Quote Originally Posted by Mott View Post
Just thought that this might be of interest. The Iowa Central , the regional rail company that loaned WATCO (Stillwater Central) the passenger equipment for the demonstration rides between Midwest City and Stroud, that impressed our legislators enough to approve sale of track, has pulled their equipment from trying to run a private (non Amtrak) train between Chicago and Indianapolis. Now if there's not enough market there, how will the proposed multiple trains between OKC and Tulsa work? Smoke and mirrors!
The problem with Iowa Pacific's Hoosier State service was Iowa Pacific. They are a poorly-managed company with excessive debt, old equipment, and a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants business plan. While they put on a good show offering costly service amenities like an on-board chef and first-class dining, they have frequent equipment issues and their trains are often late. Rail transit, whether it's local commuter rail or intercity passenger rail, is a viable and effective transportation option only if trains consistently depart and arrive on time. If you can't do that, no amount of money thrown at providing fancy dining is going to result in successful ridership. In fact, it will cause you to go broke. Most of us who support rail transit are actually glad that Iowa Pacific's proposed Eastern Flyer service was never implemented, as it was another project doomed to failure because Iowa Pacific's operational plan for the service was not viable or economically sustainable.

As for the Sooner Subdivision line between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, the Governor, Legislature and ODOT had every intention of selling the line, with or without a passenger rail commitment. In fact, the city council's of Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman and Sapulpa all passed resolutions urging the State to continue to lease the line and NOT to sell it in order to preserve the ability to develop future intercity rail transit service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The State had offers from both WATCO and BNSF. They didn't sell the line to WATCO because of Iowa Pacific's proposed service. They sold it to WATCO because they offered significantly more money than BNSF. WATCO really has no more interest in allowing passenger rail service on their lines than does BNSF. If anyone got hoodwinked, it was the citizens of the State of Oklahoma.