The City Council on Jan. 22 approved awarding a $150,000 contract, funded by the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), to Kimley‑Horn and Associates to perform a two‑phase light‑rail feasibility and planning study.

Michael Powell, presenting for staff, said the study will first test short‑range feasibility — with special attention to a downtown‑to‑midtown corridor that currently sees one freight train per week — and will research how other Texas cities negotiated shared use with freight owners such as Union Pacific. The second phase will examine long‑range opportunities, including whether a regional high‑speed corridor proposed between Dallas–Fort Worth and points east could connect to local service.

Powell and MPO staff said the study team will catalog successful agreements used by other communities (for example, Denton’s partnerships), develop a “sales pitch” and identify permissions and liabilities the railroad operator would require before local leaders approach Union Pacific. The MPO solicited qualifications, received five submittals, and ranked Kimley‑Horn as the top qualified firm.

City staff noted that the MPO will fund the work entirely but that, because the city is the MPO’s fiscal agent, the city must approve contracts larger than the city’s vendor threshold; the council approved the contract by voice vote. Powell said the study is intended to produce options and an implementation roadmap, and does not commit the city to construction or operations.