Funding is in place for Trinity Metro to extend the TEXRail route to the Fort Worth Medical District.
Trinity Metro president and CEO Richard W. Andreski told Fort Worth City Council during an April 28 meeting that the final funding piece needed for the $167 million project has been secured.
Also on the agenda for the council was approval of a work order change on Intermodal Parkway in the Alliance area of District 10 and railroad crossing improvements at two locations in District 4.
Trinity Metro
The additional funding needed to finish the project came from the Regional Transportation Council, a part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
The new station will be built on land donated by Baylor Scott & White near its All Saints Medical Center. Andreski said a groundbreaking for the “long-promised” station would be later this year, with service starting late 2029.
It will add 2.1 miles to the route, extending from the Texas & Pacific Station. Currently, TEXRail runs trains from T&P Station to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, ending at Terminal B.
“The success of TEXRail is not just about airport access, it’s really about everyday mobility,” Andreski said.
The new station will be called Near Southside/Medical District and will also feature a park-and-ride option, according to the presentation. Andreski said the new location will provide transit in an area for up to 50,000 workers.
Andreski said the ridership on TEXRail, which launched in 2019, has seen sustained growth. He said the numbers from March were the highest on record and there has been a 15%-20% compounded annual growth.
He said Trinity Metro hopes to bring service near the TCU campus on Berry Street and said there has been discussion about transit options near Tarleton State-Fort Worth, located off the Chisholm Trail Parkway.
“We have good data points that tell us that investing in rail is very smart economically,” Andreski said.
Andreski said that in the future, there could be one rail that could connect four local colleges: TCU, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Tarleton State-Fort Worth and the University of Texas-Arlington Fort Worth.
He also said there is a project "a few years away" that would connect southeast Fort Worth to the Alliance area through buses using express lanes on I-35W.
Andreski said the outward growth of the city could lead to additional need for public transportation. He mentioned financial sustainability is part of the strategic plan, with the transit authority looking at how to grow and be innovative, but at the same time, contain costs and manage the public dollars invested in transit.
Intermodal Parkway project
The Intermodal Parkway project in the Alliance area of Fort Worth got an additional $213,250 in funding to bump the revised cost of the contract to $17.5 million, according to city documents.
Mario Sinacola & Sons Excavating, Inc. is turning Intermodal Parkway, between Old FM 156/Blue Mound Road and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Intermodal Yard, from a two-lane road to a four-lane road with sidewalks, street lighting, storm drainage and traffic signals. The original contract was awarded in June 2024, according to city documents.
The additional costs will be for additional exploratory excavation needed to locate existing utilities, replacing subgrade lime stabilization and related paving work.
According to the city website, the estimated completion date is this winter.
Railroad crossing improvements
Two railroad crossing updates in Council District 4 are moving forward due to an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad Company and the city for more than $2.3 million.
The cost for improvements at Kroger Drive/US 377 is over $1.17 million, while work on Basswood Boulevard/US 377 is for $1.14 million, according to city documents.
Council, with the motion, also amended the 2026-30 capital improvement program funding.
On Basswood Boulevard, the work will add railroad signals, additional gate arms and room to accommodate a sidewalk. Kroger Drive work will be for the construction and equipment cost that Union Pacific will purchase and install, while the city will pay for the right-of-way required for widening the crossing.
This work was part of the 2018 bond program, but negotiations continued through the fall of 2025. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027, according to the city website.
