Passenger Trains > Amtrak seeing increase in ridership, through Omaha

From the Omaha Daily Blab

https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/amtrak-seeing-increase-in-ridership-including-on-the-route-through-omaha/article_1d34b7ea-cd29-11eb-abc0-0333c1754085.html

Unable to read the article (requires subscription) -  but,  it's always good news to hear about ridership increases.

However, the OT performance of the Cal.Zephyr is not very good. (to put it mildly).

Amtrak’s California Zephyr, which runs from Chicago to San Francisco with daily stops in Omaha, is steadily gaining ridership as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.The railway’s daily service for 12 long-distance routes had been restored as of June 7, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said Monday. The Zephyr resumed its pre-pandemic schedule of one eastbound and one westbound train the week of May 24, he said.“We’ve been seeing steady ridership growth since January, getting closer to about 50% of normal, and increasing these frequencies will help us meet that demand,” Magliari said. “We’ve done some major improvements to the Omaha station (at 1003 S. Ninth St.) and we’ll have more about that coming out soon.” Amtrak’s Zephyr service and several others were reduced to three times a week as of Oct. 1 because ridership had fallen significantly during the pandemic. Recent legislation signed by President Joe Biden enabled Amtrak to recall approximately 2,000 furloughed workers and resume daily service. data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==STATE AND REGIONAL NEWSAmtrak to cut back service through Omaha and other routes

• The Associated Press

  For all routes and rates, check the Amtrak website at amtrak.com or call 800-USA-Rail. The 12 long-distance routes listed below do not include all route stops.California Zephyr (Chicago–Omaha–Denver–Salt Lake City–San Francisco).Capitol Limited (Washington, D.C.–Pittsburgh–Cleveland–Chicago). Crescent (New York–Washington, D.C.–Atlanta–New Orleans). Coast Starlight (Seattle–Portland–Sacramento–Oakland–Los Angeles).City of New Orleans (Chicago–Memphis–Jackson–New Orleans).Palmetto (New York–Washington, D.C.–Charleston–Savannah).Empire Builder (Chicago–St. Paul/Minneapolis–Spokane–Portland/Seattle).Lake Shore Limited (New York/Boston–Albany–Buffalo–Chicago).Silver Meteor (New York–Savannah–Jacksonville–Orlando–Miami).  Texas Eagle (Chicago–St. Louis–Dallas–San Antonio–Los Angeles).Southwest Chief (Chicago–Kansas City–Albuquerque–Los Angeles).Silver Star (New York–Raleigh–Jacksonville–Orlando–Tampa–Miami).Our best Omaha staff photos of June 2021 

Imagine if they had three coaches and three sleepers EVERY day, what would happen to ridership.  Or even four coaches.........

Another good reason to run a separate train between Omaha and Chicago to compliment the Zephyr

Posted from iPhone

It is a good idea to increase frequencies on any daily or less than daily routes.  I wonder if it would be even better to increase the network, bring more cities and routes on line.  Even better, of course, would be to do both.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Summer of 2010, it ran with 3 sleepers and 4 coaches, and it cut one of each west of Denver. It would be very easy to cut and add. I think the peak load point is Omaha - Denver. 

And in the last 4 years or so they have removed what was left of the platform and post office tracks at the station other than the “One” platform track that’s used for 5/6. Infrastructure goes hand in hand with operational flexibility.

Posted from iPhone

I have long said that Amtrak needs to extend the St. Louis -Kansas City "Missouri River runner" service north to Omaha. That train would be heavily utilized .

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

amtrakbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another good reason to run a separate train
> between Omaha and Chicago to compliment the Zephyr
>
>
> Posted from iPhone

"The Cornhusker"
or
"Omaha Limited"

OmahaTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have long said that Amtrak needs to extend the
> St. Louis -Kansas City "Missouri River runner"
> service north to Omaha. That train would be
> heavily utilized .

Does the train need to reverse directions at KC to do that?

Drknow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And in the last 4 years or so they have removed
> what was left of the platform and post office
> tracks at the station other than the “One”
> platform track that’s used for 5/6.
> Infrastructure goes hand in hand with operational
> flexibility.

 They back into a stub track, and they have 2 of them. They cut and add private cars and UP business cars from 5 & 6 in the same simple way they used to cut and add Pioneer thru cars. Tracks are shorter now, but some cuts and adds can still be done. 

OmahaTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have long said that Amtrak needs to extend the
> St. Louis -Kansas City "Missouri River runner"
> service north to Omaha. That train would be
> heavily utilized .

I've thought the same.  Especially if there was a STL to east coast train that didn't go through Chicago.  The old National perhaps.  Could pick up Indy and some Ohio stops.

no one patrionized the amtrak van, or preamtrak trains between omaha and KC, who would ride it?  target market, so much quicker on a bus 1/3 to 1/2 the time?

I rode the van KCY-OMA. All of the passengers would rather ride a train. Even the passengers said a train would attract more riders than a shuttle van. A series of trains and a good market means 6-12 trains per day easily. Haul packages, mail, flowers, etc.

The Omaha florists got flowers from Denver on #6. It worked perfectly for them, and the price was great. They got 60-100 cartons per day. #6 actually would often be waiting for the agents to finish unloading the flowers! This was 1970's-1990's.

 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Drknow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And in the last 4 years or so they have removed
> > what was left of the platform and post office
> > tracks at the station other than the “One”
> > platform track that’s used for 5/6.
> > Infrastructure goes hand in hand with
> operational
> > flexibility.
>
>  They back into a stub track, and they have 2 of
> them. They cut and add private cars and UP
> business cars from 5 & 6 in the same simple way
> they used to cut and add Pioneer thru cars. Tracks
> are shorter now, but some cuts and adds can still
> be done. 

Where?

Posted from iPhone

Denver is descibed above.

BRC we know that more passengers would ride the train, true most places, but again who is the target market, they going to ride ride jan 18?  april 4th?