WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The Heartland Flyer is closer to returning to Kansas. The Amtrak route, which still runs between Ft. Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, used to extend into Kansas until 1979. The Kansas Department of Transportation is exploring restoring the route. Proposed Heartland Flyer extension, connecting Oklahoma City to Newton. (Courtesy Kansas Dept. of Transportation) In November 2023, KDOT hosted a virtual public meeting to solicit public input on service expansion through Kansas. Since then, a study that included public input has examined the feasibility and costs of expanding the service. At Wednesday's meeting, they outlined the proposed route, projected costs, and a timetable for expansion. The route would travel from Oklahoma City to Newton, with stops in Edmond, Guthrie, Perry, Ponca City, Arkansas City, and Wichita. New terminals would be added at each stop. There would be one daily trip, which would take approximately three hours and 30 minutes between Newton and Oklahoma City and 7 hours and 30 minutes between Newton and Ft. Worth, Texas. County approves more time for fatal fire investigation To expand service, existing track lines and train crossings along the route would need to be improved to accommodate the freight traffic that currently uses the lines and the additional passenger traffic the expansion would add. KDOT says the total cost would be $311,923,080; however, if they want the tracks to be able to accommodate speeds of up to 79 mph, that will require an investment of $573,297,480. KDOT will incorporate public feedback from Wednesday's meeting into the final design. An environmental review must be completed before work starts, and preliminary engineering will begin. If the Federal Railway Administration gives the go-ahead, construction could begin by 2028 and be operational by 2029.