Public Hearing Planned To Study Kansas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Service

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A public hearing will be held to review progress and plans for the expansion of passenger rail service along the Kansas-Oklahoma-Texas corridor. The hearing will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, October 14 in room 432-A of the State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard.

State Representative Richard Morrissette (D-OKC) will host the legislative study.

"I've had many requests for this review to look carefully at where we are in the process of expansion of service to Kansas," Morrissette said. "In looking for answers to these inquiries, I began to realize that much is being learned and that soon we will see this happen, for the betterment of the overall economy."

The hearing will feature Republican Kansas State Senator Dick Kelsey, author of last session's Senate Bill 409, as well as officials from all three state's departments of transportation, members of the Texas state legislature's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee and others to include citizen rail enthusiasts, Amtrak, BNSF and the FRA.

Morrissette said that though some opponents call rail expansion "big government wasteful spending," he believes that the public could be well served by rail travel as the population moves toward mass transit.

"And, for Oklahoma, in particular, with our many small towns, where economic development has come to plateau, the train would offer an infusion of travelers to bring with them tourist dollars, not to mention new businesses to spring up along the way," he said.

Visitors to the hearing should park on the south side of the Capitol.

Questions about the hearing can be directed to Morrissette's Capitol office at 405-557-7404 or to richardmorrissette@okhouse.gov.