Passenger rail between Omaha and Lincoln

[Brad]

Hopefully if we fund something we can also get some dedicated ROW for Amtrak to be able to run service on schedule...

They are going to need something because the BNSF only runs train Northbound from Napier Missouri (Near Mound City on the back side of Loess Bluffs NWR) to Pacific Junction Iowa.

That said, the BNSF runs the southbound trains from Lincoln to Napier so may be there is a way to get that rail service extended to Lincoln? Could make it a big Loop, St Joe --> Omaha --> Lincoln --> St Joe.

[damonhynes]

I just looked at BNSF's route map and it shows a complete route from KC to OMA, just switch banks of the Missouri at Pac Jct, like the CZ does. Am I missing something? (Besides the 600lb question of how much will it cost to upgrade the route to 79 MPH...)

[ita]

Isn't the Amtrak route through Lincoln-Omaha to Chicago BNSF track? If MODOT wants to connect KC to Omaha eventually, could we utilize BNSF track KC-St. Joe-Lincoln-Omaha? Or does it make more sense just to go straight through Napier to Omaha. Is Lincoln worth the hypothetical detour?

[Brad]

I just looked at BNSF's route map and it shows a complete route from KC to OMA, just switch banks of the Missouri at Pac Jct, like the CZ does. Am I missing something? (Besides the 600lb question of how much will it cost to upgrade the route to 79 MPH...)

As I said in the post above yours, they only run trains Northbound on part of that line:

They are going to need something because the BNSF only runs train Northbound from Napier Missouri (Near Mound City on the back side of Loess Bluffs NWR) to Pacific Junction Iowa.

[damonhynes]

I just looked at BNSF's route map and it shows a complete route from KC to OMA, just switch banks of the Missouri at Pac Jct, like the CZ does. Am I missing something? (Besides the 600lb question of how much will it cost to upgrade the route to 79 MPH...)

As I said in the post above yours, they only run trains Northbound on part of that line:

They are going to need something because the BNSF only runs train Northbound from Napier Missouri (Near Mound City on the back side of Loess Bluffs NWR) to Pacific Junction Iowa.

The Napier is directional running? I did not know that.

[NEDodger]

Isn't the Amtrak route through Lincoln-Omaha to Chicago BNSF track? If MODOT wants to connect KC to Omaha eventually, could we utilize BNSF track KC-St. Joe-Lincoln-Omaha? Or does it make more sense just to go straight through Napier to Omaha. Is Lincoln worth the hypothetical detour?

Personally I’d say no. The most likely way for this to succeed is it to be as straightforward and quickest way to KC. If this has to tag on another 90-120 minutes to go west to Lincoln and then east again….it’s dead in the water. I’ll just drive and save the time.

[daveoma]

According to this article, a new conceptual passenger rail map from the Federal Railroad Administration has already been shared at workshops around the country. The map shows a potential route from Kansas City to Omaha to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. Imo, if the service is appreciably faster than driving on the interstate, it could be very popular. One could even take a train to KC and connect with the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles.

https://railfan.com/fras-long-distance- ... -services/

[Garrett]

According to this article, a new conceptual passenger rail map from the Federal Railroad Administration has already been shared at workshops around the country. The map shows a potential route from Kansas City to Omaha to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. Imo, if the service is appreciably faster than driving on the interstate, it could be very popular. One could even take a train to KC and connect with the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles.

https://railfan.com/fras-long-distance- ... -services/

Yeah KC becomes quite the regional hub under that plan. Hopefully there’d be good frequency and speeds as well.

