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ProRail Nebraska -- Nebraska's Association of Railroad Passengers and Supporters |
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Dedicated to supporting and advocating for railroad service Supporting We're Helping Get Nebraska On Track!
ProRail
Nebraska Meetings
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Artist rendering of proposed Bus Rapid Transit on Dodge Street next to the Univ. of Nebraska Omaha campus at 62nd Street. This is very close to the Milo Bail Student Center where ProRail will hold its February 18 meeting. City Planner Derek Miller will discuss this and many other transportation options being studied for Omaha. |
Our featured speaker February 18th will be William G. Thomas, Professor of History at the Univ. of Nebraska - Lincoln. He has just published a new book "The Iron Way: Railroads, The Civil War, and the Making of Modern America". Click here for reviews and ordering instructions from Yale University Press.
Next Board Meeting: Saturday, February 18, 2012 following the General Membership Meeting at UNO. Contact Dave Purdy, PRN President, for details.
ProRail Nebraska Opposes Nebraska LB747
"Withdraw from and repeal the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact"
Sen. Galen Hadley from Kearney introduced LB747 in the Nebraska Unicameral on January 4, 2012. Enactment of the bill would withdraw Nebraska from the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact (MIPRC). ProRail Nebraska is opposed to LB747!
Nebraska was an early member of MIPRC although its first annual dues were paid by the United Transportation Union. Then the state paid its dues and was somewhat active (not with support from Nebraska Dept. of Roads) until about three years ago when the Governor in one of his "cost cutting" moves dropped the annual dues of $15,000 to the MIRPC out of the budget. Nebraska has been carried as a member by MIPRC even though the state is about $45,000 behind in its dues. Most recently the MIPRC director, Laura Kliewer, wrote to the Governor and NDOR trying to arrange to talk about the situation but had no response.
In January 2010, the FRA announced that the Iowa DOT was awarded $1 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to advance planning studies for the full passenger rail corridor from Chicago to Omaha. The grant will be matched with a similar amount of state (Iowa) funding. Any implementation of service on this corridor will be incrementally grown, but this planning study will be a major step in development of passenger rail service along this highly populated corridor through Iowa's midsection. The City of Omaha, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and Metro Area Planning Agency (MAPA) all submitted letters of support for this study helping Iowa get funding.
If Nebraska withdraws from the MIPRC, will that mean that Chicago – Omaha passenger service, if it ever develops, will terminate in Council Bluffs?
PRN President Dave Purdy Testifies at LB747 Hearing
By David Purdy - January 31, 2012
Click here to read the letter submitted by the City of Lincoln opposing LB 747.
State's stake in the heart of rail
Lincoln Journal-Star - Monday, January 16, 2012
By Journal Star Editorial Committee
Nebraskans who believe in passenger rail transportation have had little to encourage them for a long time.
Amtrak comes and goes in the middle of the night, out of sight, out of mind, for the most part, in this automotive-driven state.
If LB747 becomes law, they will have even less hope for any new opportunities to ride the rails.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney but characterized as a Department of Roads bill, would take Nebraska out of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact.
Well, why not? Let's be honest. The state of Nebraska for years has been resisting any participation in this project, which proposes, among others, high-speed passenger rail between Chicago and Omaha. We've failed to pay our dues to the compact in recent years. We've refused to show any effort or good faith in the future of high-speed rail transportation to or from Nebraska.
And this from a state that was the first westbound leg of the transcontinental railroad 150 years ago. This from a state where there are proportionally more freight railroad employees than any other.
Click here to read the full editorial.
Sen. Brenda Council Introduces LB 1098
"Repeal the Build Nebraska Act"
On January 19, Omaha Sen. Brenda Council introduced LB 1098 that would repeal the Build Nebraska Act that was passed by the Nebraska Legislature last year (LB 84). ProRail Nebraska opposed LB 84 because it would divert state sales tax income from the General Fund to state highway construction and maintenance. Sen. Deb Fischer, who sponsored LB 84 and chairs the Senate's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, is a big booster of highways and generally opposes any state assistance for other modes of ground transportation like railroads.
