1 2<!DOCTYPE html> 3<html lang="en" class="no-js antialiased font-sans"> 4<head> 5 <meta charset="UTF-8"> 6 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> 7 <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="ie=edge"> 8 9
9<script type="module">!function(){const e=document.createElement("link").relList;if(!(e&&e.supports&&e.supports("modulepreload"))){for(const e of document.querySelectorAll('link[rel="modulepreload"]'))r(e);new MutationObserver((e=>{for(const o of e)if("childList"===o.type)for(const e of o.addedNodes)if("LINK"===e.tagName&&"modulepreload"===e.rel)r(e);else if(e.querySelectorAll)for(const o of e.querySelectorAll("link[rel=modulepreload]"))r(o)})).observe(document,{childList:!0,subtree:!0})}function r(e){if(e.ep)return;e.ep=!0;const r=function(e){const r={};return e.integrity&&(r.integrity=e.integrity),e.referrerpolicy&&(r.referrerPolicy=e.referrerpolicy),"use-credentials"===e.crossorigin?r.credentials="include":"anonymous"===e.crossorigin?r.credentials="omit":r.credentials="same-origin",r}(e);fetch(e.href,r)}}();</script>
vendor: 2 bytes, line 9
9
10<script type="module" src="/dist/assets/app-BnhSz1Qr.js" crossorigin onload="e=new CustomEvent('vite-script-loaded', {detail:{path: 'src/main.js'}});document.dispatchEvent(e);"></script>
10 11<link href="/dist/assets/app-_Ive2j_G.css" rel="stylesheet"> 12 13 14
14<script src="https://c070a7a0a07645f58ad83a2cd704cab2.js.ubembed.com" async ></script>
14 15 16 <!-- Scripts --> 17
17<script type="text/javascript"> 18 window.csrfTokenName = "CRAFT_CSRF_TOKEN" 19 window.csrfTokenValue = "xfbLM20EPSprZGmemRe1nqhn\u002DNmm7SVt06p8xgzuauR1DWRYcjsu0vOF8gAObXVNJwwMzPBc06bLF7uhlpV3CqHMLZ95hSW3GUknHwFcRZ8\u003D" 20 </script>
20 21
21<script 22 type="text/javascript" 23 src="//platform-api.sharethis.com/js/sharethis.js#property=5acccf2b15e550001323f9d2&product=custom-share-buttons" 24 async 25 ></script>
25 26 27<!-- Google Analytics -->
28<script> 29 ;(function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) { 30 i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r 31 ;(i[r] = 32 i[r] || 33 function() { 34 ;(i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments) 35 }), 36 (i[r].l = 1 * new Date()) 37 ;(a = s.createElement(o)), (m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0]) 38 a.async = 1 39 a.src = g 40 m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m) 41 })( 42 window, 43 document, 44 "script", 45 "//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", 46 "ga" 47 ) 48 49 ga("create", "UA-21078828-1", "auto") 50 ga("send", "pageview") 51</script>
51 52 53<!-- Facebook Pixel Code -->
54<script> 55 !(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { 56 if (f.fbq) return 57 n = f.fbq = function() { 58 n.callMethod 59 ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) 60 : n.queue.push(arguments) 61 } 62 if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n 63 n.push = n 64 n.loaded = !0 65 n.version = "2.0" 66 n.queue = [] 67 t = b.createElement(e) 68 t.async = !0 69 t.src = v 70 s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0] 71 s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) 72 })(window, document, "script", "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js") 73 74 fbq("init", "464332913768962") 75 fbq("track", "PageView") 76</script>
76 77<!-- End Facebook Pixel Code --> 78 79<!-- Facebook Pixel Code -->
80<script> 81 !(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { 82 if (f.fbq) return 83 n = f.fbq = function() { 84 n.callMethod 85 ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) 86 : n.queue.push(arguments) 87 } 88 if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n 89 n.push = n 90 n.loaded = !0 91 n.version = "2.0" 92 n.queue = [] 93 t = b.createElement(e) 94 t.async = !0 95 t.src = v 96 s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0] 97 s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) 98 })( 99 window, 100 document, 101 "script", 102 "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js" 103 ) 104 fbq("init", "1414589641962684") 105 fbq("track", "PageView") 106</script>
106 107<!-- End Facebook Pixel Code --> 108 <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> 109<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> 110<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> 111<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest"> 112<link rel="mask-icon" href="/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#006b9e"> 113<meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#006b9e"> 114<meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> 115<title>âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost ofâ¦</title>
116<script>dataLayer = [];
vendor: 328 bytes, lines 116-121
116 117(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': 118new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], 119j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 120'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); 121})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','
121GTM-P5B8RLT
vendor: 4 bytes, line 121
121');
122</script>
122<meta name="description" content="Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-taxâ¦"> 123<meta name="referrer" content="no-referrer-when-downgrade"> 124<meta name="robots" content="all"> 125<meta content="en_US" property="og:locale"> 126<meta content="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs" property="og:site_name"> 127<meta content="website" property="og:type"> 128<meta content="https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan" property="og:url"> 129<meta content="âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost ofâ¦" property="og:title"> 130<meta content="Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-taxâ¦" property="og:description"> 131<meta content="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=1200&h=630&q=82&auto=format&fit=min&dm=1790793986&s=2ef94f110c404a6c28ab59c8a2b92e1e" property="og:image"> 132<meta content="1200" property="og:image:width"> 133<meta content="630" property="og:image:height"> 134<meta content="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs" property="og:image:alt"> 135<meta content="https://twitter.com/ocpathink?lang=en" property="og:see_also"> 136<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> 137<meta name="twitter:site" content="@OCPAthink"> 138<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@OCPAthink"> 139<meta name="twitter:title" content="âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost ofâ¦"> 140<meta name="twitter:description" content="Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-taxâ¦"> 141<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=800&h=418&q=82&auto=format&fit=min&dm=1790793986&s=a2ccad22f483dc6cd26b88eecdffe48d"> 