Published March 7, 2025 | Updated May 16, 2026

While the Amtrak station in Omaha pales in comparison to its grand Union and Burlington Stations, it offers an opportunity to ride the rails as have so many others that have arrived in or departed from this city.

Let’s set the scene: Rail passenger service declined and Penn Central, the largest railroad in the country, filed for bankruptcy. At that time, it announced its plan to discontinue 34 of its passenger trains. That led to the formation of a quasi-public corporation named Railpax (present day Amtrak) to operate passenger rail routes in 1971.

Railpax became Amtrak and in Omaha, it considered each of its historic train stations. It first considered Union Station but opted for Burlington Station instead. While no clear reason was given, it’s likely due to the fact that the train that ran through Omaha, the California Zephyr, already traveled along the tracks that ran alongside the latter. Union Station closed as a result of the decision. Its use of Burlington Station was short-lived, however, and in 1974, Amtrak moved out citing high maintenance costs.

Amtrak then moved its passenger service to three connected trailers just east of the Burlington in a parking lot. Commonly referred to as an “Am-shack,” it didn’t even have signage telling passengers where it was located. Of the three trailers, one was used for baggage, tickets, restrooms, and the ticket office while the other two were used by passengers. On busy days, 50 people waited inside while another 40 to 50 stood outside. The situation was so dire that at one point there were suggestions of moving service back to Burlington or falling back to Union Station.

Amtrak struggled from the beginning and its situation was so bad in 1979 that Launcelot Erickson, the president of the Iowa-Nebraska Association of Railroad Passengers, called it a deliberate failure. He went on to say that Omaha’s terrible train service was part of a plan to cut back and eventually discontinue the country’s rail passenger service because the Department of Transportation preferred that people use its highway system. Even so, usage saw modest increases, though recommendations to cut passenger service to Nebraska didn’t go away.

The train service remained up-and-running, however, and Omaha finally got its permanent train station in 1983. It left a lot to be desired when compared to the grand structures to its east and north that handled massive numbers of passengers in their heyday. The new train station was a brick structure built at the same site as the trailers and was designed according to one of Amtrak’s standard designs. Instead of hundreds, its capacity was 50 in addition to baggage and handling space.

Today, the city that was once a major rail hub is served by a single train: the California Zephyr. What it lacks in options it makes up for with scenery as the route is referred to by Amtrak as one of its most scenic in the country. The Zephyr includes coach and sleeping cars, an observation car, a dining car, and a lounge.

Despite all of its struggles, there is talk of expanding Amtrak’s service with additional routes connecting Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Omaha, Kansas City, and Phoenix, in addition to a direct connection between Omaha and Chicago as well as Omaha and Lincoln. Until then, the train that continues to service Omaha heads east around 5 AM and west around 11 PM each day.

For all of Amtrak’s struggles, which include funding and political will not to mention the use of infrastructure it doesn’t own, its service may soon expand. If the proposals become reality, there may be new routes added that connect Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Omaha, Kansas City, and Phoenix and maybe even a direct connection between Omaha and Chicago as well as Omaha and Lincoln. Until then, the train that continues to service Omaha heads east around 5 AM and west around 11 PM each day.

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