Click here to read more about LB 1098 in Nebraska Watchdog.
The public hearing on LB 1098 before the Revenue Committee is scheduled for Thursday, February 16 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 1524. ProRail members and friends are encouraged to attend and testify in favor of this bill.
Union Pacific plans $1 billion investment in Nebraska operations
Published: January 23, 2012
OMAHA,
Neb. — Union Pacific has announced plans to spend $1 billion to upgrade
infrastructure in its home state over the next several years. The state is
central to UP’s network, with routes diverging toward Pacific Coast and
coalfield destinations to the west, and major Midwest cities to the east.
The
multi-year spending plan includes the following:
$70
million in upgrades to the Bailey Yards in North Platte, the world’s
largest classification yard The money will fund technology upgrades and
additional trackage.
$220
million for new rail, ties, and other work to upgrade UP’s main line
across Nebraska. The North Platte-Gibbon, Neb., corridor is the
world’s busiest freight main line, with 125 daily trains.
$206
million to establish a new crew change terminal between Fremont, Neb.,
and Missouri Valley, Iowa, plus technology upgrades, track upgrades, and
a new bridge over the Elkhorn River.
Railroad
Exhibition planning with the Sheldon Museum of Art
by Will Thomas, Prof. of History, Univ. of NE - Lincoln
In 2012 the United
States will mark several important anniversaries for the Great Plains
region, including the passage of three pieces of landmark legislation–the
1862 Pacific Railroad Act, the Morrill Land Grant Act, and the Homestead
Act. In addition, the Civil War Sesquicentennial is already underway,
directing further attention to the importance of this period in American
history.
We are currently planning an exhibition on “Railroads and the Making of Modern America” at the Sheldon Museum of Art from January 21, 2012 through April 2012. This exhibition will coincide with the Center for Great Plains symposium on “1862-2012: The Making of the Great Plains” and will feature works related to this theme in the Sheldon Museum of Art permanent collection. Railroads shaped the landscape of the Great Plains, and they were a central actor in the drama of American modernity.
Click here to read the full story.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
A Beatrice woman is
circulating a petition asking that Lincoln's new Amtrak train platform be
built to meet the newest accessibility standards.
Jo Feller says the effort by
those building the station to avoid meeting higher federal standards
shortchanges people who use wheelchairs or have mobility problems.
Staff for the group building
the Pinnacle Bank Arena and related projects have recommended that the city
begin construction on a rail passenger platform for a new Amtrak station
quickly, before Feb. 1, to avoid having to meet new federal Americans with
Disability Act standards.
Click here to read the full story in Lincoln Journal Star by Nancy Hicks.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
An Omaha
construction firm, Ronco Construction Co., will build the new Lincoln train
station.
Work on the $1.28
million station and new 800-foot canopy is expected to be finished by
mid-June.
Lincoln's current depot building will remain but passengers will use the new station, 700 feet to the west. The current tracks must be moved to accommodate the new Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Click here to read the full story in Lincoln Journal Star by Nancy Hicks.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
At its December 17th meeting, the ProRail Nebraska Board voted to support building the platform at the new Lincoln Amtrak station to the new handicapped access standards which require a platform height of 15 inches above top of rail instead of 8 inches. PRN Vice President Dan Lutz was asked to send a letter to Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler stating why our organization supports the improved handicapped access.
Kansas unveils passenger rail service plan
Friday,
December 02, 2011
The Kansas Department of Transportation released the Passenger Rail Service Development Plan, which is the next step necessary in exploring the feasibility of expanding passenger rail service in Kansas.
Click here to read the full story in Railway Track & Structures Online.
Nebraska is, per capita, the railroad state of America
November
6,
2011
More railroaders are employed in Nebraska on a per capita basis even though it comes in third behind Texas and Illinois, according to AAR. One reason for this? The headquarters of Union Pacific is in Nebraska and so is the owner of BNSF, Berkshire Hathaway.
Click here to read the full story from the Lincoln Journal Star.
Missouri DOT seeks public input on statewide rail plan
October 17,
2011
The
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will hold a series of public
meetings this month and next to gather input on the development of a
statewide rail plan. Click
here for details about Missouri’s rail plan.
