PageSourceSearch

https://ocpathink.org/post/independent-journalism/its-endless-seat…ystem-shows-the-potential-cost-of-okcs-plan

html ocpathink.org collected 2026-10-02 07:37:49 UTC 59,189 bytes, 841 lines download raw bytes

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(&#039;vite-script-loaded&#039;, {detail:{path: &#039;src/main.js&#039;}});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>‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of…</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-tax…">
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="‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of…" 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-tax…" property="og:description">
131<meta content="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=630&amp;q=82&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=min&amp;dm=1790793986&amp;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="‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of…">
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-tax…">
141<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://oklahoma-council.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/blog/Streetcar/Seattle-Light-Rail.jpeg?w=800&amp;h=418&amp;q=82&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=min&amp;dm=1790793986&amp;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                                        >Thinkin’ 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                       >Thinkin’ 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="{&quot;sprig:config&quot;:&quot;45b4a0469e0f641a2cbc02796c33447b4e3a9f082b14c636e3e1b5a5b693ec44{\u0022id\u0022:\u0022component-yqkklz\u0022,\u0022siteId\u0022:1,\u0022template\u0022:\u0022articles\\\/_entry-sprig\u0022,\u0022variables\u0022:{\u0022entryId\u0022:1796932}}&quot;}">
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: '‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s 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&amp;auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;fit=min&amp;dm=1790793986&amp;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			‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s 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>“It’s endless,” 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 state’s 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>“They sell it as an asset, but what it really is,” Pishue said, “is a liability.”</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&amp;
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&amp;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">“If they told the public the real cost, the public wouldn’t have approved it.”
614—Bob 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>“If they told the public the real cost,” Pishue said, “the public wouldn’t have approved it.”</span></p><p><span>In his August “State of the City” 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 “preserve our quality of life by alleviating traffic congestion.”</span></p><p><span>But that hasn’t 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: “It really does nothing.”</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>“You could probably double the transit ridership or triple it in that region, and it would still do nothing because it’s such a small number,” Pishue said.&nbsp;</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&amp;
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&amp;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">“It’s an old-school model that just doesn’t work, and it’s extremely costly.”
641—Bob Pishue</p>
642						</div>
643
644																		<p><span>Even though the Seattle area is “denser, more populated,” Pishue noted that transit in general (buses, light rail, and commuter rail) serves only “about 5 percent of daily trip demand for $100-plus billion in rail, more than $1 billion a year in bus operations.”</span></p><p><span>“It’s less than 5 percent of trip demand for $100-and-some billion and about $3 billion a year in subsidies,” 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 work—which is not the case in most U.S. cities.</span></p><p><span>“Downtown isn’t where the jobs are,” Pishue said. “The jobs are all over the place.”</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, there’s little reason to expect the average citizen will see any benefit via reduced drive times, but there’s good reason to expect the average citizen will bear added financial costs to sustain it, Pishue noted.</span></p><p><span>“It’s an old-school model that just doesn’t work,” Pishue said, “and it’s extremely costly.”</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&amp;
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&amp;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&amp;auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;fit=min&amp;dm=1722355298&amp;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 OCPA’s 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 years—including 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 OCPA’s 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 years—including 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="{&quot;entryId&quot;:&quot;1796842&quot;}" 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>&copy; 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 Seattle’s experience suggests the initial tax could be only the beginning of taxpayers’ costs.","headline":"‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s 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":"‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s 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":"‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s 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.