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Nebraska

5 buyers · 12 tenders · checked 2026-10-08

Omaha's streetcar build, a Lincoln viaduct selection and two short-line FRA grants; NDOT buys crossings, not trains.

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0Metro systems operating

5Buyers tracked

12Tenders tracked

5Cities tracked

Omaha Streetcar under construction; Amtrak California Zephyr; 12 freight operators on 3,375 miles of track; no metro or commuter railRail systems note

Live pipeline: Omaha Streetcar programme: $421m City bond estimate (programme figure, July 2025); Kiewit mainline contract: $210.4m guaranteed maximum price ($215.8m after change order); Utilities East 4B: $71.86m (all schedules); CAF vehicles: $41.1m plus escalation (board award; CAF cites about US$54m); maintenance facility: $26.68m; I-480 bridges: $20.60m; Utilities West 4A: $10.53m; operations contract and special trackwork: awards pending, no value published; Lincoln 33rd/Cornhusker viaduct: up to $66.7m FRA selection; Nebraska Central grants: $8.18m and $6.32m; Manning Rail grant: $5.43m
Technology areas: Track & civil, Rolling-stock hardware, Electrification

Key figures

Freight track3,375 milesNDOT counts 12 freight operators, 3,375 miles of freight track, 3,002 public crossings and 702 crossings with safety devices

1 source · primary

● NDOT Rail Division page · NDOT's Rail Division page: mission, 12 freight operators, 3,375 miles of freight track, 3,002 public crossings, 702 with safety devices, and links to older Nebraska rail studies (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)

Omaha Streetcar estimate$421mCity bond estimate for the Omaha Streetcar (8 July 2025), up from $389m at 60 percent design and under the $440m of bonds the Council authorised in December 2022; opening expected 2028

2 sources · all secondary

○ WOWT report on the streetcar cost update (8 July 2025) · TV report: the Mayor put the bond estimate at $421m, up from $389m at 60 percent design in June 2024 and below the $440m bond authority; design at 100 percent, most key contracts let, completion goal 2028. Secondary (published 2025-07-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
○ Wikipedia, Omaha Streetcar · Encyclopedia summary of the City's bond ordinances: $440m approved 13 December 2022 ($360m TIF revenue bonds, $80m lease-revenue bonds), later series, six CAF Urbos vehicles, opening moved to 2028. Secondary: the ordinances themselves were not read because cityofomaha.org returns 403 (published 2026-08-01 · checked 2026-10-08)

Lincoln viaduct selection$66.7mFRA Railroad Crossing Elimination selection for Lincoln's 33rd and Cornhusker viaduct (January 2025), the largest of three Nebraska RCE awards totalling about $67.9m; no grant agreement on USAspending

2 sources · all secondary

○ US Senate office release on Nebraska Railroad Crossing Elimination awards (15 January 2025) · Release listing three FRA Railroad Crossing Elimination awards totalling about $67.9m: 33rd/Cornhusker Viaduct in Lincoln $66,706,880, and $600,000 each for the Grand Island and Omaha to Lincoln studies. Secondary: railroads.dot.gov returns 403 (published 2025-01-15 · checked 2026-10-08)
○ 10/11 Now report on the Lincoln viaduct grant (10 January 2025) · TV report: up to $66.7m from FRA for a bridge over the rail corridor eliminating the North 33rd Street and Adams Street crossings; BNSF, the City and the Railroad Transportation Safety District provide a 20 percent match; recipient not explicitly named, total project cost not stated. Secondary (published 2025-01-10 · checked 2026-10-08)

Omaha to Lincoln study142 crossingsNDOT's FRA-funded Omaha to Lincoln study covers 142 crossings on 64.5 miles of BNSF line, with a final plan due in early summer 2027

1 source · primary

● NDOT Omaha to Lincoln Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Plan site · NDOT's study site: 142 crossings over 64.5 miles of BNSF corridor, FRA-funded, schedule from March 2026 to a final plan in early summer 2027 (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)

