Amtrak has confirmed that the daily Heartland Flyer services between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City will continue after Texas approved funding for its share of an agreement with Oklahoma.
A 4.2 million USD transfer within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will provide the state’s contribution towards the service, while the Texas Legislature prepares to consider funding for the 2027–28 state budget.
The Heartland Flyer has operated between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City since June 1999. The 206-mile route serves stations at Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley and Ardmore in Oklahoma, as well as Gainesville in Texas.
Southbound services leave Oklahoma City in the morning, while northbound trains depart Fort Worth in the early evening. In the 12 months ending in September 2025, the service carried 80,767 passengers, with Amtrak reporting records for both ridership and ticket revenue.
Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell said:Legislative leadership and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Executive Director Marc Williams will keep this important service operating and connecting to local transit and the Amtrak National Network in Fort Worth. We will work with TxDOT, our partners in Oklahoma and the rest of the region to continue to provide the Heartland Flyer service.
Funding for the service became uncertain after the 2025 Texas state budget did not include the contribution required under federal law for state-supported passenger rail services such as the Heartland Flyer. The Regional Transportation Council in North Central Texas provided Texas’s share last year.
This year, the latest funding has now been approved by the Texas Transportation Commission and the Legislative Budget Board, allowing the service to continue ahead of the next state budget process.
The funding also means the annual “Big Game Train” tradition will continue in October. The Heartland Flyer is extended between Fort Worth and Dallas for the football game between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma.
Amtrak is also investing approximately 17 million USD in federally funded improvements at stations in Texas and Oklahoma along the Heartland Flyer route. Accessibility improvements are nearing completion at three stations, while work at two additional stations is expected to go out to bid next year.
The service supports Amtrak’s operations in Texas. Its Fort Worth crew base employs 50 people and serves as the maintenance, operations and commissary hub for the Heartland Flyer.
The Fort Worth operation accounts for much of Amtrak’s 23 million USD payroll in Texas. In 2025, the company purchased more than 95 million USD in goods and services in Texas, as well as 256,000 USD in Oklahoma, including 69 million USD in communities served by the Heartland Flyer.
Texas Senator Tan Parker, Chair of the Texas Senate Transportation Committee, said:Securing the future of the Heartland Flyer has been a priority of mine, and I’m glad to see Texas, Oklahoma, and Amtrak come together on this agreement. This route matters. It connects North Texas communities to jobs, education, and each other, and it’s a service our constituents have made clear they value. It’s a win for North Texas families, our regional economy, and the future of passenger rail in our state, and I’ll keep working to see it succeed.
