I know that the only passenger train through Omaha is the CZ and they do not need a larger station than the tiny one next to Union Station. What is the possibility that a small area of Union Station could be used as an Amtrak Station? I know it is being remolded as a rail museum. Obviously a large area could not be used. Note: I have never lived in Omaha except for a year at Offutt AFB over 50 years ago.
Union Station in Omaha
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Anthony V
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Amtrak service would be a perfect compliment to the new railroad museum, and it would restore service to a facility designed to host passenger trains. It would also allow for more passenger train routes to serve Omaha someday in the future (I've suggested that the Missouri River Runner be extended to Omaha). However, unless they can strike a deal with Amtrak to over the cost of renting the space and station relocation, it is unlikely to happen.
crescent-zephyr
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I’m not sure about a new railroad museum in Omaha. The Durham museum that is located in the former Union Station has several pieces of UP equipment, are you thinking of that?
That is on the Union Pacific side, Amtrak uses the BNSF side.
The old Burlington Station was vacant and unused for years, I always hoped the city and Amtrak would get together to bring it back. It was purchased and it’s now used by a local TV station.
The good news the building and history is saved.
When I was there in 1990 it was a very small building that was not staffed until just before train arrival. Since there is only one train not much more was needed. To get to the station you took a stairway from the overpass almost above it. I just looked at a current picture and it does seem newer and larger.
Art Lloyd of Amtrak was working on an Omaha <> Kansas City connection from Train 6 and to Train 5 (and perhaps from Train 4 and to Train 3) in 1986. He told me he had to put it on hold due to working on the workload created by the "kill Amtrak" effort at the time.
We discussed having the Pioneer becoming a SEA<>PDX<>DEN<>OMA<>KCY train. That would also have cross-connected with Trains 5/6.
It did result in a Thruway connection with a stop in St. Joseph. I rode it in 2001. My understanding is that it was done in by waiting for Train 6 running late, which interfered with the return trip from KCY in the afternoon.
Amtrak's platform is not next to Omaha Union Station, now the Durham Museum.
Amtrak stops beside the former Burlington Station and uses the Burlington Station's platform. The Burlington Station itself stood derelict for many years, but has now been rehabbed and is the home of an Omaha television station, but with no public access.
The pedestrian overpass over the UP and Burlington tracks (now BNSF) between the two stations, Union and Burlington, has been gone for decades.
Operationally, switching over to UP to serve the Durham Museum would be problematic, assuming the Durham Museum even retained any platforms. The CZ operates exclusively on the BNSF through Omaha and always has.
If one were to re-establish use of a legacy station in Omaha, the Burlington Station would make more sense. Assuming, that is, one could convince the TV station to allow use of part of its property as an Amtrak station.
The good news is both stations, Union and Burlington, have been preserved and restored.
Amtrak stops beside the former Burlington Station and uses the Burlington Station's platform. The Burlington Station itself stood derelict for many years, but has now been rehabbed and is the home of an Omaha television station, but with no public access.
The pedestrian overpass over the UP and Burlington tracks (now BNSF) between the two stations, Union and Burlington, has been gone for decades.
Operationally, switching over to UP to serve the Durham Museum would be problematic, assuming the Durham Museum even retained any platforms. The CZ operates exclusively on the BNSF through Omaha and always has.
If one were to re-establish use of a legacy station in Omaha, the Burlington Station would make more sense. Assuming, that is, one could convince the TV station to allow use of part of its property as an Amtrak station.
The good news is both stations, Union and Burlington, have been preserved and restored.
Amtrak explored the possibility of using Union Station in the late 1970s. They would have used the western part of the station and built a plywood enclosed passage from the waiting area through the museum to the platforms. The museum was opposed to this idea because it would have been a security nightmare. Since that time the museum renovated the entire building and the one remaining platform at the station was enclosed and now used to display three vintage passenger cars, a caboose and a steam engine
The problem that Amtrak identified in the 1970s was the lack of a good connection between Union Station and the Burlington tracks going westbound. There a freight tracks between stations that would have to be crossed and Burlington tracks climb to a higher elevation west of the station. Amtrak would have had to build a bridge over the freight tracks to connect with the higher Burlington tracks.
An additional problem was created when Amtrak trains switched from using the Burlington tracks through Council Bluffs and the Union Pacific bridge over the Missouri River to the Burlington tracks on the Nebraska side of the river. This occurred when the Burlington downgraded the tracks south of Council Bluffs. The tracks over the Union Pacific bridge served both the Union and Burlington station so it would have been easy for the eastbound trains to use Union Station. This is no longer the case. The tracks Amtrak now uses curve to the south east of the present station. This would make it virtually impossible to use Union Station as Amtrak would have to make a sharp turn and cross over freight tracks to access this .
The problem that Amtrak identified in the 1970s was the lack of a good connection between Union Station and the Burlington tracks going westbound. There a freight tracks between stations that would have to be crossed and Burlington tracks climb to a higher elevation west of the station. Amtrak would have had to build a bridge over the freight tracks to connect with the higher Burlington tracks.
An additional problem was created when Amtrak trains switched from using the Burlington tracks through Council Bluffs and the Union Pacific bridge over the Missouri River to the Burlington tracks on the Nebraska side of the river. This occurred when the Burlington downgraded the tracks south of Council Bluffs. The tracks over the Union Pacific bridge served both the Union and Burlington station so it would have been easy for the eastbound trains to use Union Station. This is no longer the case. The tracks Amtrak now uses curve to the south east of the present station. This would make it virtually impossible to use Union Station as Amtrak would have to make a sharp turn and cross over freight tracks to access this .
Omaha was one of the cities I traveled to as child in the 1950s and 1960s and it was a great place to see the many streamlined trains that served Omaha. I remember in 1953 taking Rock Island's Rocky Mountain Rocket eastbound from Omaha Union Station. As we waited for the Rocket to leave, we could see the California Zephyr arriving at the adjacent Burlington Station. My Mother was telling me all about the CZ which was a fairly new train at the time. Years later I got to ride it. I traveled into Omaha on the Burlington and Chicago Great Western from the Burlington Station and the Rock Island, Missouri Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Chicago and Northwestern and Rock Island from Union Depot., Those were great times for travel by trains and they will never return to that level.
