Story Created:
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:05 PM CST
Story Updated:
Feb 19, 2009 at 4:00 PM CST
Tuesday, July 15, 2008; Posted: 5:10 p.m. (CDT)
Oklahoma City -- Oklahomans are hopping on-board another kind of transportation and they're doing it in record numbers. The Heartland Flyer, providing rail service from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, has experienced more ridership this year than it has in its nine year history. KSBI-TV's Kealey McIntire has details.
It's all aboard for Oklahomans. More people have taken a trip on the Heartland Flyer this year than ever before.
"We have so many people on the train now that we've added a fourth coach and that's filling up. So it's just been fabulous that these things are happening for our folks," says John Dougherty, Assistant Division Manager for Rail Programs with ODOT.
The month of May saw a record 8,600 riders and June saw 9,300 riders. Dougherty says that's the first time the Amtrak Heartland Flyer has broken the 9,000 mark.
Amtrak ridership is up five percent nationwide over last year. Officials say high gas prices are driving increased ridership.
"This is generating them to get on the train. They've wanted to take the train and said, well, we're going to do it sometime, but this has got them moving," says Dougherty.
The City of Edmond joined the ongoing effort to expand the Heartland Flyer's route Monday night. With today's gas prices, Mayor Dan O'Neil says it's another option for residents.
"We would make a good stop," says O'Neil. "We have an interested population in train travel we think and we think with the trend of gasoline prices, it would be a good thing in the future."
O'Neil says seven mayors have signed a proclamation to expand services into Kansas.
"It's almost a foregone conclusion that we will have passenger rail service north out of our community and hopefully it will be with a stop in our community," says O'Neil.
The state wants the expansion as well. More stops means more riders.
With the demand for more stops, Dougherty says there's no doubt taking to the tracks is here to stay.
Dougherty says the state of Kansas is examining details of the proposed expansion. He says it will take at least a year before details will be available.
