Passenger rail expansion in Kansas is among the projects selected for federal funding.

 The Federal Railroad Administration has selected the extension of the Heartland Flyer passenger rail corridor for inclusion in the Corridor Identification and Development Program.  The Corridor ID Program will provide funding for the development of a Service Development Plan (SDP), which is expected to be completed in spring 2024. In this first cycle of Corridor ID Program awards, $500,000 will go to the development of the Heartland Flyer Corridor SDP. 

The proposed Corridor would connect Amtrak’s existing Heartland Flyer intercity passenger rail service between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, extending it north to include new station stops in the cities of Edmond, Perry, and Ponca City in Oklahoma, as well as stops in Ark City, Wichita, and Newton in Kansas.  The Heartland Flyer Corridor was discontinued in 1979. The proposed extension would re-connect Oklahoma and Kansas communities north to the national Amtrak network via the Southwest Chief. Senator Jerry Moran says the project will provide a news means of travel and new economic opportunities.