ARLINGTON, Texas — A North Texas governmental agency will provide $100,000 to address a funding shortfall for the Fort Worth-Oklahoma City Heartland Flyer.
The news site Fort Worth Report says the Regional Transportation Council, a 45-member organization that it part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, has allocated the money from regional toll revenues to address a $72,000 shortfall in Heartland Flyer funding for the current fiscal year, which ends in September. The Council of Governments will also inform the Texas legislature that the funding requested by the state Department of Transportation is inadequate and should be bolstered.
Texas provides about $2.6 million for the train, but has not increased funding for more than a decade.
A staff report said the move will prevent disruptions, and notes that the transportation council had previously approved $700,000 for a shortfall in 2023. That was ultimately not needed as Texas DOT addressed the issue.
The train’s route includes two of the 16 counties in the NCTCOG: Tarrant — which include the southern terminus of Fort Worth — and Denton.
Amtrak figures show that Heartland Flyer ridership increased by 14.8% in fiscal 2023, to 72,379 — the highest figure in the last eight years, exceeding the 71,340 in 2017. A study is currently underway to consider a possible extension of the train to connect with the Southwest Chief in Newton, Kan.; in December, officials of the Kansas Department of Transportation said infrastructure improvements for that 198-mile addition could reach $573 million [see “Kansas officials say extension …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 11, 2025].
I would like to propose something greater for an east-west connection. A Chicago section and a Denver section, combined with the Chief as far as La Junta. A St-Paul KC train could connect with both the Flyer and the Chief.
On the South end, extend it to Houston, meeting the Eagle between Ft Worth and Dallas. St Louis-Houston passengers could connect at Dallas and KC-San Antonio passenger could connect at Houston.
I know it’s not going to happen with the 750-mile rule, but I can dream. In the short term can they at least extend it to Dallas? How about a KC-Dallas day train and an Oklahoma City-Houston day train?
If only Congress were as generous with the taxpayers $$$ when it comes to Amtrak as they have been with Hwys & aviation we might actually have a balanced transportation system able to meet the needs of all the travelling public.
I agree with Charles Landey regarding the proposed Newton, Kansas connection. For example today (1/29) No. 4 is running seven and a half hours late into Kansas City.
Needs to have a connection to daily East/West svc to increase ridership. This is a perfect example of why corridors will never grow/survive without a national network to feed into it.
GALEN — Agree with you but I’d go one further. The train needs to go all the way to Chicago. Who wants to “connect” in the middle of the night in a small town in Kansas. Besides, “connecting” to an Amtrak LD isn’t aways a good bet.
Charles — in principle, the idea of extending the line to Chicago makes a lot of sense. In practice, that’s almost 1,000 miles, which exceeds the 750-mile cap for a state-funded route (a number which I think is too high, to be honest). So Amtrak would need to make it a long-distance route and probably without state funding, and I suspect they’re loath to do so. On the other hand, Fort Worth-Kansas City would be ~550 miles, so that could be an option if all the states are on board.
So that’s 100 riders per train, pretty much the same as eight years ago.
Highest ridership in eight years doesn’t mean ridership is increasing, it means ridership has been dead flat.
I’m for trains. What I’m against is people blowing cigarette smoke in my face and telling me it’s perfume.