New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will hold six public hearings in March about plans for improving passenger and freight rail service on the Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls. The sessions, which will provide opportunities for the public to comment, will focus on the High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which has been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
The sessions in Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, Utica and Poughkeepsie will feature informational open houses from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. They will focus on the DEIS and provide updates about ongoing passenger rail projects. Project managers and technical experts will be available to discuss the DEIS and answer questions throughout each session.
Public hearings, during which the public can submit formal comments about the DEIS, will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each hearing will begin with an informational presentation about the DEIS. The meetings are sponsored by NYSDOT and the FRA, which are conducting the environmental review.
The DEIS examines the feasibility of higher speed passenger rail service alternatives along the 463-mile Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls, looking at how five potential alternatives would impact mobility, the environment and economic growth across New York State. The public is encouraged to review the DEIS at https://www.dot.ny.gov/empire-corridor.
Area hearings are:
•Syracuse NBT Bank Stadium
1 Tex Simone Drive, Syracuse, NY 13208, Wednesday, March 5.
•The Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum, 263 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14203 Thursday, March 6.
•Rochester National Museum of Play at the Strong, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607, Friday, March 7.
Written comments may be mailed to David Chan, Project Manager, New York State Department of Transportation, 50 Wolf Road, Pod #61, Albany, NY 12232. Comments also may be submitted through NYSDOT’s website at https://www.dot.ny.gov/empire-corridor or via email to empirecorridor@dot.ny.gov with the subject line ‘’Draft EIS.’’ Comments will be accepted through Monday, March 24.
All of the public meeting locations are accessible to people with disabilities. For special accommodations to participate in the meetings or more information about the project, contact NYSDOT by e-mail at empirecorridor@dot.ny.gov with “High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Program” in the subject heading by Friday, February 21.
Empire Corridor location
The 463-mile Empire Corridor begins at Penn Station in New York City, and continues north through Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, and Albany/Rensselaer, generally paralleling the Hudson River. It then continues west through Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, with final termination in Niagara Falls, generally paralleling the New York State Thruway (Interstate-90).
The Empire Corridor connects to the Northeast train corridor at Penn Station. A connection to Boston can be made at Albany/Rensselaer and New York City; connections to Rutland, Vermont and Montreal, Canada can be made at Schenectady; a connection to Chicago can be made at Buffalo; and a connection to Toronto, Canada can be made at Niagara Falls. (Information from NYSDOT website).
Provided information
