Fort Worth has two possible transportation projects in the works, one local and one national.

One would add a more efficient transit system in southeast Fort Worth between downtown and 820.

The other would increase the number of trips Amtrak makes to Fort Worth every day.

Both are still in the planning stages, but Fort Worth is soliciting input from the communities they would affect.

Advancing East Lancaster
The city is seeking feedack from the East Lancaster Avenue community on the future vision of the historic corridor between downtown Fort Worth and beyond Interstate 820.

Trinity Metro and the City of Fort Worth are plotting a transit-oriented development for the thriving East Lancaster Avenue corridor, by implementing local high-capacity transit.

High-capacity transit is a bus route that gets its own dedicated lane, so it can bypass local traffic and make travel more efficient for commuters, businesses, and students. It provides a viable, efficient alternative to driving and thereby reduces the number of cars on the road.

A 2019 study by the city of Fort Worth identified priority areas where high-capacity transit would work. That included a 7.2-mile stretch of East Lancaster Avenue, which is the highest ridership corridor in the Trinity Metro bus network.

In 2020, Trinity Metro and the city of Fort Worth applied for a grant to the Federal Transportation Administration for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) planning along new transit systems. The project was awarded funds, in coordination with matching funds from the City of Fort Worth and Trinity Metro.

The benefits are many: reduced commute time, increased walkability, connectivity to other routes and trails, retail, restaurants, medical centers, housing, and mixed-use development.

A map shows the 13 proposed stations which will be presented to the Fort Worth City Council for approval, beginning at Fort Worth Central Station at Jones and East 8th Street, and ending at East Lancaster Avenue and Handley Drive. The stations were chosen by using existing stations as a baseline, then forecasting areas where they thought there was potential for activity and development.

Complete the online survey by July 19, or fill out a hard copy survey at one of the following locations.

• Eugene McCray Community Center Park
• Sycamore Community Center
• Handley Meadowbrook Community Center
• Fort Worth Library – Meadowbrook
• Fort Worth Library – East Regional

Amtrak Heartland Flyer
Amtrak is considering a possible expansion of its Midwest "Heartland Flyer" route that would include increasing the frequency of trains coming to Fort Worth. The proposal hinges on funding from both the infrastructure plans currently debated in Congress and multiple states

In a Zoom press conference in early June, Amtrak president Stephen Gardner said that the single daily roundtrip from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City would be increased to three a day.

Currently, the Amtrak station in Fort Worth connects to Austin and San Antonio, but Amtrak is also proposing a plan called the Texas Triangle that would connect Amtrak's Dallas station to College Station and Houston.

Kansas Sen. Carolyn McGinn said that one of the groups that would benefit most greatly from more Amtrak action would be college students traveling to and from Kansas universities to Oklahoma and Dallas Fort-Worth.

The expansion doesn't have funding, but Amtrak hopes they might get federal funds since President Joe Biden is pro-train.