[3] The train's daily round-trip begins in Oklahoma City in the morning and reaches Fort Worth in the early afternoon.

Future plans call for the train's northern terminus to be extended from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kansas with increased frequency along the original route by 2029.

In late 1998, Oklahoma and Kansas state officials began meeting in an effort to restore passenger service along the corridor.

[6] Initial plans called for a train from Fort Worth to Kansas City, though this was eventually pared down to the current route for budgetary reasons.

The winning name was submitted by 11-year-old Katie Moore of Del City, Oklahoma, who christened the new train on its first run.

[15] In response, state lawmakers passed House Bill 1078, which provided an annual $2 million subsidy to continue the service; however, the route was not extended.

[16] In April 2016, Amtrak began Thruway bus service between the Heartland Flyer in Oklahoma City and the Southwest Chief in Newton, Kansas, with one stop in Wichita.

[19] Since its inception, numerous proposals have been made to extend the Heartland Flyer northward from Oklahoma City to Kansas along the original route of the Lone Star.

The extended line would serve Wichita Union Station before connecting with the Southwest Chief in Newton, Kansas.

A 2009 study conducted by Amtrak proposed four options for the extension: Through coach service with the Southwest Chief was also stated as a possibility.

[31] In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by KDOT to enter the Oklahoma City–Wichita–Newton extension into its Corridor Identification and Development Program.

In 2020, Amtrak reported it was working to add a new stop in Thackerville, Oklahoma with access to the WinStar World Casino operated by the Chickasaw Nation.

[23] The Heartland Flyer uses equipment from Amtrak's national fleet, typically two General Electric Genesis locomotives and two or three Superliner railcars.