A train from Omaha to Lincoln.

[teachercd]

The "Red Train" occurred last year for everyone that rode the train from Chicago to Evanston for the NW game. I only saw one NW fan on the entire train when we got off.

If someone is really looking for a business venture, then something similar to Megabus is much easier to do. Pick people up in parking lots around Omaha, drive the bus to the game. Repeat for the return trip. Multiple routes between Lincoln and Omaha provide easy rerouting if necessary. No negotiations with freight lines. Pick-up and drop-off in places MUCH better than the Omaha Amtrak station. Easy to have multiple pick-up and drop-off times as well as locations. Can easily change the capacity based on how many tickets bought in advance.

I think the major problem with mass transit is cost and timing. If more than 1 person is in a car (which I'm willing to bet is the vast majority of people going to games), then gas cost per person is going to be less than almost any mass transit option. Timing is important as someone mentioned because you have to get to the pick-up location early in both directions, which adds anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to the total travel time. Also, timing is important when people aren't on a strict schedule. A lot of people head down to Lincoln and then stay after the game tailgating, dining, drinking, etc. and don't leave until those events are over. Having to "catch the train" can be inconvenient.

Wait...do you have friends that chip in for gas?!?! Good lord, that is amazing. I have to hold a gun to my friends head to get gas money!

 

[BigRedBuster]

The "Red Train" occurred last year for everyone that rode the train from Chicago to Evanston for the NW game. I only saw one NW fan on the entire train when we got off.

If someone is really looking for a business venture, then something similar to Megabus is much easier to do. Pick people up in parking lots around Omaha, drive the bus to the game. Repeat for the return trip. Multiple routes between Lincoln and Omaha provide easy rerouting if necessary. No negotiations with freight lines. Pick-up and drop-off in places MUCH better than the Omaha Amtrak station. Easy to have multiple pick-up and drop-off times as well as locations. Can easily change the capacity based on how many tickets bought in advance.

I think the major problem with mass transit is cost and timing. If more than 1 person is in a car (which I'm willing to bet is the vast majority of people going to games), then gas cost per person is going to be less than almost any mass transit option. Timing is important as someone mentioned because you have to get to the pick-up location early in both directions, which adds anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to the total travel time. Also, timing is important when people aren't on a strict schedule. A lot of people head down to Lincoln and then stay after the game tailgating, dining, drinking, etc. and don't leave until those events are over. Having to "catch the train" can be inconvenient.

Being on a bus is totally different than a train. A train misses ALL the traffic headed to the game. The bus just adds to it. I would ride a train. I WOULDN'T ride a bus.

 

[jmfb]

Bus and train are totally different experiences

Ive gone to the west coast on a train and all through Europe

On a train you can walk between cars, get up and move around freely

No traffic

I wouldnt ride a bus, nothing really special

Train is

 

[RedDenver]

Wait...do you have friends that chip in for gas?!?! Good lord, that is amazing. I have to hold a gun to my friends head to get gas money!

Haha!! You have to rotate who drives. In our case nobody wants to be the DD so it's pretty easy to remember who drove last. Driver never gets paid gas money though.

Being on a bus is totally different than a train. A train misses ALL the traffic headed to the game. The bus just adds to it. I would ride a train. I WOULDN'T ride a bus.

No question there are other factors. Buses usually cost less than trains, and that's an important business consideration.

 

[teachercd]

I would not do a bus. Train I can tell you for sure, 100%, I would take the train once a season.

 

[Hooked on Huskers]

We need to build high speed Omaha-Lincoln subway. :thumbs

I'm convinced secret and private underground subway from OU stadium to Bob Stoops mansion. Seriously, I never seen in person (Bobby) except sideline games. Several times I ran across Switzer, Blake, Schnelenburger and even AD Pelini, mostly convenience stores, gas stops or restaurants but not Stoops.

 

[Jaybird]

If memory serves the study also said the problem is not so much the train itself but getting around once you get to your destination as the public transportation systems in each city are not really set up to handle this type of thing. On a game day it would be different as the destination is right there but to make it feasible the other days of the year may not make it worth while. If you are commuting from Lincoln to Omaha on a normal typical Wednesday and you get downtown you will have to walk or catch a cab etc to get other places. Are there enough people that work extremely close to the train stop that could walk to support it?

Another study was done by a UNO student a while back showing how they would set up a subway system in Omaha. If you have other infrastructure in place to help out once you got to the other city then I think it would go gangbusters. I know I would take it but I don't want to get there and have to take a cab or something to get around. I love the idea for Husker games and really over all as I wish we had more train options here in the States. I like competition. I would take the train everywhere if it was cheaper than flying. I want a nationwide high speed rail system set up as well!

 

[huKSer]

If memory serves the study also said the problem is not so much the train itself but getting around once you get to your destination as the public transportation systems in each city are not really set up to handle this type of thing. On a game day it would be different as the destination is right there but to make it feasible the other days of the year may not make it worth while. If you are commuting from Lincoln to Omaha on a normal typical Wednesday and you get downtown you will have to walk or catch a cab etc to get other places. Are there enough people that work extremely close to the train stop that could walk to support it?

No silly. The train idea was really put out by Detroit. To be really successful you need two cars. One in Omaha, the other in Lincoln - there by boost car sales. Duh

:dunno

 

[gobiggergoredder]

It sounds great in theory, but logistically it may not be that feasible. And it would be quite expensive.

Also, just imagine that there is a derailment or some sort of equipment/infastructure failure on the way to the game. Would you really want an entire trainload (or multiple trainloads) of fans to miss part or all of the game?

If the casinos in CB can't make this work, and I have no idea if they have tried, there is no market for this.

 

[teachercd]

It sounds great in theory, but logistically it may not be that feasible. And it would be quite expensive.

Also, just imagine that there is a derailment or some sort of equipment/infastructure failure on the way to the game. Would you really want an entire trainload (or multiple trainloads) of fans to miss part or all of the game?

If the casinos in CB can't make this work, and I have no idea if they have tried, there is no market for this.

That is actually a good point, perhaps the only thing is that for a Husker game people would pay 40-50 dollars to ride where to the boats, they would really just pay, not much.