142<meta name="twitter:image:width" content="800"> 143<meta name="twitter:image:height" content="418"> 144<meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs"> 145<link href="https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan" rel="canonical"> 146<link href="https://ocpathink.org/" rel="home"> 147<link type="text/plain" href="https://ocpathink.org/humans.txt" rel="author"> 148<style>.skip-link { position: absolute; top: 8px; left: 8px; width: 1px; 149height: 1px; padding: 0; margin: -1px; border: 0; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); 150clip-path: inset(50%); overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; } 151 152.skip-link:focus, .skip-link:active { display: block; z-index: 90; width: auto; 153height: auto; padding: 0.75em 1em; clip: unset; clip-path: none; 154background-color: #FEDB31; color: black; white-space: normal; }</style></head> 155<body id="top" class="tw:text-base tw:leading-normal tw:bg-white">
vendor: 67 bytes, line 155
155<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=
155GTM-P5B8RLT
vendor: 87 bytes, lines 155-159
155" 156height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> 157 158 159
159<a class="skip-link" href="#main">Skip to main content</a> 160 161 162 <noscript> 163 <img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1414589641962684&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/> 164 <img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=464332913768962&ev=PageView&noscript=1" /> 165 </noscript> 166 167
167<script id='pixel-script-poptin' src='https://cdn.popt.in/pixel.js?id=984c6d1a411fd' async='true'></script>
167 168 169 <div id="app" class="tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:min-h-screen"> 170 171 172 173 174<header class="tw:w-full tw:relative tw:md:fixed tw:md:z-20 tw:bg-white" x-data="{ showMobileMenu: false }"> 175 <div class="tw:relative tw:container tw:py-5 tw:border-b tw:border-grey-900"> 176 <div class="tw:relative tw:flex tw:justify-end tw:md:justify-between tw:items-center"> 177 178 <div> 179 <a href="/donate" 180 class="tw:mr-2 tw:md:mr-0 btn tw:uppercase tw:text-xs tw:font-sans">Donate</a> 181 <a href="/donate#society" 182 class="tw:mr-5 tw:md:mr-0 btn--outline tw:uppercase tw:text-xs tw:font-sans"> 183 <span class="tw:xs:hidden">Legacy</span> 184 <span class="tw:hidden tw:xs:inline-block">Planned Giving</span> 185 </a> 186 </div> 187 188 <a href="/" class="nav-logo" aria-label="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs Homepage"> 189 <svg class="tw:w-24! tw:h-auto! tw:text-brand-500! tw:fill-current! svg-icon svg-fill" width="472px" height="274px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 472 274" aria-labelledby="ocpa-logo" role="img"> 190 <title id="ocpa-logo">OCPA Logo</title> 191 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M45.6 27v220.3c0 6.6 1.1 11.6 3.3 15 2.2 3.4 5.6 5 10.1 5 4.4 0 7.8-1.7 10.1-5 2.2-3.4 3.3-8.4 3.3-15V27c0-6.6-1.1-11.6-3.3-14.8-2.2-3.3-5.6-5-10.1-5-4.4 0-7.8 1.7-10.1 5-2.1 3.3-3.3 8.3-3.3 14.8zM187 137.1c0-4.8.8-9.4 2.4-13.9 1.6-4.4 3.9-8.6 7-12.3 4-4.8 8.7-8.5 14.3-11.1 3.4-1.6 7-2.8 10.7-3.4-4.6-27.1-9.7-48-15.2-62.7C199.7 16.5 192.7 8 185.1 8c-4.4 0-7.6 2-9.5 5.8-1.9 3.9-2.8 11-2.8 21v201.4c0 11.5 1.2 19.4 3.6 23.7 2.4 4.2 6.5 6.4 12.3 6.4 11.2 0 20-7.9 26.3-23.7 6.1-15.3 9.2-36.8 9.4-64.5-4.1-.4-8-1.4-11.8-2.9-5-2.1-9.5-5.1-13.4-9-3.9-3.9-6.9-8.3-9-13.4-2.1-4.9-3.2-10.2-3.2-15.7zm41.7-41.3c5.4 0 10.5 1.1 15.5 3.1 3.7 1.5 7.1 3.6 10.2 6.1V9.1h-13.6V3.9h57.8c25.8 0 44 5.6 54.4 16.9 10.4 11.3 15.6 30.8 15.6 58.8 0 27.8-5.2 47.4-15.6 58.7-10.4 11.4-28 17-53 17h-1.1v110h17.4v5.2h-75.5v-5.2h13.6v-96.1c-3.1 2.5-6.5 4.6-10.2 6.1-4.7 1.9-9.5 3-14.6 3.1v5.7c0 29.2-3.9 51.5-11.7 66.8-7.8 15.3-19.2 22.9-33.9 22.9-19.3 0-33.5-11.1-42.7-33.2-9.2-22.2-13.8-56.4-13.8-103 0-46.2 4.3-80.6 12.7-103.3C148.7 11.6 161.6.2 178.7.2c6.2 0 11.9 1.8 16.8 5.4 4.9 3.6 9.3 9 12.9 16.1l17-21.1h3.2v95.2h.1zm-22.9 71.9l22.5-15.9 22.4 15.9-8.8-26.1 13.9-10.1 8.5-6.2h-27.6l-8.5-26-8.6 26H192l22.4 16.3-8.6 26.1zM.4 137.3C.4 91.8 5.3 57.5 15 34.8 24.8 12 39.5.6 59 .6S93.3 12 103.2 34.9C113.1 57.8 118 92 118 137.3c0 45.3-4.9 79.4-14.8 102.2-9.9 22.8-24.6 34.3-44.2 34.3s-34.2-11.4-44-34.1C5.3 217 .4 182.8.4 137.3zM298.9 10.5v137.8h8.1c7.5 0 12.5-1.7 15.3-5 2.7-3.4 4.1-11.3 4.1-23.8V43c0-14.7-1.4-23.8-4.1-27.3-2.7-3.5-7.8-5.2-15.3-5.2h-8.1zM407.1 210L390.3 75.3 367 210h40.1zm-71.2 60.5v-5.2c10-.7 17.4-14.8 22.1-42.2l.6-3.1L395.7 3.8h28.2L459 265.2h12.7v5.2h-71.1v-5.2h13.6l-6.2-48.3h-42c-1.3 6.8-2.2 12.6-2.8 17.1-.6 4.6-.8 8.6-.8 12.1 0 7.1 1.2 12 3.7 14.8 2.5 2.8 6.8 4.2 12.9 4.2v5.2h-43.1v.2z"/> 192</svg> 193 194 </a> 195 196 <div class="tw:hidden tw:md:flex" x-data="{ showSearch: false }"> 197 <button 198 aria-label="Open search form" 199 x-on:click="showSearch = !showSearch" 200 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSearch ? 'true' : 'false'" 201 class="tw:outline-none focus:tw:bg-transparent" 202 > 203 <svg class="tw:w-5 tw:h-5 tw:text-brand-500 tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill" width="40px" height="40px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 40 40" aria-labelledby="svg-search-icon" role="img"> 204<title id="svg-search-icon">Search icon</title> 205<path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M29.882 23.928c-.357.588-.247 1.465.23 1.942l9.01 9.009a3 3 0 11-4.243 4.242l-9.009-9.008c-.484-.485-1.358-.58-1.954-.224 0 0-.22.164-.914.501A15.936 15.936 0 0116 32C7.163 32 0 24.837 0 16S7.163 0 16 0s16 7.163 16 16c0 2.52-.583 4.904-1.62 7.025-.336.685-.498.903-.498.903zM16 26c5.523 0 10-4.477 10-10S21.523 6 16 6 6 10.477 6 16s4.477 10 10 10z"/> 206</svg> 207 208 </button> 209 <div 210 x-show="showSearch" 211 x-cloak 212 > 213 <form 214 aria-label="Search Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs" 215 action="https://ocpathink.org/search" 216 class="tw:ml-4 tw:flex tw:items-center" 217 > 218 <input class="search-input tw:placeholder:text-blue tw:form-input tw:mr-1 tw:mb-0" type="search" name="q" placeholder="Search term..." aria-label="Search term" /> 219 <input class="btn tw:uppercase tw:text-xs tw:font-sans" type="submit" value="Go" /> 220 </form> 221 </div> 222 </div> 223 224 <div class="tw:md:hidden"> 225 <button 226 x-on:click="showMobileMenu = !showMobileMenu" 227 x-bind:class="showMobileMenu && 'open'" 228 class="tw:relative tw:w-10 tw:h-10 tw:outline-none focus:tw:bg-transparent" 229 >
