Map of the Current Streetcar “Starter Line” with Extension Arrows
Let’s tackle the obvious question first: why expand the streetcar at all and why discuss expansions before we know how the streetcar will perform in terms of ridership and economic development? You are probably familiar with the cliched phrase, “if you build it, they will come,” which I like to say is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, if you build transportation infrastructure in an urban (or suburban) environment, people are likely to use it. Let’s caveat this with the importance of not only having people use the transportation infrastructure, but also having it be very successful, which means having a lot of people use it. It helps to expand a streetcar if it is very popular and it has a high amount of ridership as opposed to claiming that the streetcar needs to be expanded in order to see better ridership results. I believe the starter line sets us up well to provide a solid ridership base that we can continue the success.
We should also start the planning and engineering work now so that we can hit the ground running after the starter line opens. A favorite quote of mine, one that I heard from a former Omaha mayor in the late 1990s: “great cities are always under construction,” which means that successful and vibrant cities, as well as transit systems, are always looking forward, visioning what’s next, and always improving themselves, never satisfied with the status quo. Similarly, I believe that successful streetcar systems always need to be doing three things, PBR:
- Planning: visioning and working on the next phase or extension of the system.
- Building: constructing new parts of the system and reinvesting in the existing infrastructure.
- Running: providing the best service possible to the existing customers.
These three things result in a streetcar system that is never satisfied with itself, always improving, very dynamic, and creates a structure that people want to be part of, in terms of partnering with for economic success, as employees, and as riders. I used to work for a transit agency that had all three of these, PBR – it was a lot of fun and I felt that we had a great purpose. Then we lost the “P”, were almost done with the “B”, and it wasn’t so great anymore. Therefore, I feel it is important to always be PBR-ing.
Looking to our southern streetcar neighbor as an example, Kansas City completed a “NextRail” study in November 2013, about 2.5 years before their starter line opened. They will complete their first extensions next year. The KC study looked at extensions on eight different corridors and evaluated them based on neighborhood support, economic development, ridership, cost and other factors. As we continue to build our starter line in Omaha, I would like to conduct a similar study so that we have a better idea of where our next extension(s) should go. After this NextRail study, Kansas City continued detailed studies on the north and south lines that are now under construction and are currently studying an east-west extension and an extension further north in greater detail.
Map of the Current Streetcar “Starter Line” with Extension Arrows
While we haven’t embarked on an extensive study like this, HDR completed an “Omaha Streetcar Future Extension Review” for the Omaha City Council in February 2023. This report identified future possible extensions of the streetcar. It used a methodology that considered potential streetcar destinations, physical constraints, adjacent land use, compatibility with existing transit services, and equity/environmental justice to come up with a list of possible extensions. These included:
- North Omaha (16th and Locust)
- Council Bluffs
- Omaha Eppley Airport
- South Omaha (Henry Doorly Zoo)
- N 30th Street corridor (Metropolitan Community College, Fort Omaha Campus)
- Aksarben/UNO
Map of Possible Streetcar Extensions from the 2023 City Council Report
This study mentioned that the current Omaha Streetcar Authority is set up to only build and operate the starter line (UNMC to/from the CHI Health Center via Farnam/Harney and 10th Street). Any extensions will need to be coordinated with the City of Omaha and Metro similar to the existing agreement that OSA has.
This report is a good first step that can lead to a more in-depth study, which can be used to guide further planning and designing of more corridors as we work toward implementation. However, there are two corridors that already have some amount of planning work done. One is the 10th/13th Street corridor south of downtown, which was the “original” starter line proposed in the late 1990s, although this was initially planned as more of a tourist streetcar using vintage equipment. I understand that the new 10thStreet Bridge was built to withstand adding light rail/streetcar tracks later. We also have the current Council Bluffs extension studies that I have detailed in a previous article. While the Council Bluffs study is looking at all forms of transit as it works through the environmental process, the City of Council Bluffs has been championing a streetcar extension, which was confirmed through an Alternatives Analysis study completed in 2020.
Therefore, I believe the south and east extensions are perhaps the most immediate, although another corridor could certainly jump ahead with the right amount of leadership (someone or a group to champion it and push it along), neighborhood/community support, and funding. And let’s not forget that the current starter line is stopping short of the UNMC campus with the western terminal at 39th Street. I am hopeful that the first “extension” completes the line to UNMC in the 42nd Street area, which will provide an obvious connection for employees and patients. Look to the eastern end of the streetcar starter line for that possible extension, which could take it north or south along 10th Street or east across the river. There are lots of possibilities that will be fun to explore and create more interest in the Omaha Streetcar system.
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.