NorthFlyer.org | Passenger Rail Kansas Passenger Rail Oklahoma

THIS WEEK ON THE FLYER CORRRIDOR:

This week we look at...
1) Tulsa Passenger Rail Prospects
2) KDOT NEPA Study (or lack thereof)
3) Passenger Rail Oklahoma restarts business
FULL ARTICLE <----Click Here

THIS WEEK WE ANALYZE STUDY ALTERNATIVE - 4:
Alternative – 4 would introduce a new daylight train operating between Kansas City – Wichita – Oklahoma City. The Heartland Flyer would remain unchanged.

Alternative – 4 is cumbersome in that it chops the corridor into two disconnected pieces. An overnight stay would be required in Oklahoma City to travel through Oklahoma City. Roughly an hour layover in Kansas City would be required to connect Oklahoma City passengers with St. Louis. However; the reverse trip from St. Louis would require an overnight Kansas City stay. National connections would be preserved in Fort Worth with the Texas Eagle. National connections could also be made with an overnight stay in Newton, Topeka, Lawrence, or Kansas City with the Southwest Chief. If Emporia and Strong City are added to the Southwest Chief schedule, these stops could also be used as connection points with the new train.

Amtrak has projected a ridership for the new train at 65,900. This is the lowest of all the alternatives. Combining existing Heartland Flyer numbers, corridor ridership would be 169,464. Capital costs are estimated at $271.1 million. Annual operational costs for the new train are estimated at $6.4 million. The proposed timetable is shown:

There are pluses and minuses to this alternative. A major criticism of this route is the fact it would not provide convenient connections with the Southwest Chief or Missouri River Runners. Only passengers from Oklahoma City south would have access to decent connections with the Texas Eagle. The ridership is low. The operation would be beneficial to regional economic interests but they could be better. The operation would not directly connect to the national system in Kansas City but the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area connections would remain with the Texas Eagle would remain with the Texas Eagle. Daylight passenger operations to Tulsa would be available but a connecting Tulsa - Oklahoma City train would require an early morning departure from Tulsa.

2010-07-05 THIS WEEK ON THE CORRIDOR NEWSLETTER
Click Here...
1) Oklahoma Interim Passenger Rail Study
2) South Central Corridor Developments (Tulsa - Oklahoma City - Fort Worth - San Antonio)
3) Closing FY2010 High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail USDOT Grants Announced
4) Flooding on Amtrak's Southwest Chief Route

THIS WEEK WE ANALYZE STUDY ALTERNATIVE - 3:
Alternative – 3 would introduce a new train operating over the full 606 mile corridor between Kansas City – Wichita – Oklahoma City – Fort Worth. The Heartland Flyer passenger train would remain unchanged. The new train would double passenger rail frequencies between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth while providing daylight passenger rail service in Kansas.

Alternative – 3 does not fit well operationally within Amtrak’s national route structure. Connections with the Southwest Chiefs and Missouri River Runners in Kansas City would require overnight layovers. Connections with the Texas Eagles in Fort Worth would require an overnight stay.

The new train would create second daily frequencies on two Amtrak routes. The Southwest Chief and the new train would make stops in Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Newton. It is unknown if the Southwest Chief would begin making stops in Emporia and Strong City. The Heartland Flyer and the new train would make stops in Oklahoma City, Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley, Ardmore, Gainesville, and Fort Worth. The Heartland Flyer would continue making connections with the Texas Eagles running daily between Chicago and San Antonio.

Amtrak has projected a ridership for the new train at 174,000 passengers. Heartland Flyer ridership was 73,564. Combining these two figures the corridor would host approximately 248,000 passengers. Capital costs are estimated at $479.1 million. Annual operational costs for the new train are estimated at $8.0 million. The proposed timetable is shown:

There are pluses and minuses to this alternative. A major criticism of this route is the fact it would not provide convenient connections with the Southwest Chief, Missouri River Runners, or the Texas Eagle. The operation would be beneficial to regional economic interests. The operation would directly connect the Kansas City and Dallas/Fort Worth metro areas. It would also open up the possibility of daylight passenger operations to Tulsa. Tulsa passenger rail service will be addressed in an upcoming commentary and NorthFlyer.org study.

THIS WEEK WE ANALYZE STUDY ALTERNATIVE - 2:
Alternative – 2 is a Heartland Flyer passenger train extension beyond Newton, KS to Kansas City. The Heartland Flyer currently runs daily between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. The expanded train would operate over a 606 mile route, nearly tripling its mileage.

