Video: Heartland Flyer Growing in Popularity as Travel Option to OKC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Brian Wilson

Arlington, Texas – Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer offers a safe, convenient alternative to driving between North Texas and Oklahoma City, allowing passengers to get some work done or kick back and relax in the comfortable, spacious seats.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Transportation Department has launched a video highlighting the ease of traveling this route and the many attractions awaiting visitors in Oklahoma City. 

 The train nearly stopped last year. But when money for the popular passenger rail service did not make it into the final state budget in 2025, Dallas-Fort Worth transportation officials stepped in to keep it on the tracks. Last summer, the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) approved a $3.5 million emergency infusion to ensure Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer could keep moving between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. The funding represents half the state’s biennial contribution to the operation of the Amtrak route. 

 The Heartland Flyer is funded jointly by the states of Texas and Oklahoma, the two states in which the service operates. The Texas Transportation Commission gave final approval for the RTC funding in August 2025. The emergency infusion lasts for a year, meaning more action will be required to keep the train going until the Texas Legislature reconvenes, in January 2027, and has a chance to revisit the matter. 

 Significant growth in ridership could help bridge the gap, as the additional revenue realized would reduce the subsidy and could entice more funding partners to come forward. In Fiscal Year 2025, Heartland Flyer ridership grew 1% to almost 81,000 passengers. 

 Staff members from the NCTCOG Transportation Department traveled the route to experience first-hand the ease of traveling by train. While there, they toured some of the city’s most popular places the city has to offer.

 The video features a few of the gems of Oklahoma City, from the touching tribute to the 168 people who died in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to the city’s treasured downtown parks. 

 The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is one of the city’s most popular attractions. It is a testament to how a community can overcome unspeakable tragedy while ensuring that the memory of those lost is preserved for generations. There are two distinct parts to the museum. Inside, visitors will find an interactive educational experience, telling the story of those directly affected by the bombing. Outside is the memorial, a tribute to the 168 killed in the terrorist attack. It tells the story of that horrific day by depicting how the city endured the bombing and was able to heal thereafter. 

 Scissortail Park is a 70-acre haven in the middle of downtown, close to Bricktown. The 2.4-mile Scissortail Perimeter is a path winding through the park, which includes something for every member of the family: a playground for the kids, a lawn where the whole family can enjoy a picnic, even a dog park for those who bring their four-legged friends. 

The nearby Myriad Botanical Gardens provide a place for the community to connect with nature and enjoy community events. The Inasmuch Foundation Crystal Bridge Conservatory is a 224-foot-long greenhouse that offers a variety of flora in two tropical climates across 13,000 square feet. 

 Also featured in the video is The Jones Assembly, a popular restaurant and music venue housed in historic downtown buildings that were once part of the Fred Jones Manufacturing Company complex, an early 1900s automotive assembly plant tied to Oklahoma’s rich industrial history. Watch the video at the NCTCOG Transportation Department’s YouTube page

About the Regional Transportation Council: 
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 45 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at NCTCOG.org.