The
plan will help guide decisions for freight- and passenger-rail projects over
the next 20 years, MoDOT officials said in a prepared statement.
The
plan will be used “to pursue critical federal funds for planning and
construction of rail projects, and to prioritize investments that improve
movement of people and goods, expand connections between all modes of
transportation and support long-term economic growth in Missouri,” they
said.
The
public will be asked to comment on such topics as the existing rail
system’s ability to serve businesses in moving raw materials and finished
products; the state’s interest in and potential ridership of intercity
passenger rail; and the importance of investing in different types of rail
projects compared to other infrastructure needs given likely funding limits.
The meetings will be held throughout the state beginning today and concluding in early November.
If Nebraska had a DOT instead of just a Dept. of Roads, maybe Nebraskans would have a chance to comment on development of a Nebraska statewide rail plan!
Union Pacific rolls out double-track project in Iowa & Nebraska
Tracy Buffington/Executive Editor
Fremont Tribune - September 16, 2011
Union Pacific Railroad has begun a multi-year project designed to move its trains through Fremont-area communities faster.
Work on $300 million to $400 million in improvements to double track the route between Fremont and Missouri Valley, Iowa, began this year, UP chairman Jim Young said during an exclusive interview with the Fremont Tribune on Thursday.
"The major project under way is the double tracking of our railroad from Fremont over to Missouri Valley," he said. "You've got two bridges, one over the Elkhorn River, one over the Missouri River. You have a lot of single track in there. Our goal is to double track that and get trains moving through the communities.
Click here to read the rest of the story. Scroll down to see photos of the project below.
U.P. Constructs Double Track on Blair Subdivision
By Clyde Anderson, June 3, 2011 (updated Oct. 22, 2011)
Union Pacific's Blair Sub. extends 40.3 miles from Missouri Valley, IA to Fremont, NE crossing the Missouri River at Blair, NE. This single-track line has only one siding -- at Kennard, NE 15.8 miles east of Fremont. Because of its limited capacity, the Blair Sub. primarily handles westbound trains while eastbound traffic is routed via the Omaha Sub. which is 21.4 miles longer and requires trains to pass through the congested Council Bluffs Terminal.
Planned for many years, construction finally started last Fall on double tracking the Blair Sub. The first phase of the project will extend a second track from the east end of Kennard Siding north (timetable east) approximately six miles to the Highway 91 road crossing on the west side of Blair.
A second project involves the construction of 3.4 miles of two additional tracks from the west end of double track at Allen Creek (2 miles west of Missouri Valley) to California Junction where the Sioux City Subdivision joins the Blair Sub. The 3.4 mi of single track between Allen Creek and California Jct. is a major bottleneck.
Grading and bridge construction is almost completed, and the new tracks should be in service by Fall. Oct. 22 update: Trackwork appears to be completed from the east end of the project near Hwy 21 in Blair west to Kennard. A ballast train was standing on the east end of the new track 10/21. Track crews were surfacing and lining the new track just east of Kennard, and another gang was installing a new high-speed moveable frog turnout near the east end of the existing Kennard Siding. New signals and grade crossing protection devices are installed. Appears the new track could be placed in service in a week or two.
Surveyors were also seen in the area west of Arlington, so construction of a second main track on this area of the Blair Sub. may begin later this year.
Double tracking the Blair Sub. will not only allow the railroad to route more of its eastbound freights via Blair instead of Council Bluffs, but also give dispatchers a better opportunity to resequence westbound trains before entering the very busy Columbus Sub. at Fremont. For example, 70-mph intermodal trains can run around slower manifest and bulk trains. With the large volume of opposing trains, making an overtake move on the Columbus Sub. is difficult. Today dispatchers often take advantage of the double track on the Omaha Sub. to resequence eastbound trains before they reach the single track north of Council Bluffs.
