The Grapevine City Council on Tuesday night heard a brief update on the proposed TEX Rail, a commuter rail line connecting Southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Last year the Fort Worth Transit Authority received approval from the Federal Transit Administration for its technological capacity to undertake the project. The T, which is in charge of the project, anticipates an answer from the FTA in early February for approval of its preliminary engineering.

"Right now, we are sort of at the mercy of FTA as they review all the information that we've submitted," Dick Ruddell, president and executive director of The T, told the council.

The project still has several hurdles to jump, including approval of a final design and an environmental impact statement next year. Construction cannot begin until the project receives a final green light from the FTA, which is expected in 2014.

There were no questions from the council on Tuesday. Mayor William D. Tate acknowledged that the project involves numerous steps, but said he looks forward to the future when the rail becomes a reality.

"We appreciate all your efforts," he told Ruddell. "A lot of good things to look forward to."