Letter to the Editor: Rail service praised
BY Steve Stockley, Tulsa
Monday, February 11, 2013
2/11/13 at 8:19 AM
In his Feb. 3 letter to the editor ("Rail line"), Gary Rhinehart expressed clearly the misinformation that has obstructed much-needed rail service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Should he or any opponents of this vital service care to investigate, he would find that there are many people, like myself, who would or do use it regularly.
I make at least half a dozen Amtrak trips to Chicago and other points every year, from Oklahoma City. (And the train is often full.) When I traverse the 180 miles across Illinois to see my mother, I pay $30 round trip. Assuming the Oklahoma City/Tulsa 100-mile round trip would be comparable, the cost would most likely be $20-$25. For Rhinehardt to drive to Oklahoma City, the mileage rate comes to $55, plus $9 for tolls, plus parking in Oklahoma City. When I take Amtrak for a week from Oklahoma City, I add another $50 for parking. The round-trip total driving total to Oklahoma City is $178, as compared with $25 round trip by rail.
In addition, former City Councilor Rick Westcott and others are 100 percent correct in citing that every dollar invested in rail generates $2-$4 in revenue for the state and connecting towns.
Rail travel is the most energy efficient and safest form of surface travel.
If Rinehart likes to pay at least $100 in gasoline/tolls and depreciation on his car, he is welcome to do so. I like a $25 round trip much better; so does the Oklahoma economy. So does our dependence on foreign oil. So does the environment.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
