[1] Initial commercial demonstration test trips were conducted in February 2014, running between Oklahoma City and the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa with stops in Stroud and Bristow.

[2] In late 2014, Iowa Pacific offered one-hour Polar Express excursions on the Eastern Flyer out of Bristow, inspired by the children's book and film of the same name, to promote the service.

[6] The contract included a requirement to start a six-month daily passenger service trial run before August 2019, with a financial penalty for not meeting the deadline set at $2.8 million.

[6] With Iowa Pacific no longer involved, in June of 2018, the Stillwater Central, being only a freight operator, issued a request for proposal to begin the process of securing another private rail carrier to provide the passenger service.

[8] The original sale agreement with Stillwater Central called for the state to retain the right to acquire a passenger rail easement should the company decide not to operate such a service after 10 years.

[12] However, the route has so far remained in operation,[10] and expansion has even been discussed with respect to extending the line from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas, to connect to Amtrak's Southwest Chief, a proposal backed for many years by a group called the Northern Flyer Alliance.