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| Kennard, NE - Looking west at the east end of the existing Kennard Siding. The new mainline is being built on the right, and the gang is installing a new turnout. | Looking east near MP 349 east of Kennard. Final application of ballast has been applied, and track workers are spreading the ballast, surfacing and lining the track. |
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| Looking southwest from the Hwy 91 crossing in Blair. This will be the temporary east end of double track. | Looking southwest from the Hwy 91 crossing in Blair. The new second mainline ends about 300 ft southwest of the road crossing. The new signals are in place, and a ballast train is parked on the new track. |
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| About two miles east of Kennard looking northeast. The bridge was widened to support the new mainline on the left. | Looking west from the road crossing about 1/4-mile west of Allen Creek, IA. Grading and subgrade are about done on the left (south), but the contractor is still working on grading for the track on the right. |
Lincoln Amtrak station proposal comes in 10 percent over budget
By Jordan Pascale - Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, September 9, 2011
The proposed $2 million,
3,000-square-foot Amtrak station in the West Haymarket district is 10
percent over budget.
Architects created a concept $200,000 over budget because of Amtrak requirements, John Kay of Sinclair Hille told the joint Historic Preservation Commission and Urban Design Committee on Thursday.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Kawasaki unveils new rail car testing facility and track
By MATT OLBERDING - Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com
Published: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday's unveiling of Kawasaki's new rail-car testing facility and test track seemed more like a concert or motivational speech than a standard ribbon cutting.
All 1,500 Kawasaki employees, most of them in blue uniform shirts, gathered in the company's rail car production plant while music blared from speakers and a big-screen TV showed images of the scene.
In the background sat one of the M8 passenger cars Kawasaki is building for the Metro-North Railroad in New York and Connecticut.
"This is a definite milestone in our history," Bryan Saucerman, deputy plant manager of the rail car division, told the employees, Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing executives and invited dignitaries, including Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler.
That milestone is completion of the $40 million testing facility and track.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
BNSF wants to build new bridge over Missouri River between Nebraska and Iowa
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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BNSF is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha
District and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to construct a
new railroad bridge and off-line single-track crossing over the Missouri
River near Plattsmouth, Neb., and Pacific Junction, Iowa. This crossing is a vital connection to BNSF's coal route from Powder
Basin in Wyoming to the utilities and power plants that use the coal. The
line also carries intermodal traffic, as well as two Amtrak trains daily
between the west coast and Chicago. |
BNSF westbound train crossing Plattsmouth Bridge across the Missouri R. |
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The crossing will be constructed adjacent to the existing bridge with new
line south of the existing line. The existing bridge and track will remain
operational after the new bridge is completed and its siding length will
have a minimum of 10,000 feet clear for chambering trains. The proposed bridge is 1,676 feet in length and will be ballasted with
cast-in-place concrete deck composite with deck plate girders and with truss
stringers. The piers will be solid shaft cast-in-place concrete. The layout
of the main truss over the navigation channel will meet the requirements of
the Coast Guard for horizontal and vertical clear opening. |
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| The Corps of Engineers in soliciting comments from the public, federal, state and local agencies and officials, India Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this project. | Note the high fill on the Iowa approach to the bridge. The fill would have to be widened for a second track extending east to Pacific Junction. |
Links to Matt Roque's Cornhusker Game Day Train Report and News Coverage
Matt's Game Day Train thesis (very large 6 MB pdf) Sorry, no longer available on-line.
Link to article in May 15, 2010 Lincoln Journal Star Click here
Link to Channel 8 "Cornhusker Express proposal catching attention" Click here
Link to "Husker Train" article in September 2010 Prairie Fire newspaper Click here
ProRail Nebraska Statement of Objectives - ProRail Nebraska exists to advocate for improved passenger rail transportation serving Nebraska. It is an affiliate of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), which advocates passenger rail service on a national basis. Our current projects are:
Click here to read the full Statement of Objectives (a one-page PDF).
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Transportation for America is a coalition seeking to align our national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. N.A.R.P. is a member of this coalition. |
ProRail Nebraska advocates safe, environmentally-friendly, fuel efficient, affordable, comfortable, and all-weather mobility that rail transportation can provide.
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We think trains need more prominence in the U.S. because:
(above courtesy National Association of Railroad Passengers)
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