It is good that Tulsa's city council keeps passing these resolutions. However, the city of Tulsa needs to understand that due to fiscal realities and Amtrak structure, the possibility of Amtrak itself providing service to the second largest city in Oklahoma is a long shot. Tulsa area state lawmakers have yet to be convinced, mainly because of the expected cost. The city of Tulsa should be working with ODOT to develop a strategy that would link Tulsa and Oklahoma City with commuter rail service; not Amtrak. Amtrak should never be considered the sole provider of choice for such a short corridor.

Oklahoma should manage its own rail infrastructure and start its own commuter rail system. It should be managed by ODOT. It should be operated on state owned infrastructure. The $110 million to upgrade this corridor will take decades to collect without Tulsa area legislators getting onboard. This is why Amtrak has been so reluctant to finally release the 2007 study for Tulsa service. It is simply too political an issue for Amtrak to tackle. Those who understand passenger rail know that the $5 million upgrade to rail infrastructure through Wichita is less pie-in-the-sky.
--Evan Stair
<mailto:EvanStair@PassengerRailOK.org>