A former city councilor suggests using a downtown landmark as a passenger rail depot.
Rail committee chair Rick Westcott said the Jazz Hall of Fame is at a great spot, though the city would have to help a school using space there to relocate.
"Use the jazz hall to help the train, use the train to help the jazz hall," Westcott said. "Let them cooperate with each other but not hurt the jazz hall, and also not hurt the school."
Westcott says a train depot could use the bottom floor of the building, which is where the school currently is. That would not affect the Jazz Hall of Fame.
Westcott urged city councilors to start thinking about a downtown passenger train depot now, because finding a permanent station will take some work.
"We're going to need one facility that serves this train ... serves a revamped and improved MTTA bus system, and also serves an intercity transportation system," Westcott said.
Iowa Pacific must work with rail owners BNSF. The companies must bypass a west Tulsa yard and reach an agreement for passenger trains to pass through that way, letting trains reach downtown.
Westcott also asked the council for help getting people to use passenger rail service, because if the interest isn't there, service will stop. The first six months will be on a trial basis, with the trains stopping in Sapulpa and Midwest City and buses taking passengers the rest of the way.
"One of the things the council could do is help generate public discussion on this issue so that people will ride the train," Westcott said. "So that people will — if you want to call it a little bit of an inconvenience — take the bus out to the train station."
Service from Tulsa to Oklahoma City will likely start in the first half of next year.
