[7] This includes an expansion of the commuter rail system to link southwest Fort Worth to the north end of DFW International Airport.

A proposal to use private funding to construct both TEXRail and DART's Dallas County segment was considered, but this plan was abandoned after necessary legislation was not passed in the State Legislature.

[9] Following this legislative defeat, Trinity Metro began pursuing federal grant funds in order to build TEXRail.

[12][13][14] That same month, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave approval for the project to advance into the engineering phase that immediately precedes the start of construction.

[17] Construction on the line officially started on August 24, 2016, with a groundbreaking held at Grapevine's historic depot, the site of Grapevine-Main Street station.

[18] On January 4, 2019, less than 12 hours before service was scheduled to commence, the opening was suspended due to signal issues identified during an inspection by Federal Railroad Administration officials along the southern end of the line in Downtown Fort Worth.

[20][21] Scott Mahaffey, Trinity Metro board chairman, has expressed interest in extending the line south and adding two stations to serve the medical district and Texas Christian University at an estimated additional cost of $200 million.

City Councilman Jungus Jordan has said that he would like to see the line go even farther south to serve Tarleton State University's new campus near the Chisholm Trail Parkway.

[23] Under the proposed expansion plan, construction would start in spring 2024 with completion by the fall of 2026, total cost is projected to be $167 million.

[32][24] In 2019, before its delivery to Fort Worth, Stadler used the eighth and final TEXRail vehicle in a ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of the golden spike, which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.