ProRail Nebraska -- Nebraska's Association of Railroad Passengers and Supporters |
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Welcome to ProRail Nebraska Dedicated to advocating for improved passenger rail and all forms of surface public transportation serving Nebraska. Supporting We're Helping Get Nebraska On Track! Now follow us on Facebook!
ProRail Meetings ProRail Public Meeting - None scheduled at this time Next Board Meeting - Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 2:00 PM Location: Scooters, 2600 Pine Lake Road #2, Lincoln, NE 68512 Northwest Quadrant - South 27th St. and Pine Lake Road To join by Zoom, email Bridger Corkill at bridger.corkill@outlook.com for the Zoom link All ProRail Nebraska members welcome to attend
Public Support for Improved Passenger Service Expressed at Public Meetings
Sen. Juarez is very supportive of public transportation. She introduced LR203 in the 2025 Session. A total of 210 people attended the five public meetings to get input on LR203 during August and September: Columbus (7), Lincoln (56), North Platte (13), Grand Island (26), and Omaha (108) which doesn't include those who participated by Zoom. Sen. Juarez staff is preparing a summary of all the comments received at the meetings and in emails and letters which were overwhelmingly in favor of improved public intercity rail and bus transportation in Nebraska. Thank you to the ProRail volunteers who assisted the senator facilitate these meetings. Scroll down for more information about LR203.
Thank you for participating in the public meetings concerning Nebraska Legislative Resolution 203 - Interim study to evaluate the existing passenger rail infrastructure in NE Reporter Cindy Gonzalez authored an excellent article about LR203 in the August 11 Nebraska Examiner Click
link to read -
Lawmaker
seeks statewide input on Nebraska passenger rail possibilities. Scroll down for more information about LR203 and the public meetings
Meeting Minutes for Recent Meetings July 19, 2025 - Planning for LR203 Public Meetings this Summer July 5, 2025 - Planning for LR203 Public Meetings this Summer May 10, 2025 - Planning for Annual Meeting, NE Legislative Session updates April 26, 2025 - Planning for Annual Meeting, NE Legislative Session updates April 12, 2025 - Planning for Annual Meeting, NE Legislative Session updates March 1, 2025 - Preparation for hearing on MIPRC bill (LB256) February 1, 2025 - Lists NE Legislature Bills PRN is supporting, opposing, or monitoring January 18, 2025 - Discussion of bill for Nebraska to rejoin MIPRC
Resolution 203 Hearings Planned By Richard Schmeling - RPN Director Dist. 1 (updated August 8) Sen. Juarez and the ProRail Board are planning to hold hearings on LR203 this Summer in Omaha, Lincoln, Columbus, Grand Island and North Platte. Here is the schedule:
Locations for Public Forums/Town Halls o
Columbus - 6:00-7:30 Tuesday, August 19th - Columbus
Public Library, 2500
14th St., Suite 2, Columbus, NE 68601 o
Lincoln - 6:00-7:30 Friday, September 5th - First
Presbyterian Church o
North Platte - 6:00-8:00 Tuesday, September 9th
- North Platte Public Library o
Grand Island - 6:00-7:30 Tuesday, September 16th
- GI Main Library, 1124 W 2nd St, Grand Island, NE 68801 o Omaha - 5:30-7:30 Monday, September 22nd - Willa Cather Branch of Omaha Public Library, 1905 S 44th St, Omaha, NE Participants can attend the meetings in person or virtually on Zoom. Please contact Sen. Juarez's Office for the Zoom link. Email mjuarez@leg.ne.gov. Click here to view the press release about the LR203 Public Meetings.
Tentative Agenda for Meetings o
Welcome/legislative introductions from Senator Juarez o
PRN Officer provides a brief history of rail planning efforts
in the state and the need for legislation. o
Two short videos promoting successful transit projects in the
US Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit
(SMART) Rail Runner (NM) Amtrak Downeaster Boston
Portland Improvements o
PRN Officer or potential video explaining the regional (NE/SD)
Amtrak proposals. o
Open time for questions from Attendees o Invite attendees to complete a short survey
Nebraska Legislative Resolution 203 Introduced Interim study to evaluate the existing passenger rail infrastructure in NE By Richard Schmeling - RPN Director Dist. 1 ProRail President Matthew Roque and Treasurer Bridger Corkill met with NE Senator Margo Juarez, and together they drafted LR203. It was introduced May 14, and it proposes an interim study to evaluate the existing passenger rail infrastructure in Nebraska and gather feedback from the public to inform future legislation. Senators J. Cavanaugh, M. Cavanaugh, DeBoer, Dungan, Prokop, Rountree and Spivey signed on as co-sponsors of the Resolution. Click here to read the full resolution. LR203 was referred to the Transportation & Telecommunications Committee. If that committee does not act and schedule hearings, Sen. Juarez will arrange for and conduct hearings.
