Texas secured the future of one of its most closely watched regional rail connections Aug. 25 with the signing of an agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Amtrak to sustain the Heartland Flyer, the passenger line linking Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.
The agreement ends months of uncertainty over the route’s future and ensures continued service for the tens of thousands of Texans and Oklahomans who depend on it, according to an Aug. 25 news release from the office of state Sen. Tan Parker, who chairs the Senate Committee on Transportation and championed the deal.
“The Heartland Flyer is an important link for North Texas families, students, and small businesses, and today’s agreement guarantees that link stays open,” Parker said in the release. “I made securing this route’s future a priority because our constituents made clear how much it matters to them.”
The signing caps months of work by Parker and partners in both states to keep the train running after its future was thrown into question amid funding uncertainty earlier this year, the release said. The Heartland Flyer has carried riders between Fort Worth’s Central & Pacific Station and Oklahoma City since 1999, with stops in Gainesville, Ardmore, Pauls Valley and Norman, connecting travelers to jobs, universities, medical care and family across the Texas-Oklahoma corridor.
“Together, Texas, Oklahoma, and Amtrak have built a model for how states can partner to protect regional rail service,” Parker said. “I’m grateful to Amtrak and our partners at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for their good-faith work at the table, and to the local officials, riders, and advocates across North Texas who refused to let this route disappear without a fight. Their voices made the difference.”
Parker’s office tied the effort to a broader wave of federal rail investment in the state. TxDOT was recently awarded more than $755 million from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program to advance rail grade separation projects across Texas, the release said, describing it as the largest award to any state or local recipient in the nation. The award leverages $77.6 million in state funds to unlock a combined $953 million investment in Texas communities.
Protecting the Heartland Flyer was never just about one route, Parker said, but about proving that Texas takes rail seriously — a fight he credited with helping lay the groundwork for the federal award. “When Texas shows up, Texas wins,” he said. “I’ll keep pushing to bring resources like this home for our communities.”
Parker thanked TxDOT, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Amtrak for their work in the negotiations, along with the North Texas officials and advocates who pushed to preserve the route.