230 <span class="btn-bar bar-1"></span> 231 <span class="btn-bar bar-2"></span> 232 <span class="btn-bar bar-3"></span> 233 </button> 234 </div> 235 </div> 236 </div> 237 238 <nav 239 x-cloak 240 x-show="showMobileMenu" 241 x-transition:enter="tw:transition tw:ease-out tw:duration-100" 242 x-transition:enter-start="tw:opacity-0 tw:transform tw:translate-y-10" 243 x-transition:enter-end="tw:opacity-100 tw:transform tw:translate-y-0" 244 x-transition:leave="tw:transition tw:ease-in tw:duration-100" 245 x-transition:leave-start="tw:opacity-100 tw:transform tw:translate-y-0" 246 x-transition:leave-end="tw:opacity-0 tw:transform tw:translate-y-10" 247 class="tw:container tw:fixed tw:bg-blue tw:z-50 tw:left-0 tw:right-0" 248 > 249 <ul class="tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:font-serif tw:text-white tw:space-y-4 tw:px-5 tw:py-8"> 250 <li> 251 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/about" 252 >About</a> 253 </li> 254 <li> 255 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/articles" 256 >Articles</a> 257 </li> 258 <li> 259 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/events" 260 >Events</a> 261 </li> 262 <li> 263 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/take-action" 264 >Take Action</a> 265 </li> 266 <li class="tw:relative"> 267 <p class="">Projects <span class="tw:pl-2">+</span></p> 268 <ul class="tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:space-y-2 tw:p-4"> 269 <li> 270 <a href="https://www.fearsfellowship.com/" 271 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Fears Fellowship (Opens in new window)" >Fears Fellowship</a> 272 </li> 273 <li> 274 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/centers/center-for-law-and-liberty" 275 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Center for Law and Liberty (Opens in new window)" >Center for Law and Liberty</a> 276 </li> 277 <li> 278 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/data-tools" 279 >Data Tools</a> 280 </li> 281 <li> 282 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/podcast" 283 >Thinkinâ on Lincoln Podcast</a> 284 </li> 285 <li> 286 <a href="https://www.aimhigherok.com/" 287 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Aim Higher Oklahoma (Opens in new window)" >Aim Higher Oklahoma</a> 288 </li> 289 <li> 290 <a href="https://research.ocpathink.org/comprehensive-case-review-for-judicial-scorecard/" 291 >Comprehensive Case Review for Judicial Scorecard</a> 292 </li> 293 </ul> 294 </li> 295 <li> 296 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/scorecard" 297 >Legislative Scorecard</a> 298 </li> 299 <li> 300 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/judicial-scorecard" 301 >Judicial Scorecard</a> 302 </li> 303 <li> 304 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/donate" 305 >Donate</a> 306 </li> 307 <li> 308 <a href="/search" 309 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Search (Opens in new window)" >Search</a> 310 </li> 311 </ul> 312 </nav> 313 314 <nav class="tw:hidden tw:md:block tw:container tw:relative tw:bg-blue tw:md:bg-white tw:z-10"> 315 <ul class="tw:flex tw:justify-center tw:font-sans tw:font-medium tw:text-grey-900 tw:space-x-8 tw:py-2 tw:border-b tw:border-grey-900"> 316 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 317 <a 318 href="https://ocpathink.org/about" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 319 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 320 aria-haspopup="true" 321 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 322 >
323 <span> 324 About 325 </span> 326 </a> 327 </li> 328 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 329 <a 330 href="https://ocpathink.org/articles" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 331 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 332 aria-haspopup="true" 333 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 334 > 335 <span> 336 Articles 337 </span> 338 </a> 339 </li> 340 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 341 <a 342 href="https://ocpathink.org/events" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 343 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 344 aria-haspopup="true" 345 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 346 > 347 <span> 348 Events 349 </span> 350 </a> 351 </li> 352 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 353 <a 354 href="https://ocpathink.org/take-action" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 355 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 356 aria-haspopup="true" 357 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 358 > 359 <span> 360 Take Action 361 </span> 362 </a> 363 </li> 364 <li class="tw:relative" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 365 <button 366 x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 367 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 368 aria-haspopup="true" 369 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 370 > 371 <span> 372 Projects 373 </span> 374 </button> 375 <ul 376 x-cloak 377 x-show="showSubmenu" 378 x-on:mouseleave="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 379 x-transition:enter="tw:transition tw:ease-out tw:duration-100" 380 x-transition:enter-start="tw:opacity-0 tw:transform tw:translate-y-10" 381 x-transition:enter-end="tw:opacity-100 tw:transform tw:translate-y-0" 382 x-transition:leave="tw:transition tw:ease-in tw:duration-100" 383 x-transition:leave-start="tw:opacity-100 tw:transform tw:translate-y-0" 384 x-transition:leave-end="tw:opacity-0 tw:transform tw:translate-y-10" 385 class="tw:absolute tw:bottom-0 tw:right-0 tw:bg-white tw:-mr-4 tw:-mb-4 tw:z-20 tw:space-y-2 tw:w-56 tw:transform tw:translate-y-full tw:p-4 tw:rounded-md tw:shadow-md" 386 > 387 <li class="tw:text-right"> 388 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 389 href="https://www.fearsfellowship.com/" 390 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Fears Fellowship (Opens in new window)" >Fears Fellowship</a> 391 </li> 392 <li class="tw:text-right"> 393 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 394 href="https://ocpathink.org/centers/center-for-law-and-liberty" 395 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Center for Law and Liberty (Opens in new window)" >Center for Law and Liberty</a> 396 </li> 397 <li class="tw:text-right"> 398 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 399 href="https://ocpathink.org/data-tools" 400 >Data Tools</a> 401 </li> 402 <li class="tw:text-right"> 403 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 404 href="https://ocpathink.org/podcast" 405 >Thinkinâ on Lincoln Podcast</a> 406 </li> 407 <li class="tw:text-right"> 408 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 409 href="https://www.aimhigherok.com/" 410 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Aim Higher Oklahoma (Opens in new window)" >Aim Higher Oklahoma</a> 411 </li> 412 <li class="tw:text-right"> 413 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 414 href="https://www.repealjnc.com/" 415 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Repeal JNC (Opens in new window)" >Repeal JNC</a> 416 </li> 417 <li class="tw:text-right"> 418 <a class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150" 419 href="https://research.ocpathink.org/comprehe
