NTRAC Final Study - Nebraska Department of Roads - State of ...

Chapter 5
COMMUTER RAIL OPERATING PLAN
INTRODUCTION
Ridership forecasts in Chapter 3 indicated a potential travel demand for morning and afternoon
service to both Omaha and Lincoln. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an operating plan
for such a service. Presented here are the schedules, operating costs, revenues, and capital costs
of this service for the start-up year of 2010. Other prerequisites for the service are also
discussed, including operating agreements, an institutional structure, and transit integration. A
discussion of the potential for a rail link to Eppley Airfield concludes the chapter.
SERVICE CONCEPT
Route
The service is assumed to operate on the BNSF trackage between Omaha (the current Amtrak
stop) and Lincoln (Union Station, the current Amtrak stop). This route is the only direct route
available, and is used once daily by Amtrak’s California Zephyr. The California Zephyr’s
schedule allows approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes between Omaha and Lincoln, but the
actual operating time necessary is only 1 hour.
Rolling Stock, Stations, and Run Time
A contemporary self-propelled Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train set with ample acceleration
and deceleration rates should be able to complete the trip in about 55 minutes. Intermediate
stops would add approximately 3 minutes each to the trip time. Assuming a suburban stop in
southwestern Omaha, a mid-point stop at Gretna, and a suburban stop on the eastern periphery of
Lincoln, a DMU schedule of 1 hour 5 minutes should be attainable.
Service Levels and Connections to Transit
Service will be bi-directional during the morning and evening peak commute periods. Four
different service levels are discussed in the following section. There will be no weekend service,
but trains will carry special event traffic, i.e. Cornhusker football fans between Omaha and
Lincoln. Transit operations in Lincoln and Omaha would work with the commuter rail service
for an integrated transit solution moving riders beyond stations to work centers and back again.
Management and Maintenance
The service will be sponsored by a public agency created for this purpose. Alternatively, it could
be sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Roads. The agency will contract for the operations
and maintenance of the trains and other essential services. The train sets will be maintained in a
new shop in Lincoln.
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NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY
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