Funding found for Heartland Flyer operations, setting up possible expansion into Kansas

Funding to continue operation of the Heartland Flyer route from Texas to Oklahoma has been secured, setting up the possibility of its expansion into Kansas.

The Texas legislature failed to fund the route in its two-year budget earlier this year.. The rail line is jointly funded by Oklahoma and Texas for its operation through Amtrak.

But the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transportation Council recently approved $3.5 million in toll revenue to continue funding its operation for the next year.

Had emergency funding not come in from other sources, Amtrak said earlier this year that it would have to suspend the Heartland Flyer route, possibly pausing plans for its expansion into Kansas.

“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,” Oklahoma Sen. Mark Mann said in a news release. “This vote will keep this important transportation service going.”

A statement from the Kansas Department of Transportation said: “While this funding does not directly impact expansion into Kansas, we are aware that discussions about long-term service and potential routes north from Oklahoma continue among partner agencies and stakeholders.”

Kansas officials announced late last year that the route could be expanded from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas, and be fully operational by 2029.

The connection would include a stop in Wichita, at Union Station, which hasn’t had passenger rail service since the 1970s.

The stop in Newton, 25 miles north of Wichita, connects to the Southwest Chief route, which takes riders as far north as Chicago and as far west as Los Angeles.

Funding from the transportation council will keep the route in operation until September 2026, which the group said would allow it time to come up with a second-year funding plan.

Kansas recently completed a service development plan, the first step in expanding the rail line into the state, and it’s currently under review by the Federal Railroad Administration.

“We’re still working hard with … the Federal Rail[road] Administration on the next step related to a finished product of the service development plan,” Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner said during a commission meeting Wednesday.

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 3:55 AM.