The timeline for extending TEXRail into Near Southside has changed. Here’s the latest
Trinity Metro’s efforts to stretch its commuter rail service deeper into Fort Worth’s urban center will take more time and money than originally expected, according to updates provided to Fort Worth city council members and the Star-Telegram in recent days.
The agency had planned to begin construction on its highly-anticipated extension of TEXRail into the Near Southside by 2024. Rich Andreski, the president and CEO of Trinity Metro, told city leaders during a Jan. 14 work session that workers could start construction by the end of 2025 “if all goes well.”
Andreski later clarified to the Star-Telegram that breaking ground by the end of this year was the agency’s “most optimistic” timeline.
“If we are able to secure the final piece of funding, we are optimistic that we could break ground on the project this year,” Andreski wrote in a Wednesday statement. “However, we want to emphasize that this is an optimistic goal rather than a certainty, as several factors must align to make this timeline achievable.”
The cost of building a new station in the mixed-use neighborhood and stretching the line to meet it had long been pegged at around $167 million; the total price of both is now listed at $220 million, Trinity Metro told the Star-Telegram Wednesday.
Other “program enhancements” — $65 million for four additional trains and $10 million to enlarge the rail yard — bring the project’s total price tag to $295 million.
Trinity Metro received a $25 million federal grant for the project on Jan. 10. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s summary of the subsidy said construction was expected to begin this month.
The agency now has $270 million on hand, Andreski told city council members Tuesday. He and his team are hustling to secure the remaining $25 million.
“We, like many infrastructure projects nationwide, are facing elevated construction costs due to inflation and rising material and labor expenses. Delaying the start of this project would only exacerbate these challenges, as construction costs continue to escalate each year,” Andreski wrote to the Star-Telegram. “By moving forward with urgency, we are not only managing costs more effectively but also ensuring that the Trinity Metro TEXRail extension will benefit the community as soon as possible.”
Trinity Metro plans to construct its newest station south of Mistletoe Boulevard, just west of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center. The stop would thread TEXRail southwest by 2.1 miles, allowing the line to better service tens of thousands of residents, hospital employees and bar hoppers.
TEXRail began shuttling commuters through a 27-mile corridor between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in January 2019. Trinity Metro planners had intended to unspool the line into Near Southside before launching the service, but budgetary constraints forced them to bench the initiative. Tides turned in February 2020, when the agency received the federal government’s permission to use some unspent grant money to kick-start the project.
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 6:01 PM.
