By Constitution Staff

The Heartland Flyer passenger rail line has avoided shutdown – at least for a year. The rail service, which travels a 206-mile route between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, is jointly subsidized by Oklahoma and Texas. In its past session, the Texas Legislature failed to approve the request from the Texas Department of Transportation to fund the state’s portion of the operating losses for the line. Amtrak, which operates the Heartland Flyer, had announced that service would be suspended on or before October 1, unless Texas came up with their share of the subsidies. In response, another Texas government entity has pledged to provide funding for the coming year.

On July 10, the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) voted to redirect $3.5 million in regional toll revenue to cover the operating costs of the Heartland Flyer for one year. NCTCOG says it will seek reimbursement of the funds from the state and will “initiate a ridership campaign reducing the need for a subsidy.”

Oklahoma state Senators Mark Mann (D-Oklahoma City) and Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) were co-authors of a Oklahoma Senate resolution during the 2025 session calling on Texas to continue funding the train.

“Ending the Heartland Flyer would have been a tremendous loss for both states, especially as we’re on the verge of expanding that service in Oklahoma to Kansas and beyond. That’s why I’ve continued to work with advocates in Texas in both the private sector and in government to find a way to keep the Heartland Flyer running,” said Senator Mann.

“Tourism is Oklahoma’s third-largest industry and a major economic driver for communities across the state. This Amtrak route gives Oklahomans more flexibility when planning their travel and offers Texans a convenient way to see what they’ve been missing just across the border,” said Senator Coleman.

Amtrak ended service on the route in 1979. But service was reestablished in 1999 after a cooperative agreement between the two states to share the losses. According to Amtrak, the Heartland Flyer served 80,371 customers in fiscal year 2024. So, the $7 million subsidies from the two states covers the approximate $85 per rider loss.

The Heartland Flyer makes stops in Oklahoma City, Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley, Ardmore, Gainesville and Fort Worth. The route also connects to the Texas Eagle between Chicago, Fort Worth and San Antonio, with further connections on the Sunset Limited which extends from San Antonio to El Paso and Los Angeles.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has studied the feasibility and costs of expanding the service to Newton, Kansas, to link to the Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles. The route would travel from Oklahoma City to Newton, with stops in Edmond, Guthrie, Perry, Ponca City, Arkansas City, and Wichita. New terminals would be added at each stop. The doubt concerning the future funding by Texas could impact those expansion efforts.