Federal Railroad Administration August 31, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is issuing this notice of intent (Notice) to advise the public that FRA, with the Michigan Department of Transportation (Michigan DOT), will jointly prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate passenger rail service improvements along the Chicago, Illinois to Detroit-Pontiac, Michigan regional passenger rail corridor (the Corridor), in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Partnering state agencies in the development of the EIS are Illinois and Indiana Departments of Transportation (IDOT and IN DOT). The objectives of the Tier 1 EIS are to evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives, select a rail corridor, and make decisions regarding future improvements to intercity passenger rail service provided in the corridor, including increased train frequency, reduced trip time, and improved on-time performance. Alternatives under consideration will include a no-action (no-build) alternative, as well as multiple build alternatives between Chicago, Illinois and Porter, Indiana, near Battle Creek, Michigan, and in the Detroit, Michigan region. The build alternatives may include infrastructure improvements to the existing rail corridor, the development of a new rail corridor, or a combination of both. FRA is issuing this Notice to solicit public and agency input in the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that FRA and Michigan DOT will conduct outreach activities for the preparation of the EIS. To ensure that all significant issues are identified and considered, all interested parties are invited to comment on the proposed scope of the environmental review. Comments on the scope of the EIS, including the proposed Project's purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, the impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the evaluation are encouraged.