Omaha Station

[KremalCharlie]

Does the Omaha Amtrak station have parking?

I'm not seeing any on the satellite images.

 

[jebr]

Yes, it does. It's just to the west and south of the station building. Parking is free and was safe when I was there (someone did leave a note saying they hit my door and left a phone number, but I saw no damage so I decided not to call them back...nothing in my opinion to fix.) The station is open during nighttime hours, so there's people during that time to make sure it's safe.

 

[NorthShore]

Is the station there the historic one or a replacement?

 

[jebr]

Amtrak uses a replacement station last time I was there (a couple years ago.)

 

[Bob Dylan]

Is the station there the historic one or a replacement?

Its an Amshak! The Historic UP Station is across the Tracks and is now a Museum!

 

[Cma]

I have left my car in the parking lot three times in the past year with no problems. It's too bad that the beautifully restored Union Station can't be used as a real train station. It is a great museum.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Is the former Burlington Station still standing in Omaha? It, too, was a very nice station at one time. A bridge used to connect the 2 stations. I frequently travelled to Omaha though the years from the early 1950s and remember when both stations were very busy. Omaha had many of the post WWII Streamliners that included Zephyrs, UP Cities, Rockets, Hiawathas and an Eagle.

 

[daleratliff]

My wife & I are leaving Sunday evening and taking the CZ to Glenwood Springs for our wedding anniversary. Prior to our marriage my wife used to live downtown near the station. It's not the best part of town & I'm a little reluctant to leave a car down there. I'm planning on taking a cab since it's such a late departure out of Omaha.

Of course watching the schedule the past couple of weeks we may be extremely late departing & it might be in the morning sometime. If that's the case we'll have a family member give us a ride!

 

[MikeM]

Slightly off track, but I got curious reading this thread wondering what was going on with the old Burlington station. At one time several years ago, a developer had plans to convert the station into luxury condos. That plan tended to linger with no signs of progress. I now see that a local station in Omaha, KETV, has bought the building and is working to remodel it into their new tv studios. Newsroom to be located on track level, public spaces at the lobby level, and they're trying to retain as much of the original look as possible. Main problem, the interior looks pretty well gutted, with very little plasterwork, furniture, etc left, just floors. Link below goes to a March news story with pictures and plans, apparently work has been underway through the winter. Nice to see the station being repurposed at least.

http://www.ketv.com/news/burlington-station/ketv-on-track-to-move-operations-to-burlington-station/24779036#!3kdbK

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice! Too bad it can't become the Amtrak Station also and the Amshak disappear!

 

[railiner]

Great video.....you can see the current Amtrak station in both video's just east of the old Burlington Station.

I used that station many times when I lived nearby in downtown Omaha, in the early '70's...

And prior to that, I passed thru it several times. I too, recall the wonderful collection of streamliner's and domeliner's that served Omaha. Omaha, similar to places like Kansas City, was situated geographically to benefit from being on the main corridor(s) of rail transportation. The only downside, was that because of their longitude, they saw most of the top trains during the late night hours....similar to places like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. But there were many lessor trains serving the daylight hours, back then.

I recall my 'fantrip' where I took the "City of Everywhere" from Chicago to Omaha, walked across that bridge linking the UP station to the Burlington station for the final time, and came back on the CZ....

 

[jphjaxfl]

The great stations like the Union Station and Burlington Station in Omaha were built solid and made to last forever. Unfortunately, the trains that the original builders intended went away and made the stations redundant. The airports that have replaced them are not nearly as ornate.

 

[MikeM]

Somewhat related, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced their 11 most endangered buildings of 2014, and Cincinnati Union Station made the list. The station was redeveloped as a museum managed by the city, but apparently the structure needs major work to get / keep it into a state of good repair. I'm just happy that Toledo Union Station was rehabbed several years ago and for the most part is well maintained. The platform entrances are a little rough, and the inactive train platforms are spalling pretty bad, but the terminal itself is in great condition, as is the Amtrak part of the depot, relocated to ground level.

 

[railiner]

Cincinnati Union Station is a spectacular example of Art Deco design. Whenever I see that magnificent station, I am reminded of the interior of the Radio City Music Hall in NYC...

What a crying shame if that station is not preserved......