419nsive-case-review-for-judicial-scorecard/" 420 target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Comprehensive Case Review for Judicial Scorecard (Opens in new window)" >Comprehensive Case Review for Judicial Scorecard</a> 421 </li> 422 </ul> 423 </transition> 424 </li> 425 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 426 <a 427 href="https://ocpathink.org/scorecard" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 428 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 429 aria-haspopup="true" 430 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 431 > 432 <span> 433 Legislative Scorecard 434 </span> 435 </a> 436 </li> 437 <li class="" x-data="{ showSubmenu: false }"> 438 <a 439 href="https://ocpathink.org/judicial-scorecard" x-on:click="showSubmenu = !showSubmenu" 440 x-bind:aria-expanded="showSubmenu ? 'true' : 'false'" 441 aria-haspopup="true" 442 class="tw:border-b tw:border-transparent hover:tw:border-grey-900 tw:transition-colors tw:duration-150 tw:outline-none" 443 > 444 <span> 445 Judicial Scorecard 446 </span> 447 </a> 448 </li> 449 </ul> 450 </nav> 451 452</header> 453
454 <main id="main" class="tw:flex-1 tw:md:pt-header"> 455 456 <div id="component-yqkklz" class="sprig-component" data-hx-target="this" data-hx-include="this" data-hx-trigger="refresh" data-hx-get="https://ocpathink.org/index.php/actions/sprig-core/components/render" data-hx-vals="{"sprig:config":"45b4a0469e0f641a2cbc02796c33447b4e3a9f082b14c636e3e1b5a5b693ec44{\u0022id\u0022:\u0022component-yqkklz\u0022,\u0022siteId\u0022:1,\u0022template\u0022:\u0022articles\\\/_entry-sprig\u0022,\u0022variables\u0022:{\u0022entryId\u0022:1796932}}"}"> 457 458 459 460 461 462 463<section id="1796932" x-data="{ 464 url: '/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan', 465 title: 'âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost of OKCâs plan - Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs', 466 yPosition: 0, 467 scrollDown: true, 468 scrollWatcher() { 469 470 // Only listen when we are not the current article 471 if (this.url == window.location.pathname) { 472 return false 473 } 474 475 // Lets track the scroll dirction 476 this.scrollDown = window.scrollY > this.yPosition ? true : false 477 this.yPosition = window.scrollY 478 479 // When scrolling down reset url when top of article comes into viewport 480 if ( 481 this.scrollDown 482 && this.$el.getBoundingClientRect().top > 0 483 && this.$el.getBoundingClientRect().top < window.innerHeight / 2 484 ) { 485 window.history.pushState('', this.title, this.url) 486 document.title = this.title 487 } 488 else if ( 489 !this.scrollDown 490 && this.$el.getBoundingClientRect().bottom > window.innerHeight / 2 491 && this.$el.getBoundingClientRect().bottom < window.innerHeight 492 ) { 493 window.history.pushState('', this.title, this.url) 494 document.title = this.title 495 } 496 } 497 }" x-on:scroll.window.throttle="scrollWatcher()" class="tw:pt-6 tw:flex tw:flex-col"> 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507<div class="tw:text-black" data-layout="overlappingImage"> 508 509 510 <style> 511 @media (min-width: 768px) { 512 h2 > span { 513 padding: 0.4rem; 514 margin-left: -0.4rem; 515 background-color: white; 516 color: black; 517 -webkit-box-decoration-break: clone; 518 box-decoration-break: clone; 519 } 520 } 521 </style> 522 523 <div class="tw:container 524 tw:py-6 525 tw:md:py-8 526 tw:lg:py-16"> 527 528 <div class="tw:grid tw:grid-cols-12 tw:items-center 529 tw:md:gap-8 530 tw:lg:gap-16"> 531 532 <div class="tw:col-span-12 533 tw:md:order-last 534 tw:md:col-span-7 tw:md:col-end-13 tw:md:row-span-full 535 tw:lg:col-span-6 tw:lg:col-end-12"> 536 <figure class="tw:relative tw:mb-4 tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:gap-2"> 537 <img src="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=600&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&dm=1790793986&s=eff60fe290b6965a0e2b2c907ba1ee0a" 538 class="tw:w-full" 539 style="max-height: max(50vh, 400px);" /> 540 541 542 <p class="tw:font-serif tw:italic tw:leading-7 tw:md:text-right"> 543 544 </p> 545 546 </figure> 547 </div> 548 549 <div class="tw:pb-6 tw:z-10 550 tw:col-span-12 551 tw:md:order-first 552 tw:md:col-span-7 tw:md:col-start-1 tw:md:row-span-full 553 tw:lg:col-span-6 tw:lg:col-start-2"> 554 555 <p class="tw:font-sans tw:font-bold tw:uppercase tw:mb-6 556 tw:text-blue-dark"> 557 558 Local Government 559 </p> 560 561 562 <h2 class="tw:font-serif tw:font-bold tw:leading-snug tw:mb-6 563 tw:text-26p 564 tw:md:text-36p 565 tw:lg:text-42p 566 tw:uppercase"> 567 <span> 568 âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost of OKCâs plan 569 </span> 570 </h2> 571 572 573 <p class="tw:font-serif tw:text-lg tw:italic tw:leading-7"> 574 Ray Carter | September 30, 2026 575 </p> 576 577 578 </div> 579 </div> 580 </div> 581 582 </div> 583 584 585 <div class="tw:container-narrow"> 586 <div class="wysiwyg tw:font-serif tw:text-lg tw:py-8"> 587 588 589 590 <p><span>As Oklahoma City metro-area officials call for construction of a $1.8 billion commuter rail system connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman, they have indicated roughly half the funding will come from federal grants and half from a sales-tax increase.</span></p><p><span>But the SoundTransit system in Seattle, which operates both light rail and commuter rail systems similar to the one proposed in Oklahoma City, indicates that the proposed sales-tax increase could be just the first of many tax increases required to keep the commuter rail system afloat.</span></p><p><span>âItâs endless,â said Bob Pishue, transportation policy fellow at the Mountain States Policy Center.</span></p><p><span>When the Sound Transit commuter rail system was originally launched in Seattle in the 1990s, it was funded with a three-tenths of a cent sales tax and a car-registration fee, Pishue said. Since then, numerous tax and fee hikes have been added to prop up the system. The rail service is now funded with a 1.5-percent sales tax rate, car-tag fees, rental-car taxes, property taxes, and even state subsidies provided from a share of revenue collected through a complicated </span><a href="https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/climate-change/washington-states-climate-change-program-benefits-inflated-by-a-factor-of-28/"><span>climate-tax program</span></a><span> in Washington state that has effectively increased the stateâs gas tax </span><a href="https://chriscorry.houserepublicans.wa.gov/2025/07/14/rep-chris-corry-washingtons-affordability-crisis-is-real-and-the-gas-tax-increase-is-making-it-worse/#:~:text=The%20state%E2%80%99s%20Climate,to%20added%20fees."