(The Arkansas City Traveler posted the following story by Foss Farrar on its website on August 26.)
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — The time is ripe for lobbying for passenger rail service through Arkansas City, an Oklahoma transportation official said Friday.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Amtrak are considering the combination of freight and passenger service on an altered North-South route that would be more cost-effective than the current Amtrak route, the South West Chief, which runs from Chicago to Los Angeles.
“Neither Amtrak or Burlington Northern will officially say whether they are favoring one route over another,” said Paul Adams, deputy director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. “But both companies are looking internally at our proposal — what the economy might be.”
The State of Oklahoma favors extending its current Heartland Flyer passenger route — which runs from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Tex. — north to Newton through Ponca City and Oklahoma City.
When this route change was proposed this in past years, Amtrak asked Oklahoma to pay the $7.1 million in annual operating costs, he said. However, with a freight-passenger route, the cost would be only $200,000.
“That (the $200,000) would be the cost to extend the (Heartland Flyer) an additional 62 from Oklahoma City to Perry, using the same train same crews,” he said.
The line north from Perry — through Ponca City, Okla., Arkansas City to Newton — is a main Santa Fe line that would not require much maintenance to make it ready for passenger service.
Changing the current South West Chief route would increase passenger service rates, from its current 600,000 to two million, he said.
If the re-routing change were made, the passenger train would run south from Newton — through Ark City — to Ponca City, Perry and then turn west to Enid, and Woodward, then on to Amarillo, Tex., and on to Albuquerque, N.M.
Kansas State Rep. Joe Shriver is a proponent of passenger rail service through Arkansas City. He became a part of the current movement by attending a rail meeting about a year ago in Oklahoma City and, recently a meeting of the Heartland Flyer Coalition in Ponca City.
“What we’re doing in Oklahoma — we’ve started a letter-writing campaign,” Adams said. “We believe a reroute is being considered. We are going to our legislators — senators, representatives — to the executives of Burlington Northern and Amtrak and to other cities on the proposed route, to chambers of commerce and city officials.”
The Heartland Flyer is a state-operated train in Oklahoma, and has provided service on the 206-mile run from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth over the past several years.
“All public railroads (for the passenger service) go 79 miles per hour and all signals have been redone with flashing lights,” Adams said. “We have an aggressive rail system in Oklahoma.”
Judi Elmore, chairperson of the Heartland Flyer, said she is optimistic that the proposed change will be made. “I think it’s a doable and affordable option,” she said.
The Heartland Flyer Coalition has been in existence since August of 1999.