OKLAHOMA CITY — A vote on sales tax to support a proposed commuter rail line connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman, Okla., will be pushed back to at least 2026, according to the head of the transit agency involved.
Brad Henry, chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority of Central Oklahoma, told the Oklahoman newspaper that coordination of a referendum with the agency’s member cities is part of the reason, along with a study of grade crossing improvements along the proposed route.
“Each city has their own set of referendums previously scheduled,” Henry said. “The earliest we’re looking at, based on our latest discussion, is for early to mid 2026.” The agency had previously hoped to hold the vote this year.
The RTA has received $400,000 from the Department of Transportation to evaluate some 52 grade crossings along the commuter route under FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Program [see “FRA awards more than $1.1 billion …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 10, 2025]. Completing that study will be necessary before pursuing additional federal money. “Ultimately, we want to compete for federal funds to build the project,” the RTA’s interim director, Jason Ferbrache, told KOCO-TV, “and leverage whatever local investment we can.”
The RTA’s current plan calls for an approximately 30-mile north-south commuter rail service between Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman using a portion of BNSF’s Red Rock Subdivision, as well as a light rail line from Oklahoma City to Will Rogers World Airport, about 6 miles southwest of downtown, and a bus rapid transit line to Tinker Air Force Base, about 7 miles to the southeast.
Henry said the referendum, when it occurs, will be for the local money to match federal funding: “We’re hoping the feds will pay for at least 50% of this.” But he acknowledged concerns about how federal support might change under the Trump administration.
“It’s no secret the Biden administration was enthusiastic about transit,” Henry told the Oklahoman. “We don’t think the Trump administration will be negative at all. But they may have different priorities. On the other hand, they may be more willing to mitigate the regulatory difficulties we might face.”
So that’s five in the last few of days: (1) big expansion of the Cascades (2) Phildelphia waterfront (3) Oklahoma commuter rail (4) Iowa City commuter rail (5) Bradley Airport in Connecticut. Soner or later people are going to have to realize you can’t wish a train service into being.