><span>by up to 60 cents per gallon</span></a><span>.</span></p><p><span>âThey sell it as an asset, but what it really is,â Pishue said, âis a liability.â</span></p><p><span>In most cities, he noted that the cost of maintaining a rail system rises faster than the amount of revenue dedicated to the system, leading to various forms of taxpayer bailouts, including tax increases.</span></p><p><span>The fares paid by passengers typically cover only 5 percent to 10 percent of operational expenses on most commuter rail systems, Pishue noted, while the capital expenses of the system are fully borne by area taxpayers.</span></p> 591 592 <div class="quote-block tw:w-4/5 tw:relative tw:pl-5 tw:pr-0 tw:py-5 tw:md:float-right tw:md:mx-5 tw:md:w-2/5"> 593 <ul class="share-pullout tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:list-reset tw:space-y-2"> 594 <li class="share-button tw:text-center"> 595 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan&
595title=%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s+endless%E2%80%99%3A+Seattle%E2%80%99s+rail+system+shows+the+potential+cost+of+OKC%E2%80%99s+plan" target="_blank"> 596 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="16" height="32" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 32" aria-labelledby="svg-facebook-logo" role="img"> 597 <title id="svg-facebook-logo">Facebook Logo</title> 598 <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 32V17.328125H0V12h4V7.328125C4 3.5625 6.375 0 12 0c2.265625 0 4 .296875 4 .296875l-.21875 5.03125h-3.453125C10.296875 5.328125 10 6.4375 10 8v4h6l-.40625 5.328125H10V32H4z"/> 599</svg> 600 601 </a> 602 </li> 603 <li class="share-button tw:text-center"> 604 <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan&text=%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s+endless%E2%80%99%3A+Seattle%E2%80%99s+rail+system+shows+the+potential+cost+of+OKC%E2%80%99s+plan" target="_blank"> 605 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" image-rendering="optimizeQuality" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" viewBox="0 0 512 462.799" aria-labelledby="svg-x-logo" role="img"> 606 <title id="svg-x-logo">X Logo</title> 607 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M403.229 0h78.506L310.219 196.04 512 462.799H354.002L230.261 301.007 88.669 462.799h-78.56l183.455-209.683L0 0h161.999l111.856 147.88L403.229 0zm-27.556 415.805h43.505L138.363 44.527h-46.68l283.99 371.278z"/> 608</svg> 609 610 </a> 611 </li> 612 </ul> 613 <p class="tw:text-xl! tw:font-bold tw:whitespace-pre-line">âIf they told the public the real cost, the public wouldnât have approved it.â 614âBob Pishue</p> 615 </div> 616 617 <p><span>And even with all the tax increases provided to the SoundTransit system, it is still marked by financial instability. A recently approved expansion of the Seattle rail system has created a </span><a href="https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion"><span>deficit of $34.5 billion</span></a><span> through 2046.</span></p><p><span>âIf they told the public the real cost,â Pishue said, âthe public wouldnât have approved it.â</span></p><p><span>In his August âState of the Cityâ address, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt argued that traffic congestion on metro highways will only get worse as the area population continues to grow in coming years. He indicated the proposed commuter rail system will head off that problem.</span></p><p><span>Citing Census data, Holt said people in the Oklahoma City area spent an average of 19.2 minutes driving to their jobs in Oklahoma City in 2005. Today, that drive-time figure is nearly three minutes longer than in 2005.</span></p><p><span>Holt said the proposed 39-mile, 10-stop commuter rail system in the Oklahoma City area will âpreserve our quality of life by alleviating traffic congestion.â</span></p><p><span>But that hasnât been the case in Seattle.</span></p><p><span>INRIX, a transportation data and analytics company, </span><a href="https://inrix.com/scorecard/#city-ranking-list"><span>ranks</span></a><span> Seattle as the tenth-most congested city in the nation.</span></p><p><span>Pishue offered a short response to claims that commuter rail reduces traffic congestion: âIt really does nothing.â</span></p><p><span>He noted that rail systems lack the passenger capacity (or demand) to have a meaningful impact on traffic congestion.</span></p><p><span>âYou could probably double the transit ridership or triple it in that region, and it would still do nothing because itâs such a small number,â Pishue said. </span></p> 618 619 <div class="quote-block tw:w-4/5 tw:relative tw:pl-5 tw:pr-0 tw:py-5 tw:md:float-left tw:md:mr-10 tw:md:w-2/5"> 620 <ul class="share-pullout tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:list-reset tw:space-y-2"> 621 <li class="share-button tw:text-center"> 622 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan&
622title=%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s+endless%E2%80%99%3A+Seattle%E2%80%99s+rail+system+shows+the+potential+cost+of+OKC%E2%80%99s+plan" target="_blank"> 623 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="16" height="32" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 32" aria-labelledby="svg-facebook-logo" role="img"> 624 <title id="svg-facebook-logo">Facebook Logo</title> 625 <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 32V17.328125H0V12h4V7.328125C4 3.5625 6.375 0 12 0c2.265625 0 4 .296875 4 .296875l-.21875 5.03125h-3.453125C10.296875 5.328125 10 6.4375 10 8v4h6l-.40625 5.328125H10V32H4z"/> 626</svg> 627 628 </a> 629 </li> 630 <li class="share-button tw:text-center"> 631 <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan&text=%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s+endless%E2%80%99%3A+Seattle%E2%80%99s+rail+system+shows+the+potential+cost+of+OKC%E2%80%99s+plan" target="_blank"> 632 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" image-rendering="optimizeQuality" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" viewBox="0 0 512 462.799" aria-labelledby="svg-x-logo" role="img"> 633 <title id="svg-x-logo">X Logo</title> 634 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M403.229 0h78.506L310.219 196.04 512 462.799H354.002L230.261 301.007 88.669 462.799h-78.56l183.455-209.683L0 0h161.999l111.856 147.88L403.229 0zm-27.556 415.805h43.505L138.363 44.527h-46.68l283.99 371.278z"/> 635</svg> 636 637 </a> 638 </li> 639 </ul> 640 <p class="tw:text-xl! tw:font-bold tw:whitespace-pre-line">âItâs an old-school model that just doesnât work, and itâs extremely costly.