New
Metro Flex vans will soon extend the reach of public transit in Omaha Henry J. Cordes, Omaha World-Herald, Aug 6, 2025
Beginning
Wednesday, people on the move in Omaha will be able to hail a cheap van ride
using a phone app and be picked up and delivered to the nearest stop on Metro
Transit's bus network. Metro
on Wednesday, August 13, will be rolling out what it's calling Metro Flex,
Omaha's pilot project in a national public transportation movement called
microtransit. Metro
Flex is an on-demand ride-share service designed to extend
public transit in Omaha beyond Metro's fixed bus routes. It's
hoped the service can provide "first mile" or "last
mile" service that bridges gaps between places that are a ways off of
existing bus routes, making travel by public transit a more viable option in
Omaha. As
a pilot, the service will at first be available in three city zones: North
Omaha, South Omaha and parts of west Omaha. Users within the three zones
will be able schedule a ride in a van from home or work to a bus line, from
a bus stop to a final destination, or directly to destinations within their
zone without connecting to a bus. And
while the fare for Metro Flex has been set at $3 -- which includes the cost
of transfers and rides on Metro buses -- as a way to introduce Omaha to the
service, it
will initially be free for about two months. Click here to read the rest of the article.
Support
Amtrak Long-Distance Refleeting Needs By
Dan Bilka - State Director for South Dakota at the Rail Passenger
Association Our friends at the High Speed Rail Alliance and other advocates helped create the following statement of support to underscore the need (and our interest in) refleeting the Amtrak Long-Distance routes starting with the venerable Superliners. Click here to view the statement. We should work to get letters/resolutions from every single community served by the long-distance network. Mayors and City Councils, County Commissioners, Chanbers of Commerce, Development Organizations and more, we need them all. The importance of refleeting also extends beyond the communities directly served to hundreds more involved in the manufacturing process.
Omaha-Lincoln
Commuter Rail: What Would it
Look Like and How to Get it Started? By Eric Miller - Grow Omaha - May 16, 2025
A
concept that is often talked about is a rail transit connection between
Omaha and Lincoln. I hear this especially with the Omaha Streetcar project
as some folks will say that we really need to look at connecting Omaha and
Lincoln with a fast and more frequent transit option. Recall from my earlier article on transit technologies that the appropriate modes for transit between Omaha and Lincoln include commuter rail and intercity/regional bus, a service that provides more frequency than intercity passenger rail (think the current Amtrak California Zephyr, which is one trip a day in each direction). Regional or interregional bus service (connecting cities within a large region and/or multiple regions) provides more frequent service than intercity bus with stops that have good connections to existing transit, such as in Omaha and Lincoln. Commuter rail usually shares an existing freight railroad corridor,
operates at higher speeds than light rail (traditionally up to 79 MPH), and
serves longer distances. The distance between downtown Omaha and downtown
Lincoln is about 60 miles and is perfect for commuter rail or regional bus
service. Also recall from my previous
article on multimodal transportation centers that connecting
planned hubs between the two cities would enable connections to transit in
either city in addition to providing passenger amenities at each end, which
makes the trip without a car easier and a better overall experience. That sounds well and good, but how do we get this service started? What does it take and what has already been done? Click here to read the rest of the article.
