intermodal Transportation Hub Master Plan to confirm that Santa Fe Station could be developed and expanded over time to serve all of the illustrated rail transit lines.

It's been a number of years since the Hub Master Plan was completed and many of you may not know or recall some of the details of the study, so here's a few images showing the details of how all of these rail transit lines will integrate at Santa Fe Station in the future:

[5alive]

Love it! Let's get it done while I am still living

[HangryHippo]

That system would be the tits!

[Hutch]

Just to be clear, all of the commuter rail corridors marked with stations are existing railroad right-of-way and most have existing track. However, we will likely be required by the railroads to install a second dedicated mainline for rail transit operations on the primary north-south (BNSF) and east-west (Union Pacific) corridors. The line to the airport is even in place, except for the short section that would be needed to get a station at the terminal doorstep. Also, the orange line without stations represents a likely Express Bus/BRT or Rapid Streetcar/Light Rail line up Classen Boulevard and out Northwest Expressway. And if you look real close, the current Modern Streetcar route is shown downtown in dark blue, with possible extensions to Health Sciences and Capitol Hill shown in pink. I have all of that information saved in Google Earth, so if anyone wants to see the system from a different vantage point (direction, height, angle), just let me know and I will post it.

[Zuplar]

I've done some light reading over the past few months about commuter rail and whatnot, and the biggest reason I've seen for it not taking off is the fact it doesn't have it's own dedicated rail, and there is zero incentive for those that own the rail to prioritize anyone's traffic over their own. Something interesting I hadn't thought of, but to me it makes a lot of sense. I think this would have to have it's own dedicated rail to be successful.

[Hutch]

I've done some light reading over the past few months about commuter rail and whatnot, and the biggest reason I've seen for it not taking off is the fact it doesn't have it's own dedicated rail, and there is zero incentive for those that own the rail to prioritize anyone's traffic over their own. Something interesting I hadn't thought of, but to me it makes a lot of sense. I think this would have to have it's own dedicated rail to be successful.

You're absolutely right. Installing a second mainline will not only be a requirement of the Class I railroads, it will be necessary to provide effective and dependable rail transit service. Besides creating the RTA and getting a dedicated funding source approved by the voters, the other big hurdle is negotiating a workable agreement with BNSF, UP and the other railroad operators. It can be a win-win situation, where if we agree to pay for and install a second mainline, they will prioritize our rail transit operations during our systems operating hours and in return they will have a second mainline to utilize for their operations during our rail transit systems non-operational hours. Installing the additional mainline, including overpass widening and other infrastructure requirements, is the most costly part of developing the commuter rail system. However, it's still only 20-25% of the cost of developing a light rail system.

[Mott]

You're absolutely right. Installing a second mainline will not only be a requirement of the Class I railroads, it will be necessary to provide effective and dependable rail transit service. Besides creating the RTA and getting a dedicated funding source approved by the voters, the other big hurdle is negotiating a workable agreement with BNSF, UP and the other railroad operators. It can be a win-win situation, where if we agree to pay for and install a second mainline, they will prioritize our rail transit operations during our systems operating hours and in return they will have a second mainline to utilize for their operations during our rail transit systems non-operational hours. Installing the additional mainline, including overpass widening and other infrastructure requirements, is the most costly part of developing the commuter rail system. However, it's still only 20-25% of the cost of developing a light rail system.

Okay, having worked for the BNSF/ATSF it's going to take an immense effort to get commuter trains on the mainline. One example is the new bridge going under 50th, will be single track leading to single track bridge over I-244. So no double track to Edmond. Going south from Burnet you have a single track bridge over South 59th, that the ATSF sorely need two tracks on, but since the govt was replacing the old single track bridge over 59th, and they (ATSF) wouldn't pay for it, it's another single track. Another single track bridge over Western, so there's some major expenses.

[riflesforwatie]

I'm not an expert in the finances of all this but it seems to me that a metro-wide commuter rail system in a place like Oklahoma City requires more than funding an RTA with a permanent fractional penny sales tax. It requires a fundamental paradigm shift in how we all view the typical modern American lifestyle. This paradigm shift probably costs almost as much as will take almost as long as the shift away from rail and to Interstates from 1945-1960 took. I'm optimistic it can happen as ride-sharing and automated automobiles upset the apple cart, but we have to be ready to seize the opportunity.

[Hutch]

I'm not an expert in the finances of all this but it seems to me that a metro-wide commuter rail system in a place like Oklahoma City requires more than funding an RTA with a permanent fractional penny sales tax. It requires a fundamental paradigm shift in how we all view the typical modern American lifestyle. This paradigm shift probably costs almost as much as will take almost as long as the shift away from rail and to Interstates from 1945-1960 took. I'm optimistic it can happen as ride-sharing and automated automobiles upset the apple cart, but we have to be ready to seize the opportunity.

You're spot on too. It will require a paradigm shift in the way metro area residents think about public transportation in order for them to be willing to approve and use a regional transit system.

There's good news here too, though. Slowly, but surely, over the last many years, metro area residents are becoming more and more aware of the benefits and need for a regional transit system, and the fact that every other city has one, while they're stuck in traffic every day on I-35, I-40, I-235, I-244 and Northwest Highway. It doesn't take many years of suffering through that to start being willing to support development of a regional transit system.

