- The first rails of the Omaha Streetcar are being installed downtown on Wednesday morning
- Crews will begin work at 3 a.m. to avoid rush hour traffic
- The streetcar system is on track to begin carrying passengers by 2028
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – The first rails for the Omaha streetcar project are set to be installed on the morning of Wed., April 7, 2026, marking a milestone that pushes the project closer to its goal of carrying passengers by 2028.
Two 160-foot sections of rail, currently stored at 11th and Farnum, are moving to 10th Street between Capitol and Dodge.
Work to install the rails will begin just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday so the process can be completed before the morning rush hour.
"You don't want to just pull this in amongst cars as they try to commute in the morning. So for safety, we're gonna do it at this time of day," Michael True, the project manager for the City of Omaha, said.
Crews are currently leveling 10th Street where the rails will sit. They must ensure the path is flat and that the streetcar's underground communications and power lines are covered.
"We can now begin to talk about the excitement of the rail being put in place and the vehicles coming in '28," Steve Jensen, an Omaha Streetcar Authority board member, said.
Once the rails are in the ground, workers will add final support and insulation. After making final adjustments, crews will pour concrete roughly two weeks from now to lock the rails in place.
The city plans to repeat this process at other locations along the streetcar route, eventually connecting all sections. The goal is to begin carrying riders by the third quarter of 2028.
"I'm ready to see what it's gonna look like. I'm ready to see the outcome of it," Cheri Loud, a North Omaha neighbor, said.
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