With gas prices still climbing, returning home on weekends and holidays digs deeper into students' wallets. Besides carpooling, students see few options. One option that isn't well known is utilizing train services to get to and from OU. The Heartland Flyer is a route that goes from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas. It stops through Norman, Purcell, Paul's Valley, Ardmore and Gainesville, Texas. Once in Fort Worth, it connects to other routes, including the Texas Eagle which goes to Dallas, Chicago and San Antonio. A one-way trip is a little over four hours and a one-way ticket is as low as $24, said Joe Kyle, manager of rail programs at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "The economics of it are hard to beat," he said. A shorter trip, such as Norman to Gainesville, would be cheaper, he said. As with any mode of transportation, the further in advance the tickets are purchased, the cheaper the ticket prices, Kyle said. Certain student discounts are available, including 15 percent off with a Student Advantage Card, according to the Amtrak Web site. If for no other reason, using trains offers passengers a chance to sit and enjoy the trip and look out the window. "The scenery on that trip is some of the best around," Kyle said.He also said the trips are comfortable and convenient, with two trains on the Heartland Flyer route daily. Kyle said trains provide travelers with safe modes of travel without having to battle traffic or construction zones and, unlike airplanes, trains rarely run late.

"It's very important to make the on-time performance measurement," he said.

Also on board are bike racks for passenger use and a caf? car to get a quick snack during the trip, according to the Web site.A day trip to Fort Worth offers about four hours to spend in the city before the train returns to Oklahoma City, Kyle said. Amtrak offers special deals for travel during OU/Texas weekend, including different lodging packages, he said. It is busier that weekend on the trains, so obtaining tickets in advance is even more important, he said.Trails and Rails is a program offered only on certain Heartland Flyer trips, said Susie Staples, volunteer coordinator for Trails and Rails. This is the sixth year Amtrak and the National Park Service have been national partners on this program, said Jim Miculka, national coordinator for the National Park Service. During these trips, trained volunteers act as tour guides, giving historical information about the region the train passes through, he said. He said that many people find out new information about familiar areas in their home state through this program. There is no price increase in the tickets on these trips and the dates for Trails and Rails are promoted on the national timetables, Miculka said.
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