Omaha Amtrak Station — Attraction in Omaha

The barebones of this station would be funny if it weren't so sad. The Durham Museum and the TV station each respectively took the two old grand central stations of Omaha. You can stare at their grandeur from across the tracks while you sit in a shack. Yep, Amtrak Omaha is the size of a gas station convenience store. Metal chairs that could seat about 50 people if you packed them in, no power stations, no desks, no concessions. There is a vending machine, bathrooms, and broken water fountains. No connection to the bcycle / bike share stations (nearest is at Durham Museum). Trains only pass by in the late night or wee morning. California Zephyr is your only option. Omaha to the west is scheduled to leave at 11:05pm most nights. That is it. The only train west goes to Denver and eventually California. And don't be fooled if they say the train is running early. BNSF or UP will inevitably delay the train with their traffic and it will be late. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour seems to be normal. Painful that late at night. Going east? That train is scheduled to leave at 5:15am most days. That is it. The only train east, goes to Chicago. Then, a bit after it leaves, the station closes. So much for the historic railroad town of Omaha. There should be great commuter trains back and forth from Lincoln to Omaha, especially on game days, but that is a dream. Why isn't there a regular train to KC or Des Moines? If you don't have a car in the midwest, then the each states' department of transportation doesn't think you need to get anywhere. It's just sad. We need a federal passenger network and stop sharing with freight companies so we can run regular trains and stop the need for all these wasteful parking garages (Lincoln, Ne feels like it is half parking garages, imagine how much space we'd have if just a quarter of those folks came via train...

The train that Omaha uses is the California Zepher. This review is mostly about the train, rather than the station itself.

Pros: -Assigned seating, so you are guaranteed to sit with your loved ones as long as you booked together -Seating is SO much more comfortable than an airplane (reclined both at the feet at the head, and had about 3x as much room in between seats) -They dimmed the lights early in the morning so you could get some sleep -Multiple water fountains -Very cool observation cart (a cart you can go to that is almost completely full of windows to see the sights when traveling) -Snack cart prices are reasonable -Very kind workers -Free parking at the station

Cons: -The people sitting around us were obnoxious (listening to apps loudly without speakers, having very loud conversations, yelling at kids). I recognize that this isn’t the train’s fault. However, a conductor of a DIFFERENT train set the expectation that if you are listening to something, you must use earbuds. I really appreciated that. -Dining cart prices are steep ($45/person for dinner,...

This is the second time on the California Zephyr and the first time taking it to Chicago from Omaha. Station was easy to find, parking was free and easy. With the Amtrak app, you can track your train’s arrival precisely and either wait in your car until it pulls up, or wait inside.

The station lobby was clean and staff friendly and professional. Riding the train, do not expect to have an “Out of Africa” romantic experience riding coach class—you’re much more likely to experience a Hogwarts Express experience with characters of all species. I actually had what appeared to be a Denentor on my train for instance—likely heading to meet family in Chicago.

When the train arrives, the conductor will come into the station waiting area and scan your tickets—again, the Amtrak app is useful to just pull it up and present,

Parking at the Omaha station is free and well lit. You can park overnight or apparently longer but no security is in parking area. It actually all seems pretty safe...