Transportation can be a catalyst for economic growth, especially in booming Fort Worth where health care, education, tourism and technology are surging sectors.
Trinity Metro is having its busiest year ever as the Fort Worth transit agency prepares to transport riders during the 2026 FIFA World Cup games and break ground for a major rail expansion later this year.
The agency’s notable projects were highlighted by President and CEO Rich Andreski during Trinity Metro’s inaugural luncheon, held March 24 at the T&P Station, 221 W. Lancaster Ave. in downtown Fort Worth.
“For a city of our size, we have the opportunity to dream very big things — and we need to,” Andreski said. “Our city is dynamic, fast-growing, and we’ve got a lot of industry and technology-based companies coming, our education sector is growing, tourism is booming and we deserve — our city deserves — a world-class transit system.”
But it will take some time to get there, he cautioned.
“We’re on a journey here,” Andreski said. “Our job will not be done for a very long time, but we are laying the groundwork for something much bigger. So right now, we want to continue to deliver on the promises we made.”
Andreski said the agency is in discussions about “big ideas and possibilities for the future.”
He started his speech with a disclaimer: “What you’re going to hear today is not endorsed by any organization, City Hall or the board of directors or anyone else. It’s just a place to start a bigger conversation about who we want to be as a city.”
One major success is the 27-mile TEXRail line, which runs from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and continues to set ridership records. The service had a near 12% increase in ridership during 2025 from the previous year and is exceeding the expectations of agency officials this year as well.
So far this fiscal year, TEXRail has recorded more than 422,000 train riders, up from 365,511 in 2025.
Trinity Metro is preparing to start building its $167 million-plus 2.1-mile extension from downtown to the Medical District.
Earlier this year, the agency’s board authorized early-work amendments for construction contracts. A groundbreaking for that project is expected in the fall after the World Cup games.
The TEXRail train pulls into the Fort Worth Central Station on June 12, 2025. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)
Andreski said he envisions the TEXRail line as having a potentially enormous impact — especially on higher education — if the line can be extended south down to the Chisholm Trail Parkway, where it could deliver users to stations near Texas Christian University and Tarleton State University campus on the city’s far southwest side. Two sites — the University of Texas at Arlington’s downtown Fort Worth location and the new Texas A&M Fort Worth — are within walking distance of the Fort Worth Central and T&P stations.
Once TEXRail’s extension to the Medical District is up and running, Andreski said a connector bus route could link the city’s hospitals as Fort Worth is a premier health care destination with growing medical facilities.
The extension “is one of the most complex and expensive portions of the line, so we’re hoping it will be a little easier to keep going south after we’re done with this,” chief strategic officer Anette Landeros said.
Trinity Metro recently hired a new consulting team to help develop the first phase of an urban rail system to an entertainment district, Andreski said.
“As we contemplate urban rail opportunities, we’re doing it in close coordination with our district stakeholders,” he said. “All of them are thriving in their own way. Where can urban rail compliment and amplify what’s going on in those districts?”
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a strong contender for an urban rail line since the popular area is often congested with vehicles and people, Andreski said.
Trinity Metro held its first annual luncheon at the historic T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth. (Courtesy | Trinity Metro)
Trinity Metro leaders are thinking about economic development opportunities with the recent hiring of Mike Brennan, the former Near Southside Inc. president, as the agency’s vice president of economic development in January.
Andreski said land around train stations along the TEXRail route could be used for transit-oriented development.
“Trinity Metro public transportation can amplify everything everyone else is trying to do,” he said. “The idea is a more interconnected city, a more seamless city … The big idea is that more connectivity in different areas of the city leads to more interactions, which leads to more creativity and economic impact.”
The Grapevine TEXRail station is a model for the agency as it has nearby amenities, including a luxury hotel, a food court, cocktail bar and other entertainment.
Andreski has said the Fort Worth Central Station is a “hot, hot location” near the new Texas A&M Fort Worth campus under construction downtown.
For the World Cup, Trinity Metro approved a one-year contract of up to $6 million to lease dozens of buses for 42 days during the games in the summer. Those buses will be needed to move people from the CentrePort Station south of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, which is dubbed Dallas Stadium for the duration of the games.
An emergency transit drill prior to the games is planned April 15.
Transportation can attract big business to a city, Andreski said, citing the 2018 move of McDonald’s corporate headquarters from Oak Brook, Illinois, to Chicago’s West Loop. The change, he said, enabled the company to tap into Chicago’s transit system to boost innovation and enhance talent recruitment.
Access to Fort Worth’s transit system would similarly aid in corporate relocations and expand the talent pool, he said.
Michael Sanders and his daughter, Maysen Sanders, 4, board the Trinity Railway Express heading to Dallas for a father and daughter day on April 5, 2024, at the Trinity Lakes Station. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
Meanwhile, another passenger line is preparing for improvements as Trinity Metro’s board of directors on March 16 approved three contracts to advance the double-track project in Tarrant County to make the Trinity Railway Express passenger train that connects downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas more efficient.
The $43.5 million upgrade will allow trains to pass each other without stopping on an auxiliary single rail track, providing increased frequency of the service and helping to grow the line, officials said.
Trinity Metro is watching developments for Texas Central Railway’s proposed high-speed rail line to Arlington and downtown Dallas to connect with Houson.
“It’s an exciting idea, but it’s a private venture,” Andreski said. “So we’re following it as that idea develops.”
So the focus is on TRE improvements, which could mean even more double tracking and signal upgrades that could cut the Fort Worth to Dallas train to under 40 minutes.
“While the region contemplates higher speed or high speed rail, we’re going to continue moving forward with our vision for Trinity Railway Express,” he said.
Ben Robertson, a Trinity Metro board member, said Andreski’s transportation vision for the future is impressive.
“It’s some of the best vision-capping we have had in a long time,” Robertson said. “There are some big ideas to be a catalyst for growth.”
Andreski said the transit agency seeks to be strategic in plans that reflect the overall goals for Fort Worth.
“We’re not talking about a transportation strategy, we’re talking about an education, health care, tourism and economic development strategy,” he said. “How do we align our investments to support everything else that everyone is trying to accomplish? For example, when we do transit well, we reduce the demand for parking. And when you reduce the demand for parking, you reduce development costs.”
Transit is the tool that can make things happen, he said.
“We’re going to create a vision for Fort Worth that best reflects the goals of our city,” he said.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
Disclosures: Trinity Metro is a financial support of the Fort Worth Report. Ben Robertson is a member of the Report’s Business Advisory Council. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/03/25/trinity-metro-gears-up-for-fort-worths-growth-as-agency-prepares-for-projects-expansion/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=461726&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/03/25/trinity-metro-gears-up-for-fort-worths-growth-as-agency-prepares-for-projects-expansion/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>