Lincoln, NE (LNK)

277 Pinnacle Arena Drive
Lincoln, NE 68508

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $1,175,052
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 9,946

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: West Haymarket Joint Public Agency
• Parking Lot Ownership: West Haymarket Joint Public Agency
• Platform Ownership: West Haymarket Joint Public Agency
• 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 Lincoln
• StarTRAN buses
• Haymarket District

First opened to passengers on the early morning hours of June 26, 2012—for the arrival of the westbound California Zephyr—the new Lincoln depot was formally dedicated two days later during a ribbon cutting ceremony. Designed by the local firm of Sinclair Hille Architects, the approximately $1.28 million project consists of the station and an 800-foot long metal platform canopy that protects travelers from inclement weather. A separate $610,000 contract covered the construction of a 1,200 foot long concrete platform.

The building is composed of brick pavilions linked by a central waiting room. Flooded by natural light through a large, curved skylight, the waiting room is meant to evoke the great vaulted spaces of many historic stations while the warm reddish-orange brickwork ties into existing structures within the surrounding Haymarket District neighborhood. One pavilion houses the restrooms while the other holds the ticket office, baggage room, and a space for train crews that use Lincoln as a “change point” to begin or end shifts. Across from the ticket office is a large photo mural depicting steam and streamlined locomotives against an antique map of Nebraska. The depot’s street facade is fronted by a colonnade framed with exposed steel beams, and the trackside elevation features panels with a raised geometric pattern. A tall, lighted pylon with “Lincoln” spelled vertically down its front serves as an arresting beacon for approaching travelers.

On May 11, 2010, Lincoln voters approved a $344 million revitalization project for 400 acres west of downtown and the Haymarket neighborhood. Dubbed the “West Haymarket District,” the project area includes a rail yard used by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Since the 1980s, many of the warehouses in the Haymarket area have been rehabilitated to accommodate new shops, restaurants, and apartments.

The centerpiece of the West Haymarket District development plan is the 16,500 seat Pinnacle Bank Arena. Opened in late summer 2013, it is home to the University of Nebraska women’s and men’s basketball teams. To the south of the arena and west of the historic Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad depot, new infill blocks will be added to the city grid to allow for the construction of mixed-use buildings with housing, retail, office, and cultural spaces.

In order to construct the arena and other structures, it was necessary to relocate the active track adjacent to the CB&Q station and the former Amtrak facility. Therefore, project funding included $51 million for track relocation and the construction of the new Amtrak station at the planned intersection of 6th and Q Streets. In December 2011, the Joint Public Agency, which is overseeing the arena project, awarded the construction contract to a local company.

The former CB&Q depot—known as Lincoln Station—was built in 1927. In its day, the passenger facility was considered one of the finest buildings owned by the railroad. In the late 1980s, the Lincoln Depot Limited Partnership used rehabilitation tax credits to renovate and restore the structure. The old waiting room is now rented for special events while the remainder of the station includes an art gallery, restaurant and offices.

Lincoln, originally known as Lancaster, was founded in 1856. It was renamed after the assassination of President Lincoln and became the state capital when Nebraska was admitted to the Union in 1867.

Station Building (with waiting room)