Testimony Supporting LB256 MIPRC Bill By Jim Hanna - ProRail Director - Dist. 3 For the economic good of the State of Nebraska and its citizens I urge you to vote in favor of LB 256. I attended the November 2024 annual meeting of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC) in St. Paul, MN as an ally, largely at my own expense. I was highly impressed with the amount of interest and activity in improving passenger rail service that is underway in many other midwestern states. I was approached by commissioners from both Kansas and Missouri, asking me to encourage the Nebraska Legislature to rejoin. The Federal Railroad Administration has defined a number of proposed new Amtrak priority routes, two of which would pass through Nebraska, one along the eastern end and the other through the far west, both linking several states to the north and south of us. Without membership in MIPRC, these routes, when implemented, would likely bypass our state, depriving us of millions of dollars per year of economic activity. MIPRC membership also opens the door to implementation of additional Amtrak regional routes through Nebraska that would be of major economic benefit. Daytime trains connecting Lincoln via Omaha to Chicago across Iowa and Illinois through Des Moines and the Quad Cities would be very popular with business and recreational travelers, as would daytime service from Omaha to Denver along the Union Pacific mainline that passes through most of the Nebraska population centers. This latter service would connect with the Colorado Front Range Rail Project (in progress) that will ultimately link Cheyenne to Raton, NM through Denver and most other population centers. The modest cost of membership of $25,000 per year is a drop in the bucket of the state budget, yet opens the door to huge potential economic benefits for our state. It is critical, if Nebraska rejoins, that the state takes full advantage of that membership by sending its commissioners to the annual meeting. In the later years of our previous membership, Nebraska failed to do so, yet complained that we got no benefit. How could we, when we did not participate? Iowa has bills in both houses of its legislature to rejoin MIPRC. I met a state senator from North Dakota, a state with far less population and fewer miles of rail than Nebraska, who is encouraging his state to join so they can participate in commuter rail projects with Minnesota. 80 percent of their population lives within 20 miles of Minnesota, and many go there daily to work and shop. MIPRC
membership will reopen many opportunities for Nebraska to expand travel
options for our citizens and to bring others to our state for business and
pleasure. Please rejoin MIPRC!
Report on Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC) 2024 Annual Meeting By Jim Hanna - ProRail Director - Dist. 3
I attended the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 18-20 as an ally representing the Rail Passengers Association, of which I am the Nebraska Council Representative, and ProRail Nebraska, a Nebraska passenger rail advocacy organization. Attendees had the opportunity to travel to the meeting on November 18 from Chicago or Milwaukee via the new Amtrak Borealis service, but I declined due to the additional driving time required. Instead, I drove to St. Paul directly, arriving that afternoon. The conference hotel was just across the street from St. Paul Union Station, the stately building that served the city since 1926, and was the site of the MIPRC meetings. When Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971 a small "Amshack" became the boarding location. However, in 2001 plans began to remake the historic building into a multimodal transportation hub, and in 2012 these plans came to fruition, with Amtrak returning as one of the services offered. I walked to the depot that evening, to meet the Borealis at its approximately 7:00 p.m. arrival and to greet the attendees who had chosen to travel on it. The train arrived on time, and I was astounded at the number of passengers who had made the journey, not counting the conference passengers. We were told the next day that the Borealis service, which began just last May, had exceeded 100,000 riders on that very trip! Click here to read the rest of Jim's report (PDF). Click here to read MIPRC's "First Steps Towards the Midwest's 40 Year Vision (PDF).
ProRail
Nebraska Key Issues for 2025 Legislature By
Jim Hanna - ProRail Director - Dist. 3 December 31, 2024 Update
the Nebraska Statewide Rail Plan: Nebraska's most recent rail
plan was last updated many years ago, 2007, I believe.
While the Federal Railroad Administration does not require state rail
plans, and says that failure to have one does not disqualify application for
federal funding, we have heard that presence of an up-to-date plan
definitely has a positive effect on approval of such applications.
Here is a link to the FRA web site:
https://railroads.dot.gov/rail-network-development/planning/systems-planning/state-rail-plan-guidance.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation director has told us that
they have no interest in rail issues beyond road crossings of rail lines,
and that the legislature has given them no responsibility or authority
beyond that. That makes us
wonder why the department was renamed several years ago.
The Aviation Department was folded into it at that time, but as
nearly as we can see it operates essentially independently in most ways.
Railroads are every bit as important to business in this state as
highways, so for a state agency to take this attitude distresses us.
Furthermore, the two largest U.S. railroads, the Union Pacific
Railroad and BNSF Railway, have a huge presence in our state, with the U.P.
headquarters here, and, though the BNSF headquarters is in Texas, the
company is owned lock, stock, and barrel by Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha!
