Q&A with Evan Stair

Published: April 10, 2008

Q: The Kansas Department of Transportation recently asked Amtrak to do a study on what it would take to provide passenger rail service between Oklahoma City and Newton, Kan. What other steps are being taken in an effort to take the Heartland Flyer northbound?

A: Various public and civic meetings are being held to inform the public and local governments of Northern Flyer Alliance Passenger Rail Expansion Initiative progress. The Northern Flyer Alliance is a conglomerate of legislative, civic and community organizations and persons unifying with the expressed goal of improving passenger rail transportation between Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

We are organizing a massive public outreach to educate local governments and civic organizations about passenger rail benefits, through the Northern Flyer Alliance, and grass roots organizations, PassengerRailOK.org and PassengerRailKS.org. We desire "trickle-up” leadership. We are asking communities to contact their state legislators, Gov. (Brad) Henry and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to let them know they need this form of transportation.

Q: Why is expanding the Heartland Flyer important?

A: Expanding the Heartland Flyer is important for economic development, to reduce world oil demand and to keep Oklahoma City from violating EPA clean air standards. It is also a quality of life issue as an optional form of transportation. Oklahoma stands to garner new federal matching funds for passenger rail development.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Reform Act currently provides a 50-50 match for capital improvement funds as provided by the states. Another bill, SB 294, The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, has passed the U.S. Senate and after passage in the House, will provide an 80-20 federal match. SB 294 is a bipartisan bill authored by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Q: What steps is the state of Oklahoma taking to further the goal of expanding the train service?

A: Lt. Gov. Jari Askins has voiced support and has contacted Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Kansas Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson stating an interest to assist. Oklahoma interest has been limited because the initiative reached the Legislature too late in the 2008 session for effective legislation to be heard. However, several state legislators are interested in passenger rail expansion.

Efforts will begin again in earnest upon the conclusion of this session to drum up additional support for expansion. It is a monumental task to educate the Legislature about passenger rail benefits.

Q: How much would this endeavor cost and how would it be paid for?

A: In perspective passenger rail is extremely inexpensive and taxpayer friendly. A six mile project to widen Interstate 35 in the Norman area will cost taxpayers approximately $9 million per lane mile. The entire widening project, just one lane in each direction, is expected to cost in the range of $108 million. Contrast passenger rail at $21,000 per mile annually and a $2.9 million upgrade between Oklahoma City and the Kansas line.

The final costs would be about $5.3 million annually with a startup cost in the range of $4 million to $5 million. This would include the track upgrades and shared restoration of mothballed and damaged Amtrak equipment. Funding could come from a budget request by Gov. Henry to the Legislature or from legislative action tapping other state revenues.

Q: When could passengers expect to have expanded train service?

A: The legislative process is slow. Amtrak has stated that they will complete the Kansas Department of Transportation feasibility study in late 2008 or early 2009. Various operational structures are being considered. Amtrak provides 14 states with supplemental passenger rail service as funded by the states. These include California, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and other Northeast states in the nation. The target date for such an expansion would be in the late 2010 time frame.

Staff Writer Ja'Rena Lunsford

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