Next month's three train trips from the Tulsa area to Oklahoma City are a hot ticket; too hot, in fact, for anyone who waited.
"We are thrilled to announce that all three Eastern Flyer trips are sold out," said Charlotte Park, a representative for Iowa Pacific, the company sponsoring the train trips.
The Eastern Flyer is the name given to three tourist train trips in February from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City. The rides are some of the first passenger train excursions offered on the stretch in 47 years.
But for those who didn't get a ticket, the opportunity is gone. Iowa Pacific has managed to sell all 900 tickets in three weeks.
Initially, the rail company expected to sell only about 300 tickets for the three trips, said Angela Arias, Iowa Pacific's vice president of marketing.
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Iowa Pacific is bringing its three retro style cars to Oklahoma for the trips, and the cars will be pulled by a Stillwater Central engine.
Tickets on the Eastern Flyer ranged between $64 for a standard child's ticket up to $249 for dining service in the luxury, glass-dome roof car.
The Eastern Flyer trips have become a rallying point for passenger rail advocates who want to see regular train service between Oklahoma City and Tulsa revived.
The trains leave from downtown Sapulpa and arrive about three hours later in downtown Oklahoma City, using the state-owned Sooner Subdivision line. The track is leased by Stillwater Central Railroad, another partner of the Eastern Flyer.
But any future trips might be compromised by a proposal from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to sell the 97.5-mile Sooner Sub line.
The winding and crooked line needs major work to host higher-speed trains, and traffic is now limited to 30 to 40 mph over the length of the track.
Iowa Pacific President Ed Ellis said his company is interested in regular service between Oklahoma City and Tulsa and has made an offer to the state of Oklahoma, but he said its requests have not been answered.
"Future trips depend on whether ODOT succeeds in extinguishing the right to run passenger trains," Ellis said.
ODOT representatives say they have included provisions in the "request for proposal" that would allow passenger service on the Sooner Sub line in the event that it is sold.
The Transportation Department is also in the midst of a study to determine demand for passenger rail service and what kind of upgrades would be needed to make the track feasible.
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
Eastern Flyer
Who: Operated by Iowa Pacific and Stillwater Central Railroad
When: Feb. 9, 15, 23
Where: Sapulpa-Oklahoma City
Tickets: Sold out
For more: easternflyer.com
