The commuter rail line us forumers and city leaders always talk about involves the existing corridor from Edmond south to Norman. In most places it is either one of two tracks with heavy rail freight traffic during the day, which would probably necisitate building another track just for commuter trains.

Here are what I see as the potential stops for such a commuter rail service and the potential for urban development around them:

DOWNTOWN EDMOND
The northern point on the line, the downtown area already has a number of shops and restaurants, is close to UCO, and is near the center of town for commuters doing park-n-ride. Future TOD (yellow box) could include loft apartments and more retail for the downtown area.


NORTH OKC
This location could be anywhere along the line as it goes through sprawly north OKC, I picked the slighly denser residential area at Classen and Wilshire because it a mixed-use TOD could really do well in this area devoid of much retail development. Higher density apartments, mixed retail, and a parking garage would rise from the under-utilized light industrial surroundings here. Is this a good place for a station serving the northern part of OKC?


MIDTOWN
An already dense area of the city could be made denser with a station nearby. This station would connect the urban Paseo district/neighborhood along 23rd Street to the Capital District, which could denser with more mixed-use development and residential.


DOWNTOWN OKC
This is the main station and would require an enlarged Santa Fe Depot to act as an intermodal facility for commuter trains, buses/trolleys, and taxis in downtown. The perfect place for a TOD as Bricktown is adjacent to the station, where retail/restaurant/residential activity will only increase, and the convention center and Ford Center are within walking distance, as are the OKC Museum of Art, downtown library, and the central business district.


CAPITOL HILL
This station, in an area where a lot of residents already use the bus system, could help continue to revitalize the historic Capitol Hill area and make Riverside (to the north across the river) more attractive to development. A station on Commerce Street (SW 25th) could aid in urbanizing this street, which is already urban as you go just west of Shields.


CROSSROADS
As I mentioned in another thread, a TOD is the only way to really save Crossroads Mall. In several cities they have turned antiquated indoor malls into revitalized TOD's, I don't see why Crossroads would be any different. A mix of mall retail/restaurants, housing, and parking could really transform the Crossroads area of OKC.


DOWNTOWN MOORE
A station here could revitalize Moore's under-utilized downtown area, bringing the "center" of Moore away from the strip malls along I-35. A mix of housing and retail, along with a parking garage for park-n-ride, would complement this station.


DOWNTOWN NORMAN
Like in Moore, a station could help continue to revitalize Norman's beautiful Main Street area with a mix of housing, retail, restaurants, and entertainment within a short distance of the Campus Corner district. Norman's historic train depot would make a great station and could be used for connections to Amtrak and CART buses.


UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
The southern point of the line, this would serve a proposed "East Campus" development that would include new academic buildings and student housing next to the OU campus and Memorial Stadium. OU architecture students have already designed proposals for such a station that would mainly serve OU students and faculty but also residents in this dense part of Norman and people traveling to campus for football games.



Your thoughts/suggestions?