The Heartland Flyer, a 206-mile route connecting Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, is set to be discontinued in 90 days after the Texas and Oklahoma legislatures failed to include the route in their respective budgets.
As Oklahoma’s sole Amtrak connection, the train has provided daily service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth since June 1999, though it has faced a series of funding challenges. Last year, KOSU reported that the future of the route was in jeopardy after the Texas legislature concluded its session without allocating its portion of the necessary budget.
While Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt noted the state was considering its options, the project has ultimately come up short. Despite a $3.5 million emergency grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments in April intended to sustain the route for a year, TxDOT has announced it lacks the available funding to continue supporting the service once the current agreement expires on Aug. 31, 2026.
Furthermore, the Kansas Department of Transportation’s plans to extend the route to Newton now face instability caused by the Texas funding deficit and shifting federal priorities under the Trump administration.
The service is facing discontinuance even as ridership grows, with 80,000 people relying on the route last year, according to WFAA. Peter LeCody, president of Texas Rail Advocates, warned that losing the train would force those 80,000 travelers to compete for space on Interstate 35 and emphasized that the route is essential for managing traffic congestion.
Alexsis Jones is a reporter and producer for KERA News. Got a tip? Email Alexsis at ajones@kera.org.
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