It seems reasonable to expect the state government to be interested
in having a current rail plan in case federal funds should become available
to help those important contributors to our economy.
Senator Dungan’s office is planning to offer legislation requiring
an updated rail plan. Restoration
of Nebraska Membership in the Midwest Passenger Rail Compact (MIPRC): Nebraska
was a founding member of the MIPRC, but dropped out a number of years ago,
if I recall correctly, at the urging of former governor Hieneman.
Excuses included the enormous expense of $15,000 per year dues and
that "Nebraska got no benefit from membership".
That is not surprising, as a series of governors, starting with
Johanns, had failed to send their appointees to any of the meetings, and in
later years even failed to appoint their two representatives.
To the credit of the legislature, they did make their two
appointments, though in later years also failed to send them to the
meetings. Amtrak recently
published the results of a study of potential new long-distance routes, two
of which pass through Nebraska, one at each end of the state, running north
to south, generally. It is
likely to be some time before these become reality, but it is vital that
Nebraska be a part of the planning process to get the most benefit.
A map of the proposed new routes is here:
https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/02/20/amtraks-long-distance-expansion-plan-includes-two-new-pacific-northwest-routes/.
Senator Dungan's office is also drafting legislation to restore
Nebraska participation in MIPRC. Amtrak
Issues: Amtrak currently has one route across Nebraska, the California Zephyr, which runs from Chicago to Emeryville, California via the BNSF Denver route across the south-central part of the state, with stops in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Holdrege, and McCook. The downside is both east and westbound trains pass through during the night. This is deliberate scheduling that was first established for the San Francisco Zephyr by the Chicago, Burlington, and Qunicy Railway many years ago, to ensure that the trains would pass through the Rocky Mountains during daylight, a trip renowned as the most scenic in the world. Having made that journey several times, I can attest to the spectacular views, many of which can be enjoyed no other way. What is needed are two more daily Amtrak trains in each direction across Nebraska operating in daylight hours. One would run from Chicago to Lincoln through Omaha, preferably via the Iowa Interstate Railway across Iowa to the Quad Cities. This would provide passenger rail access to the most heavily populated corridor of Iowa, which the Zephyr does not. Iowa was quite interested in pursuing this some years ago, but when Nebraska failed to show any interest in participating, they abandoned the plan. The route from the Quad Cities to Chicago is already in place as a state-supported Amtrak route. Another pair of daytime trains is needed from Omaha to Denver, mostly via the Union Pacific, which general follows the I-80 path through many of the larger cities. This might actually terminate in Cheyenne, as Colorado is well into planning for their own state passenger route that will have multiple trains per day between Cheyenne and Pueblo, servicing cities all along the Front Range. These two routes will provide exceptional opportunities for business and recreational travel, and offer a way for elderly and handicapped individuals to travel more comfortably to the finest medical facilities in the region.
Sen. Markey, Rep. Deluzio Introduce Legislation to Transform U.S. Rail Network If passed, this legislation could have a huge impact on both passenger and freight service across Nebraska. "An accessible, reliable, and electrified rail network across our nation would put us on a high-speed track to fend off the worst effects of the climate crisis," said Senator Markey. "The All Aboard Act makes critical investments in every link of our rail network - from investing in our workers to expanding passenger rail to electrifying railyards across the country. This bill would give Americans the train service they are clamoring for, help save our planet, and do it all with union labor. With the All Aboard Act, I'm calling 'all aboard' the train to a greener, more connected future." This legislation is supported by a broad coalition of labor, transportation, and environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, the Green New Deal Network, the National Resources Defense Fund, Earthjustice, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Tallahassee Food Network, the Transportation and Trades Division of the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, United Electrical Workers (UE), International Association of Machinists (IAM), the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Ways Employees Division (BMWED), the Teamsters Rail Conference, SMART-Mechanic, SMART-Transportation, the Transportation and Communications Union, the Transport Workers Union, the American of Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Transportation for America, the Rail Passengers Association, the High-Speed Rail Alliance, and Solutionary Rail. Specifically,
the All Aboard Act would:
Department of Energy Releases Its December
12th the Biden Administration’s Department of Energy released its US
Rail Action Plan.
