Guest Blog: Connecting the Heartland - How Northern Flyer Alliance Is Reviving Rail in the Midwest
- Beth Russell
- Sep 29
- 5 min read
By Beth Russell, MBA, Communications Director at All Aboard Ohio
In the vast stretch between Texas and Kansas lies a gap, not in geography, but in mobility. The Northern Flyer Alliance (NFA) is working tirelessly to fill that transportation desert. As a regional advocacy organization, NFA’s mission is clear: to reinstate passenger rail service along the I-35 corridor, specifically extending Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer north from Oklahoma City into Kansas, while uniting communities in a shared vision of economic growth, accessibility, and connectivity.
And this is bigger than one corridor. Across the Midwest, organizations like NFA and All Aboard Ohio represent something far more powerful than local projects… they build the backbone of a truly connected region.
From Vision to Momentum: NFA’s Tangible Wins
Over the past two decades, NFA’s persistence has moved the Heartland Flyer Extension from vision to reality step by step. Even without staff or significant funding, the organization has built an impressive record of legislative and political wins that mark real progress:
2010 – Successful passage of enabling passenger rail legislation as well as legislation securing Kansas membership in the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC).
2013 – Helped secure an Interim Study Committee outcome directing KDOT to move forward with the Heartland Flyer Extension.
2020 – Built the Kansas Rail Caucus through an organized marketing campaign and dedicated support from key Kansas legislators.
2024 – Entered sponsored legislation with a $50M fiscal note, bringing the Heartland Flyer Extension into state budget conversations, with a final Governor-signed commitment of $5M for fiscal year 2025.
2025 – Once again, saw sponsored legislation advance to the final state budget, with no-limit funding for 2026 and official legislature-approved responsibility of KDOT to pursue implementation of the Heartland Flyer Extension.
NFA has proven that persistence pays off. In 2024–2025, the group helped expand the Kansas Rail Caucus to 68 members, creating a bipartisan force inside the Statehouse that now champions passenger rail. That momentum led to Senate Bill 125, landmark legislation giving Kansas new authority and flexibility to support rail expansion, including the long-sought Heartland Flyer Extension northward.
At the federal level, NFA has pressed hard for Corridor Designation through the FRA, a crucial milestone that opens doors to planning grants and capital funding. Their letters and applications argue that the benefits aren’t confined to big cities; small towns along the line also stand to gain through new riders, tourism, and economic development.
That local impact is visible, too. A $500,000 federal grant is currently funding a detailed study of service between Oklahoma City and Newton, Kansas, laying the groundwork for what expansion could look like. And in Ponca City, restoration work is breathing life back into the historic Santa Fe Depot, bolstered by over $2 million in funding to ensure it can once again welcome trains and travelers. These are not just studies on paper. They are bricks, mortar, and dollars at work in real communities.
The numbers back it all up. The current Heartland Flyer generates $18 million in benefits while costing $4 million to operate each year - a return of more than four to one. Studies suggest even better returns if service extends north, with ridership projected to hit 174,000 annually. In fact, the Flyer already supports more than $23 million in total annual economic activity along its Texas-Oklahoma route. When advocacy is rooted in both data and community stories, the case for rail is impossible to ignore.
Partnering Across State Lines: The Role of All Aboard Ohio
While NFA rallies partners in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, we at All Aboard Ohio (AAO) are advancing similar efforts further east. We have seen firsthand how consistent investment can transform grassroots energy into statewide impact. With sustained donor support, in just three short years, we have been able to grow and professionalize our advocacy in ways that demonstrate what is possible when passion is paired with resources:
Influenced state budget conversations and positioned Ohio’s corridors for federal support.
Grew social following and website engagement by over 200%.
Developed rapid-response tools like testimony templates, media kits, and shareable graphics.
Expanded from one chapter to six, covering every corner of the state.
Built a unified statewide brand and communications playbook.
Ohio Runs on Rails is AAO's advocacy publication.
Together, NFA and AAO illustrate the power of connected communities across state lines. Wichita and Guthrie, Cleveland and Cincinnati: different places, but united by the promise of access, opportunity, and mobility. When advocates share playbooks and lift up each other’s wins, momentum builds faster, and rail projects become more politically feasible. No state can do this alone, but working together, the Midwest can re-stitch itself into a seamless rail network.
Context and Challenges: What’s Next
The Heartland Flyer itself is at a crossroads. Running daily between Dallas–Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, it’s a critical link in the national network. Yet without renewed Texas funding, service could face suspension as early as next year. Kansas has stepped up with supportive legislation, and Ohio continues advancing multiple corridors through FRA’s Corridor ID process. These stories clearly illustrate that when any state progresses, it bolsters the investment appeal of the entire region.
A Public Narrative Focused on Community and Promise
Passenger rail is about more than trains. It’s about people. It’s about parents being able to get to better jobs, students traveling to universities, grandparents visiting grandchildren, and small towns welcoming new life into their historic depots. NFA and AAO show us that advocacy rooted in community pride and shared purpose can transform policy debates into human stories.
The theme is clear: a connected Midwest depends on connected communities.
Support the Movement
AAO’s story shows what can happen when grassroots passion is paired with resources. NFA has already proven what can be accomplished on passion and persistence alone. With nearly two decades of wins, a new website, and emerging social media tools, NFA is ready to scale its influence, as there is still much work to do and obstacles to overcome before the Heartland Flyer Extension becomes a reality. What has been accomplished on passion and persistence alone could, with your support, become a transformative force for passenger rail in the Heartland.
And if you’re inspired to strengthen passenger rail in Ohio and the broader Midwest, you can also support All Aboard Ohio at allaboardohio.org/donate.
Together, every contribution fuels the connections that will one day carry us seamlessly across state lines. Please remember to Like, Copy and Share!
Onward together,
Beth Russell, MBA, Communications Director
All Aboard Ohio
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