Heartland Flyer news

The Norman Transcript has a good editorial about the extension of the Heartland Flyer. Pressure is building.

Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer is a pleasant, nostalgic ride through southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. One of the nicer views is coming across the Canadian River into Cleveland County, near the campus and the OU golf course.

But the trip is hardly user friendly for business travelers who want more daily trips. It’s once a day down in the morning and once a night back in the evenings. Connections can be made in Fort Worth but it’s cumbersome. The northern terminus is Oklahoma City. It could be much more useful if there were a northern route.

A passenger rail group is once again promoting such a northern route for the Heartland Flyer. They want lawmakers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas to fund an extension to Kansas City.

The Flyer’s 68,030 boardings were subsidized by Oklahoma and Texas last year. Some take issue with that, but contrast that to the amount of state and federal money spent on highways and airports.

The tracks are there but what is needed is a survey of ridership demand. How many potential riders would use the train and would the state of Kansas join in the funding?

Filed under: Regional USA Passenger Rail