â 641âBob Pishue</p> 642 </div> 643 644 <p><span>Even though the Seattle area is âdenser, more populated,â Pishue noted that transit in general (buses, light rail, and commuter rail) serves only âabout 5 percent of daily trip demand for $100-plus billion in rail, more than $1 billion a year in bus operations.â</span></p><p><span>âItâs less than 5 percent of trip demand for $100-and-some billion and about $3 billion a year in subsidies,â Pishue said.</span></p><p><span>And many rail systems, including the proposed Oklahoma City commuter rail, are based on the idea that people need to get to the downtown area to workâwhich is not the case in most U.S. cities.</span></p><p><span>âDowntown isnât where the jobs are,â Pishue said. âThe jobs are all over the place.â</span></p><p><span>Oklahoma City metro-area officials </span><a href="https://www.onetransit.org/commuter-rail/"><span>project</span></a><span> the proposed commuter rail system will have a per-hour peak direction capacity of only 600 to 2,400 passengers.</span></p><p><span>The 2020 </span><a href="https://www.okcommerce.gov/wp-content/uploads/Oklahoma-State-and-County-Population-Projections-Through-2070.pdf"><span>population</span></a><span> for counties in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area was 1,425,695.</span></p><p><span>If a commuter rail system is created in the Oklahoma City area, thereâs little reason to expect the average citizen will see any benefit via reduced drive times, but thereâs good reason to expect the average citizen will bear added financial costs to sustain it, Pishue noted.</span></p><p><span>âItâs an old-school model that just doesnât work,â Pishue said, âand itâs extremely costly.â</span></p> 645 646 </div> 647 648 <div class="tw:flex tw:items-center tw:justify-start tw:py-5 649 tw:border-t tw:border-b tw:border-gray-900"> 650 <div class="tw:flex-grow-0 tw:mr-4 tw:uppercase tw:text-blue tw:font-bold tw:text-xs">Share:</div> 651 <ul class="tw:flex-grow-0 tw:flex tw:items-center tw:space-x-3 tw:-mt-1"> 652 <li> 653 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan" target="_blank"> 654 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="16" height="32" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 32" aria-labelledby="svg-facebook-logo" role="img"> 655 <title id="svg-facebook-logo">Facebook Logo</title> 656 <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 32V17.328125H0V12h4V7.328125C4 3.5625 6.375 0 12 0c2.265625 0 4 .296875 4 .296875l-.21875 5.03125h-3.453125C10.296875 5.328125 10 6.4375 10 8v4h6l-.40625 5.328125H10V32H4z"/> 657</svg> 658 659 </a> 660 </li> 661 <li> 662 <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan&
662text=%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s+endless%E2%80%99%3A+Seattle%E2%80%99s+rail+system+shows+the+potential+cost+of+OKC%E2%80%99s+plan" target="_blank"> 663 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" image-rendering="optimizeQuality" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" viewBox="0 0 512 462.799" aria-labelledby="svg-x-logo" role="img"> 664 <title id="svg-x-logo">X Logo</title> 665 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M403.229 0h78.506L310.219 196.04 512 462.799H354.002L230.261 301.007 88.669 462.799h-78.56l183.455-209.683L0 0h161.999l111.856 147.88L403.229 0zm-27.556 415.805h43.505L138.363 44.527h-46.68l283.99 371.278z"/> 666</svg> 667 668 </a> 669 </li> 670 <li> 671 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Focpathink.org%2Fpost%2Findependent-journalism%2Fits-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan" target="_blank"> 672 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="35" height="34" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 35 34" aria-labelledby="svg-linkedin-logo" role="img"> 673 <title id="svg-linkedin-logo">LinkedIn Logo</title> 674 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M29.4665833 28.9736667H24.43175V21.08425c0-1.8813333-.03825-4.3024167-2.6236667-4.3024167-2.6250833 0-3.026 2.0470834-3.026 4.1635834v8.02825H13.74725V12.75h4.8365v2.2114167h.0651667c.67575-1.275 2.3190833-2.6208334 4.7741666-2.6208334 5.1014167 0 6.0449167 3.3575 6.0449167 7.7279167v8.9051667h-.0014167zM8.06075 10.5300833c-1.62066667 0-2.92258333-1.3118333-2.92258333-2.92541663C5.13816667 5.9925 6.4415 4.68208333 8.06075 4.68208333c1.615 0 2.924 1.31041667 2.924 2.92258334 0 1.61358333-1.31041667 2.92541663-2.924 2.92541663zm2.5245 18.4435834h-5.049V12.75h5.049v16.2236667zM31.9854167 0H3.00891667C1.622 0 .5 1.0965.5 2.44941667V31.5505833C.5 32.9049167 1.622 34 3.00891667 34H31.9811667C33.3666667 34 34.5 32.9049167 34.5 31.5505833V2.44941667C34.5 1.0965 33.3666667 0 31.9811667 0h.00425z"/> 675</svg> 676 677 </a> 678 </li> 679 <li> 680 <a href="mailto:?subject=OCPAthink.org%20-%20%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s%20endless%E2%80%99%3A%20Seattle%E2%80%99s%20rail%20system%20shows%20the%20potential%20cost%20of%20OKC%E2%80%99s%20plan&body=Read%20article%20here%20https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan." target="_blank"> 681 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="64px" height="46px" viewBox="0 0 64 46" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> 682 <g fill-rule="nonzero"> 683 <g id="Group" transform="translate(0.000000, 0.790000)"> 684 <polygon id="Path" points="1.39 0 22.47 21.94 22.47 21.94 22.48 21.94 32 31.86 41.52 21.95 41.52 21.94 41.53 21.94 62.61 0"></polygon> 685 <polygon id="Path" points="20.3 22.66 0 1.53 0 42.95"></polygon> 686 <path d="M42.27,24.15 L32.74,34.06 C32.5504755,34.2685142 32.281776,34.3873931 32,34.3873931 C31.718224,34.3873931 31.4495245,34.2685142 31.26,34.06 L21.73,24.15 L1.45,44.42 L62.54,44.42 L42.27,24.15 Z" id="Path"></path> 687 <polygon id="Path" points="43.7 22.66 64 42.96 64 1.53"></polygon> 688 </g> 689 </g> 690</svg> 691 </a> 692 </li> 693 <li> 694 <a href="https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan?print=true"> 695 <svg class="tw:w-auto tw:h-5 tw:text-blue tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill hover:tw:text-black" width="136px" height="126px" viewBox="0 0 136 126" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> 696 <g transform="translate(-40.000000, 0.000000)" fill-rule="nonzero"> 697 <path d="M171.184,57.175 C168.114,54.105 164.434,52.571 160.143,52.571 L154.93,52.571 L154.93,31.714 C154.93,29.542 154.385,27.151 153.299,24.545 C152.213,21.938 150.91,19.874 149.389,18.353 L137.004,5.969 C135.484,4.449 133.42,3.145 130.813,2.058 C128.206,0.972 125.817,0.429 123.643,0.429 L68.893,0.429 C66.72,0.429 64.873,1.189 63.352,2.71 C61.832,4.23 61.071,6.077 61.071,8.25 L61.071,52.571 L55.857,52.571 C51.566,52.571 47.886,54.106 44.817,57.175 C41.748,60.243 40.214,63.923 40.214,68.214 L40.214,102.108 C40.214,102.815 40.472,103.424 40.988,103.942 C41.504,104.457 42.115,104.714 42.821,104.714 L61.071,104.714 L61.071,117.75 C61.071,119.923 61.831,121.7
