April 13, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

North Texas is on the cusp of losing the only daily train that serves Fort Worth, Gainesville and Oklahoma points because the yearly funding for the train was stripped out of the Texas legislative budget.

The Heartland Flyer, in operation since 1999, carried over 80,000 passengers last year and is in jeopardy of being discontinued as early as June due to lack of funding. It would mean over 50,000 vehicles a year back on Interstate 35 and a loss of sales tax revenue, hotel and restaurant traffic and well as tourist dollars if the train goes away.

Fighting to stay alive is not a new thing for the Heartland Flyer, which is a partnered service between the Texas and Oklahoma Departments of Transportation and operated by Amtrak crews. Every two years local and regional elected and appointed officials have fought for funding, sometimes getting a last-minute reprieve.  Ridership continues to build post-pandemic. Last year ridership was up 14%.

A previous study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute showed that for every dollar the state of Texas spent on the Heartland Flyer it returned over five dollars in economic benefits to the cities that the train serves. 

Texas picks up less than half of the operating costs of the train, some $2.5 million a year and Oklahoma shoulders the balance. The Texas share has not changed in the past decade, while all costs have escalated. TxDOT asked for an "exceptional item" in this year's budget to bring the Texas share of costs up a realistic level, but budget planners in Austin stripped out the request as well as the base operating cost.

Last year, the North Central Texas Council of Governments stepped in with supplemental funding when insufficient state funds ran out. 

"This is an interstate transportation choice for many in North Texas," according to Texas Rail Advocates President Peter LeCody. "This train serves college students going to Norman and Oklahoma city of coming to Fort Worth, day tourists coming to Cow Town and it's the only direct surface public transportation option between Fort Worth, Gainesville and other Oklahoma stops. You want to take a bus? You change in Dallas." 

At the Southwestern Rail Conference last week in Hurst, Trinity Metro CEO Rich Andreski warned attendees about the impending shutdown of the train service, which operates out of Fort Worth Central Station. A sizeable number of passengers from Oklahoma use Central Station to utilize local bus and rail services, car rental and rideshare as well as transfer to Amtrak's national service on the Texas Eagle. "Now is the time to advocate,” as Andreski urged supporters to contact their state elected officials. 

Oklahoma and Kansas have been active in planning to extend the Heartland Flyer northward to connect with the national rail network, offering hundreds more connections by train. If Texas drops out, future plans for extending the service could be in jeopardy.

Texas Rail Advocates urges support for the Heartland Flyer and for interested citizens to call their Texas Senator and Representative and tell them to fund the train. https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home.