GAINESVILLE, Texas — Gainesville's spot on the Amtrak map is safe for now, but two North Texas lawmakers want the state to make sure it stays that way for good.
State Rep. David Spiller and state Sen. Brent Hagenbuch sent a joint letter Monday to the Texas Department of Transportation, urging the agency to provide interim funding for the Heartland Flyer and, more importantly, to build dedicated, recurring support into its next budget request to the Legislature.
Why Gainesville has a stake
The Heartland Flyer is an Amtrak line that has run between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City since 1999. Gainesville is one of only two Texas stops on the entire route, making the city a rare rail link in the region. Amtrak is currently investing roughly $3 million in improvements to the Gainesville station.
The lawmakers said the service carries seniors, veterans, students, families and working Texans who rely on it to reach medical appointments, jobs and other services.
How the route got here
Texas left the Heartland Flyer's funding out of its current budget, and TxDOT has given formal notice that the state's share of the agreement expires Aug. 31, 2026. That move put the route's future in doubt earlier this year.
Since then, the train has stayed on track through a patchwork of other money: Oklahoma approved funding on its side, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments provided emergency interim dollars. Amtrak announced in June that the Heartland Flyer will keep running through spring 2027.
What remains unsettled is Texas's long-term commitment — the gap Spiller and Hagenbuch are trying to close before the next round of uncertainty.
What the lawmakers want
In their letter, the two pressed for both a short-term bridge and a permanent fix. They warned that "without Texas's share secured by Aug. 5, 2026, Amtrak service to Gainesville ends — and once discontinued, restarting is neither simple nor guaranteed."
Their longer-term ask is dedicated money in TxDOT's Legislative Appropriations Request for the next session. Including the service in that request, they argue, would put it on stable footing with recurring support rather than the year-to-year emergency funding that has kept it alive so far.
The Texas Transportation Commission is weighing its fiscal 2026-27 appropriations request, which includes how the state funds the route going forward. Commission meetings are livestreamed on TxDOT's website. Residents who depend on the Gainesville stop can follow the issue through TxDOT and contact their state lawmakers as the decision approaches.
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