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Trains NewsWire:Iowa Pacific seeks approval to begin regular passenger service in Oklahoma
CHICAGO – Another privately operated passenger train service may soon come to fruition, this time in Oklahoma. Iowa Pacific Holdings has written a letter to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin requesting the state’s permission to begin regular passenger train service over state-owned track on the Tulsa-Oklahoma City corridor “at once.”
The letter from Iowa Pacific Holding President Ed Ellis says the Eastern Flyer demonstration trains running this month on the Stillwater Central’s Sooner Subdivision between the two cities have been highly successful operationally and with customers. The trains operated between Tulsa suburb Sapulpa, and Midwest City, an Oklahoma City suburb.
“We operated these demonstration trains to validate our assumptions regarding passenger service in the corridor which we have proposed to operate at no cost to the State of Oklahoma, unlike the [Amtrak] Heartland Flyer which costs the State of Oklahoma over $2 million annually,” Ellis says. “Now that the demonstration runs have given us both data and experience, and some exceptionally positive customer feedback, we are prepared to begin regular service at once, with phased improvements to come over the next one to two years.
Ellis has asked the Governor to direct the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to immediately name Iowa Pacific as “passenger operator” on the Sooner Subdivision, including the Oklahoma Department of Transportation-owned rights into downtown Tulsa, and engage with Iowa Pacific in developing a contract for passenger train service on the Sooner Sub.
“We request that the contract development begin independently of any potential sale of the line, since the line is presently owned by the state, since no decision has been made on a buyer, and since the State retains complete rights to contract for passenger service at this time,” Ellis says. Iowa Pacific is asking for a five-year contract with the state, renewable for three successive five-year terms.
The state acquired the line from BNSF in 1998. It is presently operated by Watco affiliate Stillwater Central under a lease agreement that runs through 2017, but the state is considering selling the line. Four bidders have emerged: BNSF Railway, Watco, Iowa Pacific, and Fortress. A state panel will review the bids and decide whether to accept one of the bids in April or May.
Ellis says passenger trains could be running by Memorial Day. He also requested a meeting with several state officials and legislators to answer questions about the proposed service.
Under the Iowa Pacific proposal, service improvements would be phased in as follows
• Phase I - Initial Service, beginning May 1, 2014 with two daily round trips between Sapulpa and Midwest City and a running time of 2 hours, 50 minutes.
• Phase II – beginning Sept. 1, 2014 with six round trips between Sapulpa and Midwest City and a running time of 2 hours, 25 minutes. Five round trips would be offered on weekends.
• Phase III – beginning Oct. 1, 2014 with six round trips between Sapulpa and Midwest, and two round trips between Tulsa and Midwest City – running time between Tulsa and Sapulpa to be determined with BNSF. Five round trips would be offered on weekends.
• Within nine months of startup, reduce running time to 2 hours, 15 minutes through improvements to curve elevation and improvements to main track speed.
Dedicated shuttles will be provided from Sapulpa and Midwest City to downtowns, universities, airports, and Bartlesville. Intermediate stops will be established at Bristow and Stroud. Iowa Pacific would also run additional special event trains as may be warranted for sports, entertainment and special events. Running times will be determined jointly with Stillwater Central.
Iowa Pacific says it will take all revenue risk for operation of these services, and there will be no purchase-of-service cost to the state of Oklahoma. The company will pay the train-mile cost (as adjusted for inflation) for use of the trackage rights between Sapulpa and Tulsa and be responsible for all costs to develop, operate, and maintain stations along the route.
The proposal asks the state to use its best efforts to secure funds for additional upgrading of the Sapulpa-Midwest City line, and to work with Iowa Pacific and the city of Oklahoma City to secure rail access between Midwest City and the Santa Fe station in downtown Oklahoma City, so that all trains can operate from downtown Tulsa to downtown Oklahoma City.