[thenewguy]

According to this article, a new conceptual passenger rail map from the Federal Railroad Administration has already been shared at workshops around the country. The map shows a potential route from Kansas City to Omaha to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. Imo, if the service is appreciably faster than driving on the interstate, it could be very popular. One could even take a train to KC and connect with the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles.

https://railfan.com/fras-long-distance- ... -services/

whenever we go to KC, i am always the one that drives. It's fine, it's an easy drive and i don't mind. But if i could go for around the same amount of money and be able to chill out, i'd give it a try. I'd probably do it once anyway just cause it's cool. I assume something like this would want to have a hook up to the streetcar and/or car rental place nearby for those who are driving around while in KC

[TransitOriented]

According to this article, a new conceptual passenger rail map from the Federal Railroad Administration has already been shared at workshops around the country. The map shows a potential route from Kansas City to Omaha to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. Imo, if the service is appreciably faster than driving on the interstate, it could be very popular. One could even take a train to KC and connect with the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles.

https://railfan.com/fras-long-distance- ... -services/

whenever we go to KC, i am always the one that drives. It's fine, it's an easy drive and i don't mind. But if i could go for around the same amount of money and be able to chill out, i'd give it a try. I'd probably do it once anyway just cause it's cool. I assume something like this would want to have a hook up to the streetcar and/or car rental place nearby for those who are driving around while in KC

Union Station has a streetcar stop.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I couldn't find an AmTrak thread so I decided to place this here...

I took AmTrak for the first time last week for a work trip. Having used passenger rail systems in Europe, I was delightfully surprised how pleasant it was and definitely plan to use it again in the future.

I decided to dive into some passenger numbers and found that the Nebraska stations, particularly Omaha and Lincoln, under perform compared to stations in neighboring states. That said, it would appear that poor scheduling is likely the culprit. No trains come through during times conducive to train travel. The lone eastbound train departs at 5:15 AM while the lone westbound train departs at 11:00 PM. It appears to be set up so that favorable times are offered to passengers embarking from other cities down the line. Evidence to that is in marketing materials for the California Zephyr, the line that comes through Omaha and Lincoln, they make no mention of either city as a destination. Increased frequency as well as a better station in Omaha would likely boost AmTrak passenger numbers in eastern Nebraska.

It sure beats driving.

[daveoma]

I agree 100% and a connection to the Denver and O'Hare airports would make a difference as well. In addition, a north-shouth route connecting Minneapolis and Kansas City by way of Omaha would significantly increase passenger numbers imo. Minneapolis especially is in the ideal "too far to drive and too close to fly" range. It's a pipe dream, but I think much more people in the future will enjoy a longer, yet more enjoyable train ride as compared to an airplane or a car.

Did you travel coach or in a private room?

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Did you travel coach or in a private room?

I traveled coach on the way out and Business Class on the way back. Coach was nice. The train car was new and much easier to spread out than on an airplane. Business Class though seemed much nicer than First Class on an airplane. I got a single-row seat, so I had no neighbors, and there was the option to not only recline, but put your feet up too on either a bottom foot rest or a fold-out ottoman. Business Class also got to access the dining car before anyone else did. The Wi-Fi was a bit wonky as I think it's acquiring local cell signals, but it was much easier to work on the train and be productive if you don't need continuously high-speed internet (or sometimes internet at all) than on a plane and certainly more than driving.

We didn't experience any delays due to passing freight trains, though I hear they are usually common.

[Bob from Omaha]

If there is ever a msp-kc route it would go thru dsm

[daveoma]

Did you travel coach or in a private room?

I traveled coach on the way out and Business Class on the way back. Coach was nice. The train car was new and much easier to spread out than on an airplane. Business Class though seemed much nicer than First Class on an airplane. I got a single-row seat, so I had no neighbors, and there was the option to not only recline, but put your feet up too on either a bottom foot rest or a fold-out ottoman. Business Class also got to access the dining car before anyone else did. The Wi-Fi was a bit wonky as I think it's acquiring local cell signals, but it was much easier to work on the train and be productive if you don't need continuously high-speed internet (or sometimes internet at all) than on a plane and certainly more than driving.

We didn't experience any delays due to passing freight trains, though I hear they are usually common.

That sounds really nice! Did this train go through Omaha? I thought that the California Zephyr only has coach, and the private rooms. I'm not aware it's business class seats on that route.

[Athomsfere]

If there is ever a msp-kc route it would go thru dsm

I'd say most likely, especially if built from scratch to do just that.

But if Omaha and KC build a regional HSR first, it could happen that Omaha becomes more of a hub.