Short-line FRA grants$19.9mThree FRA grants to Nebraska short lines on USAspending: $8.18m and $6.32m to Nebraska Central and $5.43m to Manning Rail (federal shares only)

3 sources · all primary

● USAspending award 69A36520401460CRSNE · FRA CRISI-line project grant to Nebraska Central Railroad Company, NCRC infrastructure improvements project; federal $8,181,640 with non-federal $6,694,069; performance 1 May 2020 to 31 July 2027 (published 2026-02-17 · checked 2026-10-08)
● USAspending award 69A36524420300CRSNE · FRA grant to Nebraska Central Railroad Company for four rail sidings; federal $6,317,982 with non-federal $4,390,462; signed 6 March 2024; performance to 31 October 2026; track leased from Union Pacific (published 2024-03-18 · checked 2026-10-08)
● USAspending award 69A36525421410CRSNE · FRA grant to Manning Rail, Inc. (Fairmont, Fillmore County) to upgrade a line for grain shuttle trains; federal $5,433,342 with non-federal $1,822,834; signed 23 September 2025; performance to 30 April 2028 (published 2025-09-29 · checked 2026-10-08)

State Rail Plan ActLB1098Bill introduced 16 January 2026 to designate NDOT the state's rail transportation authority, require an annual passenger-rail study and a state rail plan by 30 June 2027; no plan exists today and the bill's later status was not checked

1 source · primary

● Nebraska Legislature, LB1098 State Rail Plan Act (as introduced) · Bill text as introduced, read first time 16 January 2026, referred to Transportation and Telecommunications Committee: designates NDOT the rail transportation authority, annual passenger-rail study, state rail plan by 30 June 2027. Status after introduction not checked (published 2026-01-16 · checked 2026-10-08)

Streetcar extension studyNorth 24th Street studyWOWT reported on 5 August 2026 that federal funds were secured to study extending the Omaha Streetcar towards North 24th Street; no amount or programme is stated

1 source · secondary

○ WOWT report on a North 24th Street extension study (5 August 2026) · TV report: federal funds secured to study extending the Omaha Streetcar towards North 24th Street; the amount and programme are not stated in the article. Secondary (published 2026-08-05 · checked 2026-10-08)

Buyers

Buyer	Type	Tenders	Contracts awarded
Omaha Streetcar Authority	Transit authority	8	2
Nebraska Central Railroad Company	Freight railroad	2	0
City of Lincoln (Transportation and Utilities)	Other	1	0
Manning Rail, Inc.	Freight railroad	1	0
Nebraska Department of Transportation, Rail Division	State DOT	0	0

Tenders

Tender	Buyer	Status	Value band	Next key date
Streetcar special trackwork	Omaha Streetcar Authority	Bids closed	$5–25m
Omaha Streetcar operations and maintenance contract	Omaha Streetcar Authority	Bids closed	Not published
Kiewit mainline construction, Omaha Streetcar	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$100–500m
CAF Urbos streetcars, six vehicles	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$25–100m	Awarded May 2024
Streetcar maintenance facility construction	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$25–100m
Omaha Streetcar utility relocation packages · 2 parts	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	Varies by part
Utilities East Package 4B	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$25–100m	Awarded June 2025
Utilities West Package 4A	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$5–25m	Awarded November 2024
Nebraska Central four rail sidings	Nebraska Central Railroad	In execution	$5–25m	Awarded March 2024
I-480 Bridges Package 5	Omaha Streetcar Authority	In execution	$5–25m	Awarded December 2024
Nebraska Central infrastructure improvements	Nebraska Central Railroad	In execution	$5–25m	Awarded May 2020
Manning Rail grain shuttle line upgrade	Manning Rail	In execution	$5–25m	Awarded September 2025
Lincoln 33rd and Cornhusker viaduct	City of Lincoln	Planned	$25–100m