Alternative – 2 fits well operationally within Amtrak’s national route structure. The Heartland Flyer would make both eastbound and westbound connections with Amtrak’s Southwest Chief in Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Newton. The Heartland Flyer would also create a second daily frequency between Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Newton. It is unknown if the Southwest Chief would begin making stops in Emporia and Strong City. The Heartland Flyer would continue to make connections with the Texas Eagle running daily between Chicago and San Antonio.

Alternative – 2 would also open connections with the Missouri River Runners. An approximate hour and a half layover in Kansas City would be required to catch train No. 314 to St. Louis. An approximate two and a half hour layover would be required for connecting passengers headed from St. Louis for a departure toward Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Missouri River Runner No. 313 arrives in Kansas City at 9:40pm.

With the additional stops and the Newton connection, Amtrak has projected a ridership increase to 191,764 = additional passengers (118,200) + existing Heartland Flyer ridership (73,564). Capital costs are estimated at $317 million. Incremental “additional” operational costs are estimated at about $5.2 million. The full annual operational subsidy would be around $9.5 million annually = $4.3 million (estimated current Heartland Flyer contract cost) + $5.2 million (additional annual cost for expansion). The proposed timetable is shown:

A major criticism of this route is the fact it would operate in Kansas in the late evening and early morning hours. The operation is not conducive to the type of business environment the on route communities desire.

THIS WEEK WE ANALYZE STUDY ALTERNATIVE – 1:
Alternative – 1 is a Heartland Flyer passenger train extension. The Heartland Flyer currently runs daily between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. The expanded train would operate over a 405 mile route, nearly doubling its mileage.

Alternative – 1 fits well operationally within Amtrak’s national route structure. The Heartland Flyer would make both eastbound and westbound connections with Amtrak’s Southwest Chief in Newton, Kansas, 20 miles north of Wichita. The Heartland Flyer would continue to make connections with the Texas Eagle running daily between Chicago and San Antonio.

With the additional stops and the Newton connection, Amtrak has projected a rider-ship increase to 166,064 = additional passengers (92,500) + existing rider-ship (73,564). Capital costs are estimated at $155.8 million which could be 100% federally funded. Incremental “additional” operational costs are estimated at about $3.2 million. The full annual operational subsidy would be around $7.5 million annually = $4.3 million (estimated current Heartland Flyer contract cost) + $3.2 million (additional annual cost for expansion). The proposed timetable is shown:

A major criticism of this route is the fact it would enter Kansas just before midnight and arrive in Newton just before 2:00am. The train would leave Newton at 4:20am crossing the Oklahoma line just before 6:00am. The operation is not conducive to the type of business environment the on route communities desire.

KDOT VIDEO: KDOT's Public meetings are complete. However; the video shown at these meetings is linked below

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ^^^^ABOVE^^^ FOR A YOU TUBE VIDEO OF KDOT'S VIDEO

KS-OK-TX: LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: With the release of the Amtrak Feasibility Study you again have an opportunity to be heard. We are encouraging cities, groups/businesses, and individuals to write to Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller and request that KDOT initiate Service Development Plan (SDP) work. Also, let it be known which Alternative you prefer from the feasibility study.
SAMPLE LETTERS <----Coming Soon

THANK YOU!!! Rail Advocates in Kansas would like to thank the United Transportation Union, Kansas Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired for their invaluable voice as provided in the Kansas legislature this session.

We also appreciate the strong vote of support shown in the Kansas legislature; for its collective leadership; and unwavering support of SB409 and HB2552. On to Oklahoma and Texas where we hope to duplicate the success we have had in Kansas.

Thank you!
Evan Stair

AMTRAK FEASIBILITY STUDY RELEASED March 11: Amtrak released its feasibility study for the Kansas City - Wichita - Oklahoma City - Fort Worth corridor March 11. Federal funding is available to develop this corridor. However, funding may be contingent upon how fast KDOT, ODOT, and TxDOT can organize and act as a group-of-states. Regional applications improve the opportunity for federal funding through the Federal Railroad Administration, High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program.

Amtrak Press Release (Amtrak) <---Click Here
Full Study Report (Amtrak) <---Click Here
Feasibility Study Fact Sheet <---Click Here
Sample Trips <---Click Here

For More information about the North Flyer Organization
contact Evan Stair at sfrr@aol.com

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