I really wouldn't care the route for X or Y as long as we did something.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

That sounds really nice! Did this train go through Omaha? I thought that the California Zephyr only has coach, and the private rooms. I'm not aware it's business class seats on that route.

Nah, I rode it from St. Louis to Chicago and then Kansas City to St. Louis, so the Lincoln Service and the Missouri River Runner (which are both the same line but switch names once they cross state lines).

[Dusty]

It always feels like Omaha is passed up or looked past when it comes to rail projects. I don't see Amtrack expanding routes to Omaha anytime soon. I see a better chance pursuing a commuter rail to Lincoln. Funding of course is another story.

The transit map I created would line up perfect for an expansion for the commuter rail. Many of the West Omaha routes funnel into Southport as a junction. It's right next to the rail line that goes to Lincoln. in theory, you could ride the bus to Southport and switch to rail at the same transit center.

Example: Southport-Gretna-Ashland-Greenwood-Waverly-Lincoln

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl ... 63868&z=12

[Dusty]

Amtrak only shows one line that comes through Omaha and that's the California Zephyr. Since it departs at 11 PM it's not the most practical run to Lincoln (midnight arrival). if you stay on train it arrives in Denver around 7-8 AM. The Denver run is appealing as you can sleep through the night on the way to Denver.

This uses the same line as the commuter rail everyone wants to Lincoln. Maybe we can make a deal to run a day service to Lincoln but shuts down so the California Zephyr can run at night.

[buildomaha]

Amtrak only shows one line that comes through Omaha and that's the California Zephyr. Since it departs at 11 PM it's not the most practical run to Lincoln (midnight arrival). if you stay on train it arrives in Denver around 7-8 AM. The Denver run is appealing as you can sleep through the night on the way to Denver.

This uses the same line as the commuter rail everyone wants to Lincoln. Maybe we can make a deal to run a day service to Lincoln but shuts down so the California Zephyr can run at night.

California Zephyr doesn’t have its own ROW, I believe they operate on BNSF rails.

[Brad]

California Zephyr doesn’t have its own ROW, I believe they operate on BNSF rails.

Correct, BNSF from Chicago to Denver and Union Pacific from Denver to San Francisco.

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quite, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Its too bad they didn't keep the Rock Island or Missouri Pacific lines between Omaha and Lincoln. They are both now abandoned...

Missouri Pacific Railroad:
Downtown Omaha
North Omaha
UNMC
Ralston
West LaVista (Just south of Southport)
West Papillion (Werner Park Area)
Springfield
Louisville
Manley
Weeping Water
Wabash
Elmwood
Eagle
Walton
Lincoln (and like right down the middle of Lincoln Parallel to Vine Street, through Campus to Haymarket Park)

Rock Island Railroad:
South Omaha
West Bellevue
Papillion (Shadow Lake Area)
Richfiled
North Louisville (Stayed on north side of Platte River)
South Bend
Murdock
Alvo
Prairie Home
Havelock (North East Lincoln)
Lincoln (Train Station is still in place and used as a bank at 20th and O Street).

[Athomsfere]

California Zephyr doesn’t have its own ROW, I believe they operate on BNSF rails.

Correct, BNSF from Chicago to Denver and Union Pacific from Denver to San Francisco.

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quite, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Its too bad they didn't keep the Rock Island or Missouri Pacific lines between Omaha and Lincoln. They are both now abandoned...

Missouri Pacific Railroad:
Downtown Omaha
North Omaha
UNMC
Ralston
West LaVista (Just south of Southport)
West Papillion (Werner Park Area)
Springfield
Louisville
Manley
Weeping Water
Wabash
Elmwood
Eagle
Walton
Lincoln (and like right down the middle of Lincoln Parallel to Vine Street, through Campus to Haymarket Park)

Rock Island Railroad:
South Omaha
West Bellevue
Papillion (Shadow Lake Area)
Richfiled
North Louisville (Stayed on north side of Platte River)
South Bend
Murdock
Alvo
Prairie Home
Havelock (North East Lincoln)
Lincoln (Train Station is still in place and used as a bank at 20th and O Street).

Who owns them now? Would there be one a line could buy out (Like Mopac and Wabash were bought for RtT)?