6977 63.352,123.29 C64.873,124.81 66.72,125.571 68.893,125.571 L147.107,125.571 C149.279,125.571 151.128,124.81 152.648,123.29 C154.168,121.769 154.929,119.923 154.929,117.75 L154.929,104.714 L173.179,104.714 C173.884,104.714 174.495,104.457 175.011,103.942 C175.527,103.424 175.784,102.815 175.784,102.108 L175.784,68.214 C175.784,63.923 174.252,60.243 171.184,57.175 Z M144.5,115.143 L71.5,115.143 L71.5,94.287 L144.5,94.287 L144.5,115.143 Z M144.5,63 L71.5,63 L71.5,10.858 L123.643,10.858 L123.643,23.893 C123.643,26.066 124.405,27.912 125.924,29.433 C127.445,30.954 129.291,31.714 131.465,31.714 L144.5,31.714 L144.5,63 Z M163.809,71.881 C162.778,72.912 161.555,73.429 160.143,73.429 C158.731,73.429 157.509,72.912 156.477,71.881 C155.446,70.85 154.93,69.626 154.93,68.214 C154.93,66.802 155.446,65.58 156.477,64.548 C157.509,63.516 158.731,63 160.143,63 C161.555,63 162.778,63.516 163.809,64.548 C164.841,65.58 165.358,66.802 165.358,68.214 C165.358,69.626 164.842,70.85 163.809,71.881 Z" id="Shape"></path> 698 </g> 699</svg> 700 </a> 701 </li> 702 </ul> 703 </div> 704 705 706 <div x-data="{ selectedBio: null }" class="tw:py-8 tw:mb-8 tw:border-b tw:border-gray-900"> 707 <div class=" 708 tw:grid tw:grid-cols-1 tw:gap-x-12 tw:gap-y-12 709 tw:sm:grid-cols-2 710 tw:md:grid-cols-3 711 tw:lg:grid-cols-4"> 712 <div class="tw:col-span-1"> 713 <div class=" 714 tw:flex 715 tw:sm:flex-col tw:sm:h-full tw:sm:gap-4"> 716 <div class="tw:w-40 tw:sm:w-auto tw:pr-4 tw:sm:pr-0"> 717 <div class="tw:aspect-square"> 718 <img class="tw:object-cover tw:border tw:w-full tw:h-full" style="object-position: 50% 50%" src="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/headshots/OCPA-Headshots-for-Website_Ray.jpg?w=300&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&dm=1722355298&s=b21102eb3881374dcfca3922c3ef48cb" alt="Ray Carter Director, Center for Independent Journalism"/> 719 </div> 720 </div> 721 722 <div class="tw:flex tw:flex-col tw:h-full"> 723 <h2 class="tw:mb-2 tw:uppercase tw:text-blue tw:font-bold"> 724 Ray Carter 725 </h2> 726 <p class="tw:flex-1 tw:italic tw:font-serif tw:text-lg tw:mb-2"> 727 Director, Center for Independent Journalism 728 </p> 729 <div class="tw:mt-2"> 730 <button x-bind:aria-expanded="selectedBio == 0 ? true : false" x-on:click="selectedBio == 0 ? selectedBio = null : selectedBio = 0" class="btn tw:uppercase tw:text-xs tw:mb-2"> 731 <span x-text="selectedBio == 0 ? 'Hide Bio' : 'Show Bio'"></span> 732 </button> 733 </div> 734 </div> 735 </div> 736 737 <div class="tw:bg-blue tw:text-white tw:px-4 tw:py-5 tw:mt-4 tw:sm:sr-only" x-show="selectedBio == 0"> 738 <p class="tw:font-serif">Ray Carter is the director of OCPAâs Center for Independent Journalism. He has two decades of experience in journalism and communications. He previously served as senior Capitol reporter for The Journal Record, media director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and chief editorial writer at The Oklahoman. As a reporter for The Journal Record, Carter received 12 Carl Rogan Awards in four yearsâincluding awards for investigative reporting, general news reporting, feature writing, spot news reporting, business reporting, and sports reporting. While at The Oklahoman, he was the recipient of several awards, including first place in the editorial writing category of the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives Carl Rogan Memorial News Excellence Competition for an editorial on the history of racism in the Oklahoma legislature.</p> 739 </div> 740 </div> 741 </div> 742 743 <div> 744 <template x-if="selectedBio == 0"> 745 <div aria-hidden="true" class="tw:hidden tw:sm:block tw:bg-blue tw:text-white tw:px-4 tw:py-5 tw:mt-4"> 746 <p class="tw:font-serif">Ray Carter is the director of OCPAâs Center for Independent Journalism. He has two decades of experience in journalism and communications. He previously served as senior Capitol reporter for The Journal Record, media director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and chief editorial writer at The Oklahoman. As a reporter for The Journal Record, Carter received 12 Carl Rogan Awards in four yearsâincluding awards for investigative reporting, general news reporting, feature writing, spot news reporting, business reporting, and sports reporting. While at The Oklahoman, he was the recipient of several awards, including first place in the editorial writing category of the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives Carl Rogan Memorial News Excellence Competition for an editorial on the history of racism in the Oklahoma legislature.</p> 747 </div> 748 </template> 749 </div> 750 </div> 751 </div> 752 753</section> 754 755 756 757 <div class="tw:pb-10" sprig s-target="this" s-val:entry-id="1796842" s-trigger="revealed" s-swap="outerHTML" data-hx-get="https://ocpathink.org/index.php/actions/sprig-core/components/render" data-hx-target="this" data-hx-vals="{"entryId":"1796842"}" data-hx-trigger="revealed" data-hx-swap="outerHTML" data-sprig-parsed> 758 <div class="tw:flex tw:justify-center tw:items-center"> 759 <div class="tw:mr-4 tw:w-10 tw:h-10 tw:rounded-full tw:border-t-4 tw:border-brand-500 tw:animate-spin"></div> 760 <span class="tw:text-xl tw:italic">Loading Next</span> 761 </div> 762 </div> 763 764 765
765<script> 766 ga('send', 'pageview', 'post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan'); 767 </script>
767 768</div> 769 770 771 </main> 772 773 774 775 776 777<footer class="tw:bg-grey-900 tw:py-16"> 778 <div class="tw:flex tw:px-5 tw:md:px-0 tw:flex-col tw:md:flex-row tw:justify-center tw:text-white tw:text-xs tw:tracking-wider tw:mb-10"> 779 <div class="tw:mb-2 tw:md:mb-0 tw:md:pr-8"> 780 <h2>Oklahoma Council Of Public Affairs</h2> 781 <address class="tw:not-italic">1401 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73104</address> 782 <p>Phone: 405.602.1667</p> 783 </div> 784 <div class="tw:mb-2 tw:md:mb-0 tw:md:px-8 tw:md:border-l tw:md:border-r tw:border-white"> 785 <p> 786 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" class="tw:text-white tw:underline"> 787 [email protected] 788 </a> 789 </p> 790 </div> 791 <div class="tw:md:pl-8"> 792 <p>© 2026 Oklahoma Council Of Public Affairs</p> 793 <p>All Rights Reserved</p> 794 <ul class="tw:flex tw:space-x-2 tw:mt-2"> 795 <li> 796 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ocpathink/" aria-label="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs on Facebook"> 797 <svg class="tw:w-4 tw:h-4 tw:text-white tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill" width="16" height="32" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 