Sen. Mann files concurrent resolution urging Texas to continue support of Heartland Flyer

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, has filed legislation urging the Texas Legislature to continue funding its share for the Heartland Flyer after reports that the state was considering ending their support. The passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City and Fort Worth could end within weeks without that appropriation. Operating costs for the Heartland Flyer are shared between Oklahoma and Texas.

Mann said Senate Concurrent Resolution 10 is a bipartisan, bicameral measure, reflecting the strong support throughout the state for the Amtrack passenger train. SCR 10 co-authors are Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City.

“Oklahoma was without any passenger service for 20 years, and now we are on the verge of expanding this line up through Ponca City all the way to Newton, Kansas and then on to Chicago. The Heartland Flyer has supported tourism and other business opportunities between Oklahoma and Texas since 1999, with nearly 82,000 riders last year alone,” Mann said. “This rail line has served the people of both states well, and SCR 10 calls on the Texas Legislature to continue their support.”

When passenger service was set to resume after a twenty-year absence, U.S. Sen. Don Nickles held a contest asking Oklahoma children to submit names for the new train. An 11-year-old girl, Katie Moore of Del City, submitted the winning name, and it’s been called the Heartland Flyer ever since.

“To think that a little girl in a community I now represent named the Heartland Flyer is really something special, and so is this passenger service,” Mann said. “A quarter of a century ago, people in Oklahoma and Texas had the vision and ambition to make this train a reality. This is not the time to derail that vision. We need Texas to join with us and keep the Heartland Flyer rolling, to the benefit of both of our states.”

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Mark Mann at 405-590-4471 or Mark.Mann@oksenate.gov