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

CHAPTER 5 – COMMUTER RAIL PLAN
The facility will include a 24-foot by 24-foot insulated prefabricated metal shop building
with a cast in place concrete floor, work bench/shop area, small office area and
utility/restroom area. The DMU will be stored uncovered in a fenced area.
The area around the building will be paved. There will be a paved access road to the
facility track. The areas on each side of, and between, the rails will be paved to facilitate
all weather vehicular access to the rail equipment.
The site improvements around the facility – including the building and surrounding yard
area, access roads, and rail equipment tracks – will be illuminated.
The facility will be furnished with the appropriate maintenance tools and necessary
supplies and equipment for routine cleaning of the rail equipment, including head-end
power. The facility will have its own electrical generator in case of a local power failure.
The facility will be furnished with a 4x4 pickup equipped with a snowplow for maintaining
the parking areas and maintenance access areas.
The following summarizes the preliminary cost estimates for each site. Costs are stated in year
2003 dollars; inflation over time will cause these costs to increase. Spreadsheets showing the
preliminary cost estimates are included in Appendix Table B-3. These facilities total to $16
million.
Lincoln: The car shop for the western end of the commuter rail system will be located in
the vicinity of the Lincoln Depot. Approximate cost: $14,371,000, including the
trackwork, building, equipment, land acquisition, and contingencies.
Omaha: The overnighting facility for the eastern end of the commuter rail system will be
located adjacent to the Omaha Station. Approximate cost: $1,611,000.
TRACK FACILITIES AND RAILROAD CAPACITY
Access to the BNSF tracks for operation of the Omaha-Lincoln service will require negotiation
between the sponsoring agency and the railroad. Typically, BNSF will require construction of
any necessary trackage to maintain its current and projected level of freight service without
degradation of the level of freight service. As noted previously, BNSF also will require some
form of access fee, or incremental track maintenance fee. The fee might be annual, or negotiated
as a lump sum payment covering a given number of years of service. The fee may be based on
the number of train miles operated over the BNSF system, as is assumed for the operating cost
calculation.
BNSF moves the bulk of its east-west freight over the direct main line between Plattsmouth
(Oreapolis) and Ashland. The secondary route from Oreapolis north to Omaha and then west to
Ashland is used by Amtrak’s California Zephyr to reach Omaha, and by local freight service to
serve Omaha industrial customers. The line from Omaha west to Ashland is single track, with
three intermediate passing locations (Ralston, Chalco, and Melia sidings). West of Ashland, the
route is double track into Lincoln. The operation of passenger service in both directions between
Omaha and Lincoln will require that some trains pass on the single track segment. A preliminary
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NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY
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WILBUR SMITH ASSOCIATES