32" aria-labelledby="svg-facebook-logo" role="img"> 798 <title id="svg-facebook-logo">Facebook Logo</title> 799 <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 32V17.328125H0V12h4V7.328125C4 3.5625 6.375 0 12 0c2.265625 0 4 .296875 4 .296875l-.21875 5.03125h-3.453125C10.296875 5.328125 10 6.4375 10 8v4h6l-.40625 5.328125H10V32H4z"/> 800</svg> 801 802 </a> 803 </li> 804 <li> 805 <a href="https://twitter.com/ocpathink?lang=en" aria-label="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs on Twitter"> 806 <svg class="tw:w-4 tw:h-4 tw:text-white tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" image-rendering="optimizeQuality" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" viewBox="0 0 512 462.799" aria-labelledby="svg-x-logo" role="img"> 807 <title id="svg-x-logo">X Logo</title> 808 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M403.229 0h78.506L310.219 196.04 512 462.799H354.002L230.261 301.007 88.669 462.799h-78.56l183.455-209.683L0 0h161.999l111.856 147.88L403.229 0zm-27.556 415.805h43.505L138.363 44.527h-46.68l283.99 371.278z"/> 809</svg> 810 811 </a> 812 </li> 813 <li> 814 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ocpathink" aria-label="Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs on LinkedIn"> 815 <svg class="tw:w-4 tw:h-4 tw:text-white tw:fill-current svg-icon svg-fill" width="35" height="34" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 35 34" aria-labelledby="svg-linkedin-logo" role="img"> 816 <title id="svg-linkedin-logo">LinkedIn Logo</title> 817 <path fill-rule="nonzero" d="M29.4665833 28.9736667H24.43175V21.08425c0-1.8813333-.03825-4.3024167-2.6236667-4.3024167-2.6250833 0-3.026 2.0470834-3.026 4.1635834v8.02825H13.74725V12.75h4.8365v2.2114167h.0651667c.67575-1.275 2.3190833-2.6208334 4.7741666-2.6208334 5.1014167 0 6.0449167 3.3575 6.0449167 7.7279167v8.9051667h-.0014167zM8.06075 10.5300833c-1.62066667 0-2.92258333-1.3118333-2.92258333-2.92541663C5.13816667 5.9925 6.4415 4.68208333 8.06075 4.68208333c1.615 0 2.924 1.31041667 2.924 2.92258334 0 1.61358333-1.31041667 2.92541663-2.924 2.92541663zm2.5245 18.4435834h-5.049V12.75h5.049v16.2236667zM31.9854167 0H3.00891667C1.622 0 .5 1.0965.5 2.44941667V31.5505833C.5 32.9049167 1.622 34 3.00891667 34H31.9811667C33.3666667 34 34.5 32.9049167 34.5 31.5505833V2.44941667C34.5 1.0965 33.3666667 0 31.9811667 0h.00425z"/> 818</svg> 819 820 </a> 821 </li> 822 </ul> 823 </div> 824 </div> 825 <div class="tw:w-full tw:border-t tw:border-white tw:relative"> 826 <span class="footer-star tw:absolute tw:bg-white tw:rounded-full tw:w-10 tw:h-10 tw:flex tw:justify-center tw:items-start"> 827 <svg class="tw:w-10/12 tw:h-auto tw:text-grey-900" width="40px" height="40px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 40 40" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation" style="margin-top: 2px;"> 828 <title>
828Star</title> 829 <g id="Artboard" stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> 830 <polygon id="Shape-path" fill="#212121" fill-rule="nonzero" points="7.63485477 40 20.0829876 30.7017544 32.4757953 40 27.6071923 24.7368421 35.2973721 18.8304094 40 15.2046784 24.7302905 15.2046784 20.0276625 0 15.2697095 15.2046784 0 15.2046784 12.3928077 24.7368421"></polygon> 831 </g> 832</svg> 833 834 </span> 835 </div> 836</footer> 837 838 </div> 839
840<script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","author":{"@id":"https://ocpathink.org#identity"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https://ocpathink.org#identity"},"copyrightYear":"2026","creator":{"@id":"#creator"},"dateCreated":"2026-09-30T13:37:35-05:00","dateModified":"2026-09-30T14:18:51-05:00","datePublished":"2026-09-30T14:18:00-05:00","description":"Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-tax increase. But Seattleâs experience suggests the initial tax could be only the beginning of taxpayersâ costs.","headline":"âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost of OKCâs plan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=4000&h=2667&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&dm=1790793986&s=302c4caf5a8b8148b8b2dceca88e0256"},"inLanguage":"en-us","mainEntityOfPage":"https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan","name":"âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost of OKCâs plan","publisher":{"@id":"#creator"},"url":"https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan"},{"@id":"https://ocpathink.org#identity","@type":"LocalBusiness","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressCountry":"US","addressLocality":"Oklahoma City","addressRegion":"OK","postalCode":"73104","streetAddress":"Oklahoma Council Of Public Affairs 1401 N. Lincoln Blvd."},"description":"For more than 30 years, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) has promoted the flourishing of the people of Oklahoma by advancing principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, individual initiative, personal responsibility, and strong families.","email":"[email protected]","geo":{"@type":"GeoCoordinates","latitude":"35.482760","longitude":"-97.504000"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"560","url":"https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/img/OCPA-Blue-Logo-02.png?w=909&h=560&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1644339696&s=320eac2fb8a019baa6cd1a5eeab7fd94","width":"909"},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"370","url":"https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/img/OCPA-Blue-Logo-02.png?w=600&h=600&q=82&fm=png&fit=max&dm=1644339696&s=9eec850f9a511352429dde2bfea37771","width":"600"},"name":"Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs","priceRange":"$","sameAs":["https://twitter.com/ocpathink?lang=en"],"telephone":"+1 4056021667","url":"https://ocpathink.org"},{"@id":"#creator","@type":"Organization"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","description":"Breadcrumbs list","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","item":"https://ocpathink.org/","name":"Home","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":"https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seattles-rail-system-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan","name":"âItâs endlessâ: Seattleâs rail system shows the potential cost of OKCâs plan","position":2}],"name":"Breadcrumbs"}]}</script>
840<script src="https://ocpathink.org/cpresources/576534bc/htmx.min.js?v=1790886909"></script>
840</body> 841</html>
Line numbers count LF bytes from the start of the resource, as the search results do. Vendor segments are library code the classifier recognised; they are stored but not indexed. Bytes are shown as Latin1 characters, one per byte.