The document incorporates many of our
ideas advocating for the highest levels of sustainable transportation policy
-- the importance of mode shift from long-haul trucks to rail along with
rail electrification
enabling railroads to utilize clean, renewable electric power from wind and
solar sources which we have in abundance in Nebraska. We also have some of
the highest density rail fright routes in the nation crossing our state,
excellent candidates for electrification. The 164-page report is an easy
read. (12/21/2024)
Nebraska
- More Service for the Cornhusker State! By
Dan Bilka - State Director for South Dakota at the Rail Passenger
Association (Dan
was a speaker at our May 18, 2024 PRN Meeting in Gretna, NE) The Long-Distance study process has identified two potential new routes through Nebraska. 1) A Twin Cities to Denver Routing that would cut through the panhandle, and a Twin Cities - Omaha- Kansas City and beyond routing. This is with continuation of the existing California Zephyr route.
This
isn't the last step, this is only the first step, to
expand passenger rail access in Nebraska. We'll also continue making
the case for more routes, ultimately, to be included for passenger rail (North
Platte, Grand Island, Ogallala, etc.). Recall that the
original 1956 US Interstate Highway Act didn't include key interstate connections
we have today. Congress passed an amendment in 1958 to add in new segments
such as I-29 between Sioux Falls, SD and Fargo, ND. More segments can
ultimately be added to strengthen our national network. Often derided as "fly-over county", the Great Plains has outsized travel needs compared to our population size. We often have to travel longer distances, more frequently, compared to our coastal counterparts. With your help, support, and vocal interest to the FRA, state leaders, and the Congressional delegation, we can make this network happen. What's
next? The final round of
Workshops will be held later this year after which the final report will be
delivered to Congress. Once delivered, we need Congress to act on these
recommendations and bring these critically needed routes into reality. Once
they act on these recommendations, these proposed routes will have to go
through service development planning (and likely construction activities)
prior to implementation. We
need to ensure that the Congressional Delegation (Senator Fischer, Senator
Ricketts, and US House Reps. Flood, Bacon, and Smith) are on-board with
passenger rail. They can help ensure that the Cornhuskers are a national
priority moving forward. Key
to Quote from RPA President Jim Mathews: "As
for the naysayers you may have read on social media, well, they're
entitled to their opinions. But nobody should draw conclusions about whether
rail expansion is worthwhile just from looking at leaked sections of a
vision map. And assuming that somehow a year and a half of concentrated
full-time study would NOT include thinking about track
conditions, capital investment, living patterns, equipment needs, or station
placement and design? Well, that's just plain silly. The FRA team didn't
just order out for pizza last month and sit in someone's basement to draw
up a map with Magic Markers. Everyone involved knows that the next step is a
broad, high-level assessment of capital needs, ridership, social and
economic benefits, and stages of readiness. And that's coming in Round
Four this Spring, setting the stage for additional route-specific detailed
planning later on."
It's
Time to Renew Your Membership Letter
from ProRail Nebraska’s President Dear
Friend, It
is time again to ask for you to renew your support of ProRail Nebraska.
Although modest, your dues allow our organization to continually move
forward in support of public transportation, and more specifically,
passenger rail issues. Your membership not only sustains us financially but
goes to show the breadth of support for our issues. When
asked about what sets our organization apart from others, it is our work on
issues other than just passenger rail. We continue to and always will
advocate for increased passenger rail access and use within the State of
Nebraska. Other modes of transportation do exist, and we continue to work on
public access to them as well. Your contributions are furthering the
acceptance of and support for passenger rail and public transportation in
Nebraska. Thank
you for your continued support of ProRail Nebraska. As we continue to
educate State Senators about the benefits of passenger rail, it is great
knowing that you stand with us. Please
click on the Join Us link on the left for information how to renew your
membership, join, or get a ProRail membership brochure. Use the tear-off
form to enclose with your payment. Matthew
Roque President, ProRail Nebraska
================================================== We think trains need more prominence in the U.S. because:
(above courtesy Rail Passenger Association) ================================================= ALL ABOARD FOR PRORAIL NEBRASKA!  JOIN PRORAIL NEBRASKA!
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| Updated 11/17/2025 |