Maybe they could be rebuilt and modernized?

[Louie]

California Zephyr doesn’t have its own ROW, I believe they operate on BNSF rails.

Correct, BNSF from Chicago to Denver and Union Pacific from Denver to San Francisco.

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quite, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Its too bad they didn't keep the Rock Island or Missouri Pacific lines between Omaha and Lincoln. They are both now abandoned...

Missouri Pacific Railroad:
Downtown Omaha
North Omaha
UNMC
Ralston
West LaVista (Just south of Southport)
West Papillion (Werner Park Area)
Springfield
Louisville
Manley
Weeping Water
Wabash
Elmwood
Eagle
Walton
Lincoln (and like right down the middle of Lincoln Parallel to Vine Street, through Campus to Haymarket Park)

Rock Island Railroad:
South Omaha
West Bellevue
Papillion (Shadow Lake Area)
Richfiled
North Louisville (Stayed on north side of Platte River)
South Bend
Murdock
Alvo
Prairie Home
Havelock (North East Lincoln)
Lincoln (Train Station is still in place and used as a bank at 20th and O Street).

Who owns them now? Would there be one a line could buy out (Like Mopac and Wabash were bought for RtT)?

Maybe they could be rebuilt and modernized?

A lot of it has been torn out entirely.

[Athomsfere]

A lot of it has been torn out entirely.

I believe thats been the case with many of the rails to trails projects. But the ROW is never ceded so that something can be done with it.

[Louie]

A lot of it has been torn out entirely.

I believe thats been the case with many of the rails to trails projects. But the ROW is never ceded so that something can be done with it.

True, true.

[Brad]

Except for the few parts that are trails, its all in private hands and much around Omaha has been built upon.

[Dusty]

From what I'm gathering from everyone's comments is getting a commuter rail is challenging considering all the barriers involved. We would be renting the rails from BNSF. The times they allow you to use may not be feasible times passengers want to ride. This leaves you to laying new ROW track which is very expensive. On top of that the new track would cross through private property. This adds to the cost and complexity. We would need all those property owners on board to use their land or it's a no go. Did I sum this up correctly?

As I said before, I 'm fine with just using a bus service to Lincoln, Kansas City, etc.

[Athomsfere]

From what I'm gathering from everyone's comments is getting a commuter rail is challenging considering all the barriers involved. We would be renting the rails from BNSF. The times they allow you to use may not be feasible times passengers want to ride. This leaves you to laying new ROW track which is very expensive. On top of that the new track would cross through private property. This adds to the cost and complexity. We would need all those property owners on board to use their land or it's a no go. Did I sum this up correctly?

As I said before, I 'm fine with just using a bus service to Lincoln, Kansas City, etc.

Yeah.

I'd also prefer new rail over sharing with freight. More flexibility, higher speeds / comfort. Price be damned. In the long run its a much better investment than adding more lanes between the two metros on I80.

But, first. I'd still prefer both cities invest in local transit systems. Spending tens of billions of dollars to get people between cities isn't worth much if you can't get anywhere besides the train station without a car. And of course, no park and rides to create that island of usefulness inside a giant parking lot.

[Brad]

California Zephyr doesn’t have its own ROW, I believe they operate on BNSF rails.

Correct, BNSF from Chicago to Denver and Union Pacific from Denver to San Francisco.

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quite, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Its too bad they didn't keep the Rock Island or Missouri Pacific lines between Omaha and Lincoln. They are both now abandoned...

Missouri Pacific Railroad:
Downtown Omaha
North Omaha
UNMC
Ralston
West LaVista (Just south of Southport)
West Papillion (Werner Park Area)
Springfield
Louisville
Manley
Weeping Water
Wabash
Elmwood
Eagle
Walton
Lincoln (and like right down the middle of Lincoln Parallel to Vine Street, through Campus to Haymarket Park)

Rock Island Railroad:
South Omaha
West Bellevue
Papillion (Shadow Lake Area)
Richfiled
North Louisville (Stayed on north side of Platte River)
South Bend
Murdock
Alvo
Prairie Home
Havelock (North East Lincoln)
Lincoln (Train Station is still in place and used as a bank at 20th and O Street).