Cities

City	Network status	Networks
Norfolk	base of the Nebraska Central Railroad, a short line on Union Pacific-leased branches with two FRA grants in execution.
Omaha	streetcar under construction and Union Pacific headquarters - the Omaha Streetcar starter line is being built along Farnam and Harney Streets for opening in 2028; Union Pacific's headquarters and its Harriman Dispatching Center are in the city; Amtrak's California Zephyr is the only passenger train.	Omaha Streetcar (under construction)
Lincoln	state capital with the NDOT headquarters and a funded crossing project - the 33rd and Cornhusker viaduct would replace two BNSF crossings; the Omaha to Lincoln crossing study covers the BNSF corridor to Omaha.
North Platte	Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, the largest railroad classification yard in the world at about 2,850 acres; a private facility with no public programme found.
Fairmont	home of Manning Rail, a seven-mile grain short line tied into BNSF, with an FRA grant for a track upgrade.

Withheld in the free surface

Capex in this region (3)
Live pipeline value (2)
Market narrative

Full detail withheld: 3 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

Note
Methodology note

Full detail withheld: 2 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

Sources

○ Flatwater Free Press report of the Omaha Streetcar Authority meeting of 15 December 2025 · Report: unanimous approval of a $5.38m change order to the Kiewit Construction contract for a track and power test section; completion expected September 2028; streetcars expected 2027; total Kiewit contract value not stated. Secondary; article posted 5 January 2026 (published 2026-01-05 · checked 2026-10-08)
● NDOT Rail Funding Information page · NDOT's page on the two crossing-safety funding sources: the Grade Crossing Protection Fund ($30,000 a month from the Highway Trust Fund, state share 95 percent) and the federal Section 130 programme (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
● NDOT Rail Division page · NDOT's Rail Division page: mission, 12 freight operators, 3,375 miles of freight track, 3,002 public crossings, 702 with safety devices, and links to older Nebraska rail studies (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
● Nebraska Legislature, LB1098 State Rail Plan Act (as introduced) · Bill text as introduced, read first time 16 January 2026, referred to Transportation and Telecommunications Committee: designates NDOT the rail transportation authority, annual passenger-rail study, state rail plan by 30 June 2027. Status after introduction not checked (published 2026-01-16 · checked 2026-10-08)
● Omaha Streetcar Authority, Bid Results & Tabulations · Authority's own bid-results page and Package 3B bid tabulation (opened 18 Dec 2024). 403 to curl; read from Internet Archive copy of 3 March 2026 (published 2025-06-16 · checked 2026-10-08)
● Union Pacific, North Platte train town page · Union Pacific's own page: Bailey Yard is the largest railroad classification yard in the world, about 2,850 acres and eight miles long (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
● Union Pacific, Omaha train town page · Union Pacific's own page: headquarters at 14th and Douglas Streets, Omaha; the Harriman Dispatching Center dispatches trains across the 23-state network; Omaha Shops founded 1863 (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
● USAspending query: FRA awards with Nebraska place of performance since FY2019 · API search listing every FRA-awarded project grant in Nebraska since 1 October 2018: the three railroad grants above, one at $4,505,542 to Nebraska Kansas & Colorado Railway (completed August 2024), the NDOT planning grant, and university research grants (published 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
○ WOWT report on a North 24th Street extension study (5 August 2026) · TV report: federal funds secured to study extending the Omaha Streetcar towards North 24th Street; the amount and programme are not stated in the article. Secondary (published 2026-08-05 · checked 2026-10-08)
○ WOWT report on the streetcar cost update (8 July 2025) · TV report: the Mayor put the bond estimate at $421m, up from $389m at 60 percent design in June 2024 and below the $440m bond authority; design at 100 percent, most key contracts let, completion goal 2028. Secondary (published 2025-07-08 · checked 2026-10-08)
○ WOWT report on the maintenance facility contract (13 January 2025) · TV report: the Omaha Streetcar Authority board approved $26,680,000 to Sampson Construction Co. Inc. as lowest and best of three bids opened 18 December 2024 (Hausmann $27.9m, Hawkins $29m). Secondary: omahastreetcar.org returns 403 (published 2025-01-13 · checked 2026-10-08)

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