WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it will extend the formal comment period for the NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Tier 1 Draft EIS) until February 15, 2016.  

      The public comment period for the Tier 1 Draft EIS began on November 13, 2015. The comment period was originally scheduled to close on January 30, 2016. FRA has since decided to extend the comment period to allow for additional comments.

      The Tier 1 Draft EIS, which can be reviewed at www.necfuture.com, broadly assesses impacts of an investment program to improve passenger rail service on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Washington, D.C., and Boston. It evaluates three action alternatives for the NEC in comparison with a “no action” alternative, and considers impacts to transportation, the economy, the built environment and natural resources.

      The FRA held 11 public hearings throughout the Northeast region in December 2015 and January 2016 to solicit comments on the Tier 1 Draft EIS. The materials presented at these hearings are also available at www.necfuture.com. The FRA will review all comments received to help inform the decision on a Preferred Alternative for NEC FUTURE.

      Interested parties are encouraged to comment online at www.necfuture.com, via email at comment@necfuture.com, or by mail to NEC FUTURE, U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration, One Bowling Green, Suite 429, New York, N.Y. 10004.