Action
Notice of intent to prepare a Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS).
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (Metro-North) intend to prepare a Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS) to study transportation access improvements from the Metro-North service territory on the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson Lines (north of Manhattan) to Pennsylvania Station, New York (Penn Station) on the West Side of Manhattan in the City of New York. Current Metro-North service terminates at Grand Central Terminal (GCT) on the East Side of Manhattan, necessitating as many as two transfers on additional modes to reach destinations on the West Side. The MIS/DEIS is being prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the FTA/Federal Highway Administration's Environmental Impact regulations (23 CFR Part 771), and the FTA/FHWA Statewide Planning/Metropolitan Planning regulations (23 CFR Part 450). This study will also comply with the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, Section 4(f) of the 1966 U.S. Department of Transportation Act, the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice, and other applicable rules, regulations, and guidance documents. The Penn Station Access MIS/DEIS will examine alternative strategies for improving access from the Metro-North service territory to the West Side of Manhattan (Penn Station). New York-bound, Metro- North trains currently terminate at GCT on Manhattan's East Side. The study will also evaluate the possibility of station stops in Co-Op City in the Bronx and on the West Side of Manhattan, and a new rail yard. Consideration will also be given to other modes. The Penn Station Access MIS/DEIS will develop alternatives for study that could lead to a project which would (1) Be a feasible, cost- effective, and beneficial transportation improvement that would enhance connections to other regional rail services; (2) increase Metro-North ridership and provide service flexibility for its customers; and (3) support the region's economic vitality and quality of life. The MIS/ DEIS will evaluate a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative, and Build Alternatives. Build alternatives will take into consideration the use of Metro-North's Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines to provide access to Penn Station, potential new stations on the West Side of Manhattan (somewhere from approximately 57th Street to 86th Street) and at Co-Op City in the Bronx, as well as other reasonable alternatives suggested through the scoping process. The type, location and need for ancillary facilities (such as new yards or shops) will also be considered for each alternative.