Line length 97.5 miles | ||
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) | ||
Eastern Flyer is a proposed medium distance inter-city train traveling from Oklahoma City in central Oklahoma to Tulsa in north-eastern Oklahoma. It is a private operation, operated by the Iowa Pacific railroad, and its services are to include a dome car, coaches and full meal service. This would be the first regular passenger service to Tulsa since 1967.
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Demonstration runs
Initial commercial demonstration test trips were conducted in February 2014, running between Oklahoma City and the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa with stops in Stroud and Bristow. In late 2014, Iowa Pacific offered one-hour "Polar Express" excursions on the Eastern Flyer out of Bristow, inspired by the children's book and film of the same name, to promote the service. In March 2015, service was estimated to begin in May or "early summer", with rail service from Sapulpa to Midwest City, with bus shuttles on each end. In June, Iowa Pacific said the start date would be further delayed, as both Oklahoma City and Tulsa considered efforts to facilitate rail service connecting the cities' downtowns.
Optimism fades
Optimism that the Oklahoma City-Tulsa railroad service would soon begin, seemed to be based more on fantasy than fact, based on press reports beginning late in 2015. A Tulsa World article noted that Amtrak has never shown any interest in extending service to Tulsa. Moreover, although the state owns the tracks between the two cities, it was considering selling the trackage to raise money for the cash-strapped state.
A report in mid-2016, cast doubt on whether the existing Heartland Flyer, running between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, could continue operating for another year. Congress has already begun to cut Amtrak's discretionary funding again, Texas has already announced that it will not increase its contribution to make up any shortfall, and Oklahoma legislators are considering dropping all rail funding.