AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers did not include funding for Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer in a budget bill passed last week, placing the future of the train between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City in jeopardy after a year that saw a 11% increase in ridership.
The Texas Department of Transportation had sought $3.53 million for the train for each of the next two years, to address the yearly operating costs shared with Oklahoma and for equipment replacement. [See “Texas funding for Heartland Flyer …,” Trains News Wire, April 16, 2025]. Instead, no funding was included in a $338 billion budget bill passed Saturday (May 31) by the legislature last week, just prior to its adjournment. Because the legislature only meets every other year, the state budget — and the hole in funding for the train — covers two years.
The bill is awaiting the signature of Gov. Greg Abbott, WFAA-TV reports.
In a June 5 press release, Amtrak said the train faces suspension “no later than Oct. 1” unless Texas provides its share of funding, with Amtrak President Roger Harris saying “sustaining the Heartland Flyer is essential to maintaining momentum and ensuring long-term mobility in the region.”
The group Texas Rail Advocates reports discussions are in progress at the state, regional, and local level to find other means to fund the service. One possible source of help: the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which was prepared to offer $700,000 to cover a budget shortfall for the train in 2023, and had authorized spending up to $100,000 to maintain service in 2024. Those funds were not needed in either case.
Tommy Moore, mayor of Gainesville, Texas, a stop on the Flyer route, said losing the train “will be a major setback for mobility, our environment, and our economy. … I’ll keep fighting to make sure this critical service stays in place for years to come.”
The train carried 80,371 passengers in fiscal 2024, according to Amtrak figures, up 11% over 2023. Its potential loss could be felt well beyond Texas. Not only are five of the train’s seven stops in Oklahoma, along with about half of its 206-mile route, but Kansas has been studying expansion of the train to connect with the Southwest Chief in Newton, Kan. Currently, bus service connects the two trains [see “Heartland Flyer’s challenging connections …,” News Wire, July 31, 2023].
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said that his city has “benefited from the Heartland Flyer‘s contribution” to a vision of a comprehensive, connected transportation system. “We recognize that Texas benefits greatly from the visits of our residents via the Flyer,” Holt said, “and we also deeply appreciate the amenity and the connection to the entire Amtrak system.”
— Updated June 5 at 4:45 p.m. CT with comments from Amtrak President Roger Harris, other officials.
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