Transit Alternatives

The Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis has evaluated several transit alternatives including Enhanced Bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Urban Circulator (modern streetcar). All of these transit alternatives focused on serving the corridor with a high frequency of service with a simple route structure focused on urban circulation. Transit alternatives included both transit technologies and alignments. A no-build option was also considered. Through the evaluation, it was determined that only the BRT and the Urban Circulator (modern streetcar) would move forward.

Transit Technologies

  • Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) includes:
    • Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
    • - Advanced bus service
    • - Operates in mixed traffic and/or dedicated lanes
    • - Low floor buses with multiple doors
    • - Accommodates maximum of 3 bicycles on front of bus
    • - Preferential bus treatments (queue jumps, traffic signal priority)
    • - Specially branded service
    • - Custom stops and shelters
    • - Shares travel lanes and stops with other buses
    • - 40-90 passengers per vehicle
  • Urban Circulator (Modern Streetcar) includes:
    • Streetcar
    • - Fixed-guideway electric rail service
    • - Operates in mixed traffic
    • - Low floor vehicles with multiple doors
    • - Accommodates bicycles on board
    • - Articulated for tight radii turns
    • - Compatible with on-street parking
    • - Custom stops and shelters
    • - Shares travel lanes and stops with buses
    • - 130-160 passengers per vehicle

Transit Alignments

Several transit alignments have been evaluated within the study area; final alignments were presented at the public open house meeting on December 3, 2013. Click on the maps below to view the transit alignments that were evaluated throughout the planning process.

Transit Alternatives
Transit Alternatives - Initial Screening Results
Transit Alternatives - Initial Screening Results by Segment

What’s next?

The fourth and final public meeting was held on December 3, 2013. If you were unable to attend, meeting materials can be viewed by visiting the Resources page.

Metro Transit and the City of Omaha conclude the Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis study with the announcement of the Preferred Transit Alternative, a combination of a bus rapid transit (BRT) and urban circulator (modern streetcar) to serve the central Omaha area.

The Preferred Transit Alternative will move forward to Phase 2, where route alignments will be further evaluated for environmental impacts, completion of the conceptual engineering and development of a full finance plan. For more information on the Preferred Transit Alternative and Phase 2, go to the Next Steps.