Environmental Assessment

The Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Environmental Assessment is now available for review. The Environmental Assessment summarizes the potential environmental impacts of the project at a corridor-level. It addresses potential impacts, both positive and negative to the:

Physical Environment
- air quality/energy
- floodplains
- noise and vibration
- visual resources
- agricultural
Ecological Systems
- wetlands and waters
- water quality and resources
- threatened and endangered species and special lands
Human Environment
- transportation
- socioeconomics
- environmental justice/barriers to elderly/handicapped
- public health and safety
- hazardous materials
- cultural resources
Construction Impacts
Secondary and Cumulative Impacts
- indirect impacts
- cumulative impacts

The project was evaluated in the Environmental Assessment according to FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts. The outcome of the project, including the mitigation measures outlined within, will not have a significant adverse impact on the quality of the human and natural environment.

Did you know.....The proposed project would improve passenger and freight rail transportation by restoring and completing missing sections from a second, parallel, mainline track along the Chicago - St. Louis rail corridor.