FRA names Heartland Flyer extension to Corridor ID; KDOT, Amtrak and FRA outline steps toward service

Federal Railroad Administration officials and Amtrak representatives told a rail caucus meeting in Topeka that Kansas's Heartland Flyer extension was selected for the FRA's Corridor ID (CID) program and is advancing toward scoping and project development.

"KDOT will utilize up to $500,000 of federal with no match required to scope out the development of an SDP," Paulo Kato, FRA South Central project manager, said while outlining the CID program's three-step path from scoping to preliminary engineering and environmental clearances. Kato said FRA expects to obligate the Step 1 grant agreement "next month" and hold biweekly meetings with KDOT to finalize the statement of work and grant elements.

The CID program, created under the bipartisan infrastructure law, is intended to produce a prioritized pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for further federal funding. Kato told the caucus that 69 corridors across 44 states were selected and that the program is intended to move projects from service development plans (SDPs) to preliminary engineering and environmental clearance when ready.

Amtrak officials described the extension as a relatively "low complexity" corridor with potential to connect Newton, Kansas, to Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth via Wichita and to link with the Southwest Chief at Newton. "The $66,000,000,000 investment in rail" under the IIJA provides multiple funding streams, Amtrak said, and the company is ordering new intercity trainsets and more than 100 Tier 4-compliant locomotives to modernize equipment.

Amtrak representatives emphasized that federal capital programs do not replace the need for annual operating appropriations. They also outlined FRA grant programs states can pursue (including CRISI, grade crossing and the Fed-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail) and described a Restoration and Enhancement grant that can partially cover early operating support for new state-sponsored routes.

Corey Davis, KDOT director of multimodal transportation and innovation, described KDOT's Service Development Plan work: operational analysis to fit additional trains within freight movements, a capital-investment inventory, cost and financial analysis, and an implementation plan. "We expect [the SDP] in late spring of this year to be complete," Davis said, adding that KDOT is meeting biweekly with FRA and Amtrak to finalize grant documents and to prepare public information hearings.

Regional planning groups also framed the project in a broader Midwest context. Laura Cleaver of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission said the Heartland Flyer selection fits regional priorities identified in the Midwest Regional Rail Plan and the FRA long-distance service study. Cleaver highlighted other Midwest corridors that received CID awards and said the region is pursuing additional coordinated planning and CRISI applications.

Advocates at the caucus also reported a potential state funding change tied to implementation. Deb Fisher said the Senate Transportation Committee heard Senate Bill 349, which would amend Kansas statute 75-50-89 to add an operational funding mechanism for KDOT to meet Corridor ID program operational support requirements. Fisher urged legislators to support the bill to help secure the state's share of operating costs should the extension advance.

Next steps identified at the meeting included completing KDOT's SDP in the coming months, obligating the Step 1 CID grant and submitting deliverables to FRA for review, and pursuing CRISI and Fed-State Partnership funding rounds later in 2024. Speakers emphasized coordination with host railroad BNSF, Amtrak for service and scheduling, and potential state-level action on funding authority. The meeting closed with organizers noting time for follow-up questions off the formal record.

The caucus did not take formal votes at the meeting; participants described project sequencing, funding pathways and legislative steps needed to move the Heartland Flyer extension into engineering and construction phases.