Federal Railroad Administration May 2, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Through this Notice, FRA announces its intent to jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) with the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT) for the Hudson Tunnel Project (the Proposed Action or the Project) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Proposed Action is intended to preserve the current functionality of the Northeast Corridor's (NEC) Hudson River rail crossing between New Jersey and New York and strengthen the resilience of the NEC. The Project would consist of construction of a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River, including railroad infrastructure in New Jersey and New York connecting the new rail tunnel to the existing NEC, and rehabilitation of the existing NEC tunnel beneath the Hudson River, referred to as the North River Tunnel. The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a reasonable range of alternatives, including the No Action (No Build) Alternative. As appropriate, FRA and NJ TRANSIT will coordinate with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), as owner of the North River Tunnel, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) on the EIS. FRA invites the public and all interested parties to provide comments on the scope of the EIS, including the proposed purpose and need, the Proposed Action and alternatives to be considered in the EIS, potential environmental impacts of concern and methodologies to be used in the EIS, the approach for public and agency involvement, and any other particular concerns about the potential impacts of the Proposed Action.