I'm going to throw out a couple more routes, one Abandoned and one Active.

Chicago and North Western Railroad (Two Options Between Downtown Omaha and Irvington) - ABANDONED
Option 1
Downtown Omaha
Carter Lake
North Omaha
Immanuel Hospital
Irvington (Option 1 & 2 Lines Come Together)

Option 2
Downtown Omaha
Summit (I80 - I480 - JFK)
42 & D Street (Spring Valley)
Aksarben Village
78th & Dodge (Crossroads Area)
90th & Fort Street
Irvington (Option 1 & 2 Lines Come Together)

Irvington
Bennington
Washington
Arlington (Joins the current UP Mainline)
Fremont
West Fremont (Leaves the current UP Mainline)
Cedar Bluff
Wahoo
Ceresco
Davey
Lincoln

Union Pacific Railroad - Active

This uses two active but underutilized Union Pacific rail lines

Downtown Omaha
Elkhorn
Waterloo
Valley (Leaves UP Mainline on to a UP Branch Line)
Yutan
Mead
Wahoo
Westin
Valparaiso
Agnew
Raymond
Lincoln Airport
Haymarket

[Dusty]

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quiet, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Would there be any benefit to building it in sections verses the all or nothing approach? For example, a starter line we build 3 stations: Southport, Gretna, Ashland. Give it some time to build strong density around the stations and build excitement.

Then Lincoln can push for a line to Waverly. And last find a way to connect Ashland to Waverly.

[Athomsfere]

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quiet, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Would there be any benefit to building it in sections verses the all or nothing approach? For example, a starter line we build 3 stations: Southport, Gretna, Ashland. Give it some time to build strong density around the stations and build excitement.

Then Lincoln can push for a line to Waverly. And last find a way to connect Ashland to Waverly.

The downside I see:

Those location have no transit and no density. Every time expansions are proposed it will be like when most people who are anti-transit talk about the ORBT: "It's always empty, no one rides it. What a waste of money and now they want to expand it!".

[Garrett]

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quiet, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Would there be any benefit to building it in sections verses the all or nothing approach? For example, a starter line we build 3 stations: Southport, Gretna, Ashland. Give it some time to build strong density around the stations and build excitement.

Then Lincoln can push for a line to Waverly. And last find a way to connect Ashland to Waverly.

The downside I see:

Those location have no transit and no density. Every time expansions are proposed it will be like when most people who are anti-transit talk about the ORBT: "It's always empty, no one rides it. What a waste of money and now they want to expand it!".

Any transit construction would definitely have to come with a degree of expectation that there will be good development around it for sure. I also think having regional rail go into small towns is great, as there are quite a few pretty small towns on regional rail lines around nyc. It’s not a huge deal if the stations don’t have transit if their catchment area is a good, safely walkable space because even at peak I’d imagine any Omaha-Lincoln service would be looking at 1 hour headways at the absolute max

[Athomsfere]

The problem with Commuter Rail using the BNSF, is from Ashland to Lincoln. The Omaha line from Omaha to Ashland is fairly quiet, but when it meets the BSNF mainline in Ashland, it gets a lot busier.

Would there be any benefit to building it in sections verses the all or nothing approach? For example, a starter line we build 3 stations: Southport, Gretna, Ashland. Give it some time to build strong density around the stations and build excitement.

Then Lincoln can push for a line to Waverly. And last find a way to connect Ashland to Waverly.

The downside I see:

Those location have no transit and no density. Every time expansions are proposed it will be like when most people who are anti-transit talk about the ORBT: "It's always empty, no one rides it. What a waste of money and now they want to expand it!".

Any transit construction would definitely have to come with a degree of expectation that there will be good development around it for sure. I also think having regional rail go into small towns is great, as there are quite a few pretty small towns on regional rail lines around nyc. It’s not a huge deal if the stations don’t have transit if their catchment area is a good, safely walkable space because even at peak I’d imagine any Omaha-Lincoln service would be looking at 1 hour headways at the absolute max

I agree with you, if it wasn't clear. I was just saying that the public perception would likely not be great. Potentially making opposition in the short term stronger.

