Proposed metro commuter rail to be funded by penny sales tax
Posted July 21, 2026 5:29pm
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A monumental partnership between Oklahoma City, Norman, and Edmond could make it easier for people to get to and from without the hassle of wasting time on the road.
The proposed ONE Transit rail would be paid for by penny sales taxes, which simply means one cent on every taxable item purchased would go toward this project.
Penny sales taxes are not new to Oklahomans. Penny sales taxes have been used many times in the past several years to help improve the Paycom Center, build Scissortail Park, and revitalize the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
So, now what could that penny do? ONE Transit Interim Executive Director Jason Ferbrache said that about three-quarters of that penny would go to the high-capacity transit, the commuter rail, and the enhancements to the bus system.
Ferbrache says the other “quarter of that one penny would go to maintaining existing infrastructure. Existing infrastructure is streets. It’s roads, it’s bridges, it’s sidewalks.”
The rail is estimated to cost just north of one billion dollars—but your penny isn’t bearing the brunt of this project alone. “We expect to get about half of that funding from the federal government, leveraging various competitive grants,” said Ferbrache.
The rail would start in North Edmond and go all the way down to South Norman, with stops near the new Thunder Arena and a special event stop near the OU campus—convenient for game day. Convenience isn’t the only thought at hand; economic development is a part of this conversation.
“What we found was in prior places that a commuter rail had been installed, you get about a 5% return on $1 invested,” said Dr. David Chapman, Director for ONE Transit. Chapman said that he fully expects those same results to happen in Oklahoma as well.
“The economic development that surrounds these train stations is basically retail, office, and different amenities all around the train station,” said Chapman. “People can literally come into the station and partake of those amenities and those services, spend their money, and then get on the train and go.”
Officials say this process could take 20 to 30 years, but in the meantime, Oklahomans can expect to see small wins like bettering the buses.
“Let’s make our city be able to keep up with the expected growth,” said Ferbrache. “Let’s improve the quality of life for all of those in the region, allowing people to get to events, to get to work wherever they need to go.”
If the three cities agree to the plan, the penny sales tax initiative would go to a vote of the people living in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Edmond sometime next year.
So far, there has not been widespread, vocal opposition to this plan. But historically, there are groups that oppose tax increases of any kind. As of yet, we haven’t heard from them regarding this proposal.