Omaha Streetcar
| Omaha Streetcar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Approved | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Omaha, Nebraska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Omaha, Nebraska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Streetcar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planned opening | 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 3.0 mi (4.8 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Streetcar in mixed traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Omaha Streetcar is a proposed streetcar system in Omaha, Nebraska.
History
Background
The Omaha-Council Bluffs streetcar era began operations in 1868. By 1890, the metropolitan area had 90 miles (140 km) of tracks — more than any city except Boston. The Omaha Traction Company was the dominant private streetcar provider of the time; it was engulfed in repeated labor disputes.[1][2] By 1955, the city closed its streetcar system in favor of buses.[3]
Planning and development
In 2009, the City of Omaha and Heritage Services developed a Downtown Omaha Masterplan to improve the Omaha downtown area by 2030.[4] The transportation element of the Omaha Master Plan was completed in 2012, and included a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and other non-car transit as part of the transportation blueprints.[5] In 2013 as part of a central Omaha transit analysis, SB Friedman Development Advisors forecast central Omaha development impacts from improved transit.[6] The Friedman analysis compared streetcar projects from Portland, Seattle, and Tampa to BRT alternatives from Cleveland & Kansas, estimating the streetcar increases development by $1 billion & the BRT alternative by $262 million.[6] However, the Friedman analysis ignored Portland's $725 million, Seattle's $1 billion, & Tampa's $165 million in direct subsidies to developers calling into question if streetcar economic impact differs from other modes of transportation.[7] The central Omaha transit alternatives analysis was completed in 2014, narrowing down the alternatives to a BRT or streetcar system along Farnam & Harney or a Farnam Contraflow route.[8]
| Criteria | Alternative 1 | Alternative 2 | Alternative 2A | Alternative 3 | Alternative 3A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRT | BRT | Streetcar | |||
| Dodge/Douglas Couplet | Farnam/Harney Couplet | Farnam Contraflow | Farnam/Harney Couplet | Farnam Contraflow | |
| RIDERSHIP | |||||
| Ridership | 1,180 passengers | 1,430 passengers | 1,380 passengers | ||
| CAPITAL COSTS | |||||
| Capital Cost
(2013) |
$36,638,000 | $37,196,000 | $42,543,000 | $141,386,000 | $141,724,000 |
| Annualized capital cost | $2,007,000 | $2,037,000 | $2,330,000 | $7,745,000 | $7,763,000 |
| Cost per mile | $6,242,000 | $6,048,000 | $7,102,000 | $42,331,000 | $44,567,000 |
| OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COST (O&M) | |||||
| Annual O&M Cost (2013) | $2,647,486 | $2,681,234 | $6,883,515 | ||
| COST BENEFIT | |||||
| Cost per user | $3.94 | $3.30 | $3.50 | $10.60 | $10.61 |
| RECOMMENDATION | Eliminate | Advance | Advance | Advance | Advance |
During her re-election campaign in April 2017, Mayor Jean Stothert said voters should decide the streetcar's future, hoping to put it on the November 2018 ballot, "I've always wanted the people to be the final decision," the mayor said. "That's nothing different."[10]
Rep. Don Bacon was unsuccessful in obtaining an $8 million earmark for the project in 2021.[11]
In 2022, a revised plan was announced by Mayor Jean Stothert and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's Urban Core Committee.[12] On December 13, 2022, the Omaha City Council approved the issuance of $440 million in bonds to fund the streetcar. $360 million is projected to be paid back with property taxes through tax increment financing, and $80 million from a lease purchase agreement.[13]
The streetcar would run on a three-mile (4.8 km) route from Cass to Farnam on South 10th Street, Farnam west to 42nd Street, and back to 10th Street on Harney. The streetcar is expected to be operational in 2026, and free for all riders.[14] Future expansions north, south, and west in Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa are also proposed.[15] The proposal was endorsed by Governor of Nebraska Pete Ricketts, Union Pacific Railroad President, chairman and CEO Lance Fritz, and Mayor Matt Walsh of Council Bluffs.[citation needed] The streetcar is expected to start construction in 2024 and be completed in 2026 alongside the new Mutual of Omaha Headquarters Tower.[16][17]
At the December 6, 2022, Omaha City Council meeting a transportation expert who grew up in Omaha expressed the view that the Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) is superior to the proposed streetcar line on almost all standard transportation measures: going over three times as far west to serve more potential riders and destinations, faster operating speed, and more trips/day – and at a far lower cost that does not require hundreds of millions of dollars of additional taxpayer capital. The expert went on to show per HDR analysis, that ORBT has two-thirds of the growth development ability of the proposed streetcar in the development corridor under study, and since ORBT was approved for implementation years ago and has been in operation for two years, most of the development potential of the Omaha streetcar has already been achieved.[18] Investor Warren Buffett, an Omaha resident and owner of Berkshire Hathaway, published a letter to the editor in the Omaha World-Herald to oppose the street project. He cited its cost and inflexibility compared to a bus system.[19]
See also
- Light rail in the United States
- Streetcars in North America
- Transportation in Omaha
- General Motors streetcar conspiracy
References
- ^ "Militia in Omaha After Fatal Riot". The New York Times. June 16, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "New riots in Omaha; Bricks Bombard Street Cars in Revived Strike Outbreak". The New York Times. June 30, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Wade, Jessica (January 26, 2022). "After years of stalled attempts, Omaha is on track to build a streetcar". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Jensen, Steven; Bisson, Douglas (February 5, 2010). "Downtown Omaha 2030 Master Plan: Creative Resolution to Unique Challenges" (PDF). newpartners.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Suttle, Jim (2010). "Omaha Master Plan - Transportation Element" (PDF). cityofomaha.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "2014 TIGER Grant Application" (PDF). ometro.com. April 25, 2014. pp. 23–48. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 18, 2023 suggested (help) - ^ O'Toole, Randal (June 14, 2012). "The Great Streetcar Conspiracy". Cato Institute Policy Analysis No. 699 – via SSRN.
- ^ "2014 TIGER Application Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis" (PDF). ometro.com. April 2014. pp. 63–167. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 18, 2023 suggested (help) - ^ "2014 TIGER Application, Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis" (PDF). ometro.com. April 2014. p. 76. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 18, 2023 suggested (help) - ^ Barth, Taylor (April 10, 2017). "Mayor Stothert calls for vote on streetcar". KETV. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Gaarder, Nancy; Ristau, Reece (June 29, 2021). "Omaha officials sought $8 million for streetcar but didn't get federal earmark". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Total Mobility System - City of Omaha". www.cityofomaha.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Journal Record, City of Omaha City Council Meeting, Tuesday, December 13, 2022" (PDF). December 13, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2023.
- ^ "'Now is the time to do it': City of Omaha aims for operational streetcar system by 2026". KMTV. January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Chapman, John. "Council Bluffs looks to link up with Omaha streetcar route". WOWT. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Mannion, Annemarie (May 23, 2022). "Planned Streetcar Line Drives New Development in Omaha". Engineering News-Record Midwest. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Cordes, Henry J. (October 10, 2022). "Mutual of Omaha tower will rise as tallest building on city skyline". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "PRESENTATION TO THE OMAHA CITY COUNCIL re THE PROPOSED OMAHA STREETCAR" (PDF). Omaha City Council. December 6, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Funk, Josh (December 29, 2022). "Warren Buffett breaks local politics vow to say not in my backyard to $306 million Omaha streetcar project". Fortune. Associated Press. Retrieved January 3, 2023.