The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as the lead federal agency, has prepared a Combined Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation/Record of Decision (Combined FEIS/ROD)for the Western Rail Yard Infrastructure project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and other environmental laws. WRY Tenant LLC and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) are partnering in a joint venture to seek Federal financial assistance through a loan or grant for the construction of a Platform and Tunnel Encasement in the Western Rail Yard. The Platform will support an Overbuild that has been adopted into the New York City Zoning Resolution for redevelopment of the Western Rail Yard parcel, which is located between West 30th and West 33rd Streets and Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues in Manhattan.
In the EIS, the FRA has evaluated a proposed action that comprises construction of a Platform and Tunnel Encasement. The purpose of the proposed action is to allow for construction of a platform to (1) cover the active railroad tracks in the Western Rail Yard so that the joint venture can provide additional new capacity for real estate development and house critical life safety and mechanical, electrical and plumbing support services for the Yard, and (2) preserve a right-of-way through the Western Rail Yard to support the future construction of a trans-Hudson passenger rail crossing into New York Penn Station.
The proposed project is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
FRA prepared a Combined Final EIS and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation/Record of Decision, which incorporates comments received during the Draft EIS comment period, as appropriate, and provides detailed technical analyses related to potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of the Preferred Alternative. FRA solicited public comments on this Draft EIS through the end of the comment period, which was open for 45 days from June 11 to July 26, 2021. FRA conducted the public review process virtually and held a virtual Draft EIS Public Hearing on June 30, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
FRA has determined that the requirements of NEPA have been satisfied for the proposed action and the ROD provides FRA’s review of the proposed action.
FRA determined the Preferred Alternative is the Selected Alternative for the Western Rail Yard Infrastructure Project based on a thorough and careful consideration of the potential short-term and long-term benefits and impacts, mitigation of those impacts, and public and agency comments.
The Combined FEIS/ROD is available on this website (CLICK HERE) or go to the Library page and on the Federal Docket system (Regulations.gov, Docket No. FRA-2020-0039-0023) by CLICKING HERE.
