This week we look at...  Amtrak Releases its FY-2011 Ridership Statistics  KDOT Expects SDP by the end of October   Your Copy <----Click Here

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UPDATE 9/1/2011 - FRA APPROVES FT WORTH TOWER 55 FUNDING. The Federal Railroad Adminsitration granted the State of Texas $34 million to upgrade Tower 55 infrastructure.

CLICK HERE FOR FRA PRESS RELEASE

Just beyond the end of the Oklahoma City - Fort Worth Heartland Flyer route sits Tower 55. Tower 55 is a bottleneck for the Texas Eagle Amtrak passenger train that connects with the Heartland Flyer in Fort Worth. The effect for Oklahomas and north Texans will be a more timely operation in Fort Worth with the Texas Eagle connection.

The Houston - Dallas/Ft Worth funding will provide some momentum for what is essentially a fourth leg of the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor. The other three legs include Ft Worth - OKC - Tulsa, Ft Worth - Little Rock, and Ft Worth - Austin - San Antonio.

While the various DOTs complete federal qualifying grant studies and the Eastern Flyer Task Force studies Tulsa Amtrak service, we have begun a new initiative. The Guthrie Territorial Christmas Train last ran in 2009. With City of Guthrie Assistance (click here), we are working to convince the state to run a short expansion for the 2011 Christmas season. Please write to Governor Fallin and voice your support for this festival operation. Stay tuned here for news leading up to what we hope is a successful quest.

Governor’s Address
Governor Mary Fallin
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

SUCCESS ! ! !
EASTERN FLYER PASSENGER RAIL DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR FALLIN ON APRIL 21, 2011 ! ! !
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to push this bill through the legislature
YOU made it happen ! ! ! YOU made a BIG difference this session ! ! ! More to come...

Sincerely,
Evan Stair
Executive Director
Passenger Rail Oklahoma

The Eastern Flyer Passenger Rail Development Task Force will look at passenger rail service restoration, using state of Oklahoma owned rail property between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. A 100-mile segment between Oklahoma City and Sapulpa was purchased from the BNSF Railway in 1997. The final 18 miles into downtown Tulsa is owned and operated by the BNSF Railway.

LEGISLATIVE TOOLKIT:
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THIS WEEK ON THE CORRIDOR: February 27, 2010

This week we look at...  1) HB1686 Take a Deep Breath:  2) Kansas Slowdow: Shakedown:   Your Copy <----Click Here

INITIAL ODOT: OKLAHOMA RAIL PLAN MEETINGS COMPLETE
ODOT has completed its state rail plan meetings. Presentations used in these meetings are included here:

CLICK HERE FOR... STATE RAIL PLAN HOME PAGE
CLICK HERE FOR... OPEN HOUSE PRESENTATION
CLICK HERE FOR... WHY ODOT IS UPDATING ITS RAIL PLAN


OKC - TULSA:
The Rail Safety Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provided a glimmer of hope for Tulsa passenger rail interests. In 2009, the federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program was developed to allocate funding to states desiring passenger rail improvements. FY-2010 amounts reached $10.5 billion. FY-2011 amounts are expected to reach $1.4 billion. Tulsa is the terminal of the USDOT designated South Central High Speed Rail corridor. This corridor is centered at Ft Worth with spokes radiating to Little Rock, Tulsa, and San Antonio. HSIPR is expected to be a program not unlike that which built the U.S. Interstate Highway system in the 1950's and 1960's.

KANSAS CITY - WICHITA - OKC - FT WORTH:
Kansas activity has been remarkable. The Kansas legislature, through the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), has led the region by initiating and taking receipt of a Kansas City - Wichita - Oklahoma City - Fort Worth Amtrak feasibility study. The Kansas legislature has initiated a Passenger Rail development program similar to that which was developed for Oklahoma in 1999 for the Heartland Flyer passenger train. Federal developments through HSIPR promise to bring new and improved passenger trains to the region.

A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE:
For a regional perspective of passenger rail and ongoing developments please visit our parent website: NorthFlyer.org

CLICK ABOVE TO ENLARGE THE MAP

For More information about Passenger Rail Oklahoma
contact Evan Stair at EvanStair@PassengerRailOK.org

Copyright 2011, Passenger Rail Oklahoma