Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer will remain in business in Oklahoma and Texas at least for another year, according to Oklahoma Transportation Department Director Tim Gatz.
However, in a recent briefing to the state Transportation Commission, he said funding remains a serious challenge.
“The thing to be aware of is we’re fully committed to continuing the operation of the flyer. The challenge will be we will not have the revenue in ODOT’s state coffers to be able to meet the requirements of the Amtrak contract after 2027.”
He said some additional appropriations help from the state legislature will be needed to keep the Flyer funded beyond funding from ODOT’s Passenger Rail Revolving Fund and the Texas Department of Transportation. Gatz told commissioners ODOT will need about $2.5 million in additional annual legislative appropriations in order to continue service beyond 2027.
“That’ll be obviously a conversation in our budgetary requests as we start to move into the coming legislative session.”
It costs about $10.5 million a year in operating costs for the Heartland Flyer Amtrak route between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. Ridership is nearly 79,000 to 80,000 passengers a year while the highest ridership, according to Gatz, was 87,000. The funding is split between Oklahoma and Texas while Oklahoma’s share is about $4.5 million or more from ODOT.
Amtrak restored passenger rail service to Oklahoma in 1999 after ending it in 1979.
Gatz reminded commissioners it was returned to the state through “some pretty heroic efforts of mostly Senator Don Nichols and the congressional delegation at the time” to have it re-established.
