A concept that is often talked about is a rail transit connection between Omaha and Lincoln. I hear this especially with the Omaha Streetcar project as some folks will say that we really need to look at connecting Omaha and Lincoln with a fast and more frequent transit option.
Recall from my earlier article on transit technologies that the appropriate modes for transit between Omaha and Lincoln include commuter rail and intercity/regional bus, a service that provides more frequency than intercity passenger rail (think the current Amtrak California Zephyr, which is one trip a day in each direction). Regional or interregional bus service (connecting cities within a large region and/or multiple regions) provides more frequent service than intercity bus with stops that have good connections to existing transit, such as in Omaha and Lincoln.
Commuter rail usually shares an existing freight railroad corridor, operates at higher speeds than light rail (traditionally up to 79 MPH), and serves longer distances. The distance between downtown Omaha and downtown Lincoln is about 60 miles and is perfect for commuter rail or regional bus service. Also recall from my previous article on multimodal transportation centers that connecting planned hubs between the two cities would enable connections to transit in either city in addition to providing passenger amenities at each end, which makes the trip without a car easier and a better overall experience.
That sounds well and good, but how do we get this service started? What does it take and what has already been done?
Before implementing commuter rail, it would be beneficial to develop a transit ridership base between Omaha and Lincoln with regional bus service. I have been involved in regional bus studies in Utah, Colorado and Kansas, all of which operate some form of regional bus service funded through federal grants. Colorado takes it a step further by providing dedicated state funds for additional statewide service. They market their state-sponsored service “Bustang,” which operates multiple intercity bus trips serving three popular corridors north, south and west of Denver.
It is hard to tell what service exists between Omaha and Lincoln currently as there are no maps or timetables of the service. Going to the Burlington Trailways website and punching in a sample trip results in two daily options, taking 70 minutes for $23.50 or 60 minutes for $32. Existing Nebraska intercity service includes Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow service.
Regional bus service could be implemented between Omaha and Lincoln to test the demand for ridership with a lower capital cost commitment than commuter rail while providing service at lower operating costs than commuter rail. Depending on how ridership demand responds, additional service could be phased in and future investments better planned. The University of Nebraska used to operate a bus service between its campuses in Omaha and Lincoln, which was discontinued in the summer of 2023. This would have been a good option to continue funding and increasing the service, transitioning it into an option open to the public.
A Lincoln-Omaha Intercity Bus Feasibility Study was completed in May 2020. This study proposed 18 daily round-trips between Omaha and Lincoln operating on three different routes at an estimated cost of $3 million per year. Annual ridership was estimated between 135,913 and 177,772.
Map of one of the proposed bus routes in the Lincoln-Omaha Intercity Bus Feasibility Study
As for commuter rail, the most recent study was completed in December 2003. This study was flawed in that it had a very limited number of stations between Omaha and Lincoln, proposed purchasing brand-new rail cars that had an unproven technology, and proposed a very small amount of service. The result was an operation with a very high cost and low ridership.
The stations would have included downtown Lincoln, suburban Lincoln, Gretna, suburban Omaha, and downtown Omaha. Annual ridership was estimated between 129,000 and 184,000 – very similar to the bus study but for a much higher cost. At the time of the commuter rail study, I conducted my own ridership analysis and showed that the service could be more cost-effective if the study included non-work trips (such as student ridership and special events), adding one to two more stations for better access, and slightly increasing the frequency of service, making better use of the equipment. As this study is very aged and was not done well to begin with, an update would be helpful to explore current options and develop a phasing plan that could include regional bus service and initial commuter rail service leading to full implementation.
So, if we know what to do in the near-term (implement the bus service and renew a commuter rail study), which would help accomplish long-term objectives (establishing a rail transit link between Omaha and Lincoln), what is the disconnect?
Funding is the biggest obstacle, although having strong proponents to get something done would also help. Being an intra-state service that connects local jurisdictions, initiative from the state level would help the most to create some funding and start the organization. As in the case with other states, the difference is recognizing the value of intercity transit service for the population, funding and providing people with another transportation option, and making our region a more attractive place to live with similar or better amenities compared to peer regions.
There has been some recent state legislation related to passenger rail service. It seems that the only activity has been the effort to join the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact (MIPRC). This is LB256, introduced on January 14, 2025, by Senator George Dungan III. There are some efforts (mostly just discussion) to update the commuter rail study from 2003 in the form of a statewide rail passenger plan. LB991 was introduced on January 12, 2022, by Senator Adam Morfeld, which would have funded a $500,000 study for “high speed commuter rail service”, which never got past committee.
Passengers board and alight northbound and southbound commuter rail trains in Salt Lake City
When asked if commuter rail would really work in such a low population corridor like Omaha-Lincoln, I point to other systems in similar urban areas, the first example being the New Mexico Rail Runner, a photo of which is shown at the beginning of this article. Other small market examples include the WeGo Star in Nashville, Tennessee and FrontRunner in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both urban areas have just over one million urban population while Albuquerque is ranked just under Omaha.
These show that implementing commuter rail can be done and be sustainable. The FrontRunner service in Salt Lake City, at an average weekday ridership of 13,600 (or 4,128,700 annually in 2024) is perhaps the best success story as it is undergoing a capital improvement program to double the amount of passing track so that service can increase to running every 15 minutes through most of the day to meet projected ridership increases. This infrastructure investment comes in at a cost of $900 million.
Even the New Mexico Rail Runner is working to add more track and increase service as its ridership slowly returns to pre-2020 levels and demand is projected to increase more. Like the proposal for Omaha-Lincoln service, the Salt Lake City service started out as a regional bus route, proving ridership demand that evolved into a rail transit connection.
Eric Miller is a senior transit planner at Felsburg, Holt & Ullevig (FHU), a transportation engineering and planning company that was founded 40 years ago and has been in Omaha since 2004. Eric has a 20-year career in the transit industry that includes work in both the private and public sector and work on planning and implementing bus and rail projects for transit agencies all across the country.