Of course, eventually that built environment to support the transit working fills in and people will act like it was always a no-brainer.

[daveoma]

Brightline West between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area is proposed to be built in the median of Interstate 15. The distance is about 220 miles at a cost of $12 billion. The distance from the Omaha train station to the Lincoln train station is 60 miles. According to my calculations ($54 million per mile), the presumptive cost would be $3.2 billion. I suspect that building in Nebraska would be much cheaper than California, but building in the median of I 80 is an option nonetheless. Perhaps not a cheap as building on old rights of way?

[strangerthings]

Brightline West between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area is proposed to be built in the median of Interstate 15. The distance is about 220 miles at a cost of $12 billion. The distance from the Omaha train station to the Lincoln train station is 60 miles. According to my calculations ($54 million per mile), the presumptive cost would be $3.2 billion. I suspect that building in Nebraska would be much cheaper than California, but building in the median of I 80 is an option nonetheless. Perhaps not a cheap as building on old rights of way?

Brightline West has a few intermediate stations serving small rural desert towns or straight-up nothingness. Their stations are pretty large/extravagant compared to what is really needed per say.
Also getting into LA is complicated and expensive.
Brightline West has an 190MPH top speed which might not even be achievable between Lincoln and Omaha given the short distance and inclusion of intermediate stations

[nativeomahan]

Metro LA has a population somewhere around 20,000,000. Las Vegas is about 2,000,000. That’s almost 20 times the combined population of Lincoln and Omaha. And they still don’t have high speed passenger rail between those 2 cities.
I’m not sure how much more you need to consider.

[Garrett]

Metro LA has a population somewhere around 20,000,000. Las Vegas is about 2,000,000. That’s almost 20 times the combined population of Lincoln and Omaha. And they still don’t have high speed passenger rail between those 2 cities.
I’m not sure how much more you need to consider.

Counterpoint: Albuquerque, metro of 900,000 and Santa Fe, metro of 150,000, are 64 miles apart and have multiple trains per day between the two.

[GenX]

Metro LA has a population somewhere around 20,000,000. Las Vegas is about 2,000,000. That’s almost 20 times the combined population of Lincoln and Omaha. And they still don’t have high speed passenger rail between those 2 cities.
I’m not sure how much more you need to consider.

An interstate high speed rail is a vastly more complex project than an intrastate one.

[Bomaha]

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. The two main systems that we should be looking to emulate is the maybe the RailRunner service in New Mexico and preferably the FrontRunner service in Utah. FrontRunner has been increasing service, frequency, and a long term plan of upgrades, etc. There is no reason why we shouldn't be thinking of this. Especially if we want to start thinking of the two cities as one region.

I know the hardest things would be probably be the following:

1. Political will to create a Transit or Passenger Rail Authority for the greater Omaha-Lincoln region, with the specific focus of builting out a commuter line between the two cities and longer term of increased infrastructure, frequency and potential minor extensions.

2. Honestly, getting BNSF to play ball. I believe they are middle of the road in terms of the Class 1s being hostile to any increase in passenger rail. Maybe a carrot of paying for a decent chunk of upgrades to the main line between O & L?
- The other option (option, lol) would be just purchase the ROW, but I just laughed typing that out.

Edit:
The reason why I have been thinking about this is because a lot of rolling stock will be going onto the secondary market within the next however many years, specifically:

Toronto's GO fleet
Montreal's EXO fleet
Boston's MBTA
Assuming it has already been sold, but CalTrain's stock
With Metra getting upgrades, potentially some of the current fleet

Again, I know that we wouldn't be necessarily on the top of the list, but this is something we do need to think about progressing forward the next couple decades. Getting our %$#@ together and our ducks in a row. We have a decent chance up large regional upgrades.

Just my two cents.

[ricko]

How much influence/control do the commercial railroads have over the use of existing rail lines between Omaha and Lincoln? Realistically, I could see something like the single car inter-urban type rail service that was pretty much nationwide in the early 20th century, using the existing infrastructure, with advanced on-line sales to avoid overcrowding.