And those residents are also hearing more about local efforts to create such a transit system, whether through public meetings during transit planning processes or the increasing news reporting about transit system development projects, like the Modern Streetcar and Santa Fe Station. That support will only get magnified in the next two years when both of those projects are completed and residents get to ride a modern light rail vehicle for the first time and step into a our new intermodal hub.

What's even more encouraging though is the metro areas booming population of millennials who prefer to live and work in a dense urban environment and who strongly support developing a regional transit system for the OKC metro area.

So, I'm optimistic like you, and totally agree we need to be ready to go when the time is right.

[Hutch]

Okay, having worked for the BNSF/ATSF it's going to take an immense effort to get commuter trains on the mainline. One example is the new bridge going under 50th, will be single track leading to single track bridge over I-244. So no double track to Edmond. Going south from Burnet you have a single track bridge over South 59th, that the ATSF sorely need two tracks on, but since the govt was replacing the old single track bridge over 59th, and they (ATSF) wouldn't pay for it, it's another single track. Another single track bridge over Western, so there's some major expenses.

You're spot on. The good news is that everyone working on these efforts is aware of the infrastructure upgrades that will be required to make commuter rail a reality. And those requirements are being figured into the cost and time required to get the system operational. The bad news is that we could be saving tens of millions of dollars right now on future system development if the Oklahoma Department of Transportation was just a little more willing to support our efforts whenever possible.

For instance, several years ago and long before final plans and bid letting were completed, ODOT was asked to upgrade the BNSF 50th street railroad bridge from single track to double track so that there would already be two main lines there for our future needs. It would have been an easy thing to do and only add a minimal incremental cost to the project, as they already have to build a temporary "shoe-fly" bridge next to the current bridge in order to allow freight service to continue while they remove the old bridge and build a new one. All they would have had to do is engineer the shoe-fly as a permanent bridge to function in tandem with the other new bridge. Instead, they will simply tear down the shoe-fly when they are done, wasting considerable funds that could have gone to a permanent structure. At the time, they said it just wasn't in their budget, and that since we were only in the planning stages for commuter rail, there was no reason to spend the extra money at this time.

There is some other good news in that regard though. After considerable effort and pressure by OKC and the FHA, ODOT agreed to provide extra mainline track capacity for the new BNSF railroad bridge over the Boulevard. In this case, ODOT agreed to design the shoe-fly to be part of the final permanent structure. There will now be enough additional width in the overall bridge design to allow for a total of four tracks (two additional tracks). That decision was extremely valuable, as that section of the BNSF line will have to integrate directly into the Santa Fe Station terminal to the north and the additional track capacity will be necessary to ensure effective rail transit service in and out of that facility in the future.

Also, several years ago when the City of Norman undertook a major road project to re-construct Robinson Street as an underpass below the BNSF line, Norman officials worked diligently with BNSF and ODOT to convince them to build the bridge substructure wide enough to not only accommodate the current two tracks (mainline and siding), but to allow for a second mainline in the future by simply dropping in place the additional track and supporting beams....like this...





At the very least, this is what should be done on any railroad bridge that gets replaced in the near future and supports a line that is part of the planned commuter rail system. If anyone tells you that it can't be done, you now know otherwise.

It would be great if a more vigorous and unified effort could be made going forward between metro area cities, ODOT and BNSF/UP to find a way to upgrade any bridge structure along the proposed commuter rail corridors that gets replaced to spend the additional incremental costs necessary so that the structure provides for two main lines or can easily be retro-fit for additional track capacity.

[David]

Sounds good, let's make it happen.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Can't wait for my grandchildren to enjoy this. Just being sarcastic.

What would you say the chances of these even happening?

[Hutch]

Can't wait for my grandchildren to enjoy this. Just being sarcastic.

What would you say the chances of these even happening?

I got involved in all of this in 2008. I was 47 then. I'll be 56 this summer. I'm hoping the OKC-Norman commuter rail line is up and running by the time I'm 65. And I'm an optimist. Seriously. That's just the reality of planning and developing a comprehensive regional transit system. But it is doable.

As I said previously, it's really no longer a question of "if", but "when". The initial phase of the system will likely need to be in operation within a decade or things will start to get ugly from a traffic congestion, quality of life and economic impact perspective.

The good news is that most of the necessary planning has been done. At this point, the single most important factor in determining when the first trains will run is the date upon which local voters approve a dedicated funding source to develop and operate the system. If our funding requirements are similar to other cities like ours, we'll probably need approval of a permanent 1/2-cent to 3/4-cent sales tax by local voters within the associated regional transit district. My guess is that we're likely 3-5 years away from seeking that funding. Assuming it passes, the RTA can issue bonds and immediately commence transit system development and operation. A new and expanded modern bus system would rapidly be developed in the first few years. Due to the additional planning, engineering and infrastructure that would be necessary for the commuter rail system, it would likely take an additional 5-7 years from approval of funding before the first commuter rail line was in operation.

All bets are off if we can't maintain the political will and leadership to get us to the point of seeking a funding source, or if we can't convince the public to vote to approve the necessary funding for developing and operating a comprehensive transit system. If either or those happen, we'll likely remain stuck for another 20 years in the 20th Century of transportation as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country without a regional transit system.

[shawnw]

2030 is my wager

[AP]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

[KayneMo]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

Mine too!

[LocoAko]

Mine too!

Me three!

[catch22]

Nice. Just in time for my 40th birthday.

37 here.