Trinity Metro nudged its long-planned TEXRail extension closer to reality this week, signing off on a revised early-work contract pegged at roughly $33.1 million. As detailed by the Fort Worth Report, the move covers the first wave of construction activity for a 2.1-mile push from downtown toward the Near Southside medical district.
Agency engineers are calling the amended agreement the practical starting gun for the project, even though the real shovels-in-the-ground moment is still a ways off. Trinity Metro still needs about $20 million more in funding before full construction can begin, and with design details, property agreements, and utility relocations still in motion, officials have not set a formal groundbreaking date. The overall program is currently estimated at more than $167 million, according to Fort Worth Report.
The board approved a revised contract amendment with Fort Worth Transit Partners, a Stacy Witbeck/Sundt joint venture serving as construction manager at risk. Trinity Metro Chief Engineer Richey Thompson described the decision as “essentially the beginning” of the extension, signaling that the long-discussed southward stretch is finally moving from planning slides to field work.
Design Work And Early Construction Moves
Early tasks on the table include removing and replacing the track crossing at Mistletoe Boulevard, extending culverts near Leslie Street and wrapping up railyard upgrades to house four additional TEXRail trainsets. Trinity Metro’s public meeting materials show the board signed off on early-work contract amendments so the construction manager at risk can kick off preconstruction coordination and lock in third party agreements, according to Trinity Metro meeting materials.
The agency has also tapped Huitt Zollars and TranSystems as final design consultants to carry the project into construction ready plans, a step that moves the extension out of the conceptual phase and into detailed engineering, according to Trinity Metro meeting materials.
Riders, Trains And A Tighter Schedule
TEXRail’s recent performance helped justify the push south. Ridership climbed through 2025, with the system logging more than 877,000 trips, a bump that planners say reflects growing demand along the corridor.
The opening of DART’s Silver Line this autumn on Oct. 25 has tightened regional rail connections and, according to Trinity Metro operations staff, has added roughly 100 to 150 daily riders to TEXRail. To keep transfers from turning into missed trains, Trinity Metro doubled some mid day frequencies and added late night Saturday runs in December. The extra service is intended to smooth the handoff between the airport, downtown and the medical district, according to DART.
Chasing The Last Dollars
The extension received a major federal boost earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Trinity Metro a $25 million RAISE grant to help pay for station construction, signals, platforms and pedestrian and bicycle connections. That infusion trims but does not erase the funding gap on a program still priced at roughly $167 million. Staff currently estimate the remaining need at about $15 to $20 million and say they are pursuing additional grants and local dollars, according to FTA Region 6.
In the near term, Trinity Metro plans to press ahead with final design and property coordination while it secures the last round of funding and negotiates a guaranteed maximum price with the construction manager. Board packets and public meeting materials indicate staff are lining up the procurement steps and property work that must be finished before permits and utility relocations can start. The agency says it will announce firm timelines once those milestones are in place, at which point residents can expect clearer dates for construction and any related service changes.
