Omaha, NE (OMA)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$2,090,718

Station Ridership

FY 2011

20,668

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The current Amtrak station is a single-story facility built in 1983 and is east of the historic Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) depot. Amtrak used the Burlington Station from 1971 until 1974.

Looming above the newer building, the original station was designed by famed Omaha architect Thomas Rodgers Kimball and opened on July 4, 1898, in time for the Trans Mississippi Exposition, a glittering international showcase that attracted visitors to Omaha from around the world. Eleven years after Amtrak moved into its own building, the then-owner stripped marble from the walls, chandeliers from the ceilings, even the antique fixtures from the bathrooms. More recently, a $13 million project has been planned to convert the building into condos and commercial space.

Another former station in Omaha was built for the Union Pacific Railroad and opened in 1931. Union Pacific donated the building to the city of Omaha and it opened in 1975 as the Western Heritage Museum. In 1997, it underwent a name change in honor of the Durham family, who were instrumental in the comeback of the building, and is now called the Durham Western Heritage Museum.

Omaha was founded in 1854 by land speculators, but the area had been inhabited for hundreds of years by various Indian tribes. The word “Omaha” means “against the current.” In 1862, this city was chosen as the eastern terminus of the first transcontinental railroad thus ensuring that Omaha would become a major transportation center.

Today, due to its central location, Omaha is a natural transportation and corporate hub. Technicians at the Union Pacific Railroad dispatching center control up to 2,000 trains simultaneously. This center is considered to be the largest computerized rail command center in the world. More than 90 motor freight companies, many major corporations and 20 major insurance carriers are headquartered here. At the turn of this century, several billions of dollars in new construction went into the downtown area.

The Henry Doorly Zoo is considered the Best Zoo in America by Reader’s Digest.

The Amtrak facility has a waiting room and is staffed by an Amtrak employee.

Omaha is served by two daily trains.