Omaha, NE (OMA)

1003 South 9th Street
Omaha, NE 68108

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $2,565,365
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 19,748

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: Amtrak
• Parking Lot Ownership: Amtrak
• Platform Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Track Ownership: BNSF Railway

• California Zephyr

Ismael Cuevas
Regional Contact
governmentaffairschi@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• City of Omaha
• Durham Museum

The Amtrak depot is located east of the historic Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) station, which Amtrak used from 1971 until 1974. Opened in July 1984, the one-story Amtrak facility follows a standardized plan introduced by the company in the late 1970s. Intended to be functional and cost-efficient, these depot designs enforced Amtrak branding by employing a unified material and color palette. The building features variegated buff brick walls punctuated by large floor-to-ceiling windows. A small band of clerestory windows wraps around the upper portion of the waiting room wall, producing a visual effect whereby the cantilevered roof appears to float above the structure.

Looming above the newer building, the old Burlington 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. From 2013-2015, the building was renovated to serve as studios and offices for Omaha television station KETV.

Across the tracks to the north lies Omaha Union Station, an Art Deco masterpiece erected by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1931. Following the end of passenger service, Union Pacific donated the building to the city of Omaha; it opened in 1975 as the Western Heritage Museum. Later renamed the Durham Museum, the institution provides exhibits tracing the history of Omaha and its railroads.

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. In addition, the city’s popular Henry Doorly Zoo is considered one of the best in the country.

Station Building (with waiting room)