[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41749-41750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-15381]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Los Angeles Union Station 
Run-Through Track Project

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

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SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess potential 
environmental impacts of the proposed Los Angeles Union Station Run-
Through Track Project. The EIS is being prepared with the California 
Department of Transportation (Department) in conjunction with an 
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that will address the requirements of 
the California Environmental Quality Act.
    This EIS will address the potential environmental impacts of a 
reasonable range of alternative alignments for the proposed project and 
will provide a meaningful opportunity for the public to comment on this 
project. This notice informs the public of the proposed project, 
announces the dates, times, and places for scoping meetings, and 
solicits public comment. The scoping process will include notifying the 
general public and Federal, State, and local agencies of the proposed 
project. The purpose of scoping is to identify public and agency 
concerns, and alternatives to be considered in the EIS and EIR.

DATES: Written Comments: Written comments on the scope of the EIS for 
the proposed project will be accepted and should be received no later 
than July 29, 2002. Comments received after this date will be 
considered to the

[[Page 41750]]

extent practicable. Comments may be addressed to Mr. David Valenstein 
at the address noted below.
    Scoping Meetings: Two scoping meetings will be held. An open house 
format meeting for the public will be held from 5:00 to 7:30 PM on 
Monday, June 24, 2002, at the headquarters of the Los Angeles 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Center, Los Angeles, 
CA 90012, in the Union Station Conference Room. A meeting intended 
primarily for environmental and regulatory agencies will be held at 
9:00 AM on Tuesday, June 25, 2002, in the offices of Myra Frank & 
Associates, 811 West 7th Street, Suite 800, Los Angeles, CA 90017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the project or 
the EIR please contact: Mr. Gary Iverson, California Department of 
Transportation, District 7, Division of Environmental Planning, 120 
South Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. Phone: 213-897-
3818. For general information on the FRA environmental process, or for 
questions and comments on the scope of the EIS, please contact: David 
Valenstein, Environmental Program Manager, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, MS 
20, Washington, DC 20590. Phone: 202-493-6368.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRA, in accordance with Section 102(2) 
of the NEPA of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., intends to prepare an EIS 
to assess potential environmental impacts of the proposed Los Angeles 
Union Station Run-Through Track Project. The EIS is being prepared with 
the Department in conjunction with an EIR that will address the 
requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. To ensure 
that a full range of related issues and alternatives for this project 
are addressed, FRA invites comments on the scope of the proposed EIS.
    Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS), also known as Los Angeles Union 
Passenger Terminal, is located at 800 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, 
California 90012, in the northeast section of downtown Los Angeles. 
LAUS serves intercity Amtrak service, commuter Metrolink, subway 
Metrorail, and several local transit bus lines including MTA and 
downtown DASH shuttles. Union Station is not located directly on main 
line tracks, but rather is accessed via a set of spur tracks. The 
current operation of the station requires trains to pull into the 
terminal and then reverse their direction of travel after unloading or 
loading passengers. Since both entering and exiting trains must pass 
through the same set of tracks to connect to the main line, they are 
subject to delays either at the station platforms or on the connecting 
tracks while awaiting a slot at the platforms.
    The Department proposes a project that would extend two tracks 
south of their current terminus on an aerial structure, over US 101, 
through a commercial/industrial area between US 101 and First Street, 
and connect to main line tracks on the west side of the Los Angeles 
River. This would allow some of the trains that use the station to 
avoid the pull in/back out situation. Overall, the Run-Through Project 
structure would form an S-curve, connecting at its north/west end to 
track platforms at Union Station and at its south/east end to some 
point along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) main line 
in the vicinity of the 1st Street Bridge, over a distance of about one 
mile. The aerial structure is needed to avoid impacts to local streets. 
Construction of the elevated track structure would involve placing the 
support structures for the elevated rail tracks above existing streets 
and/or parcels. Acquisitions of public and/or private parcels would be 
required, based on the selected alignment. The particular alignment and 
touchdown point on the main line are the focus of key decisions to be 
made in this study.
    The EIS will be prepared following the requirements of the Council 
on Environmental Quality's NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 CFR part 
1500 et seq.) and FRA's Environmental Procedures (64 FR 28545, May 26, 
1999). The EIS will analyze the construction and operational effects of 
selected alternative alignments for the proposed project. The EIS will 
examine the potential impact to a number of resource areas, including 
but not limited to the following: aesthetics, air quality, cultural 
resources, geology/soils, hazardous materials, land use, noise, 
socioeconomic, and Section 4(f) resources. The EIS process will include 
full public participation, disclosure, and coordination, and will 
encourage involvement from appropriate Federal, State and local 
agencies. The Draft EIS process will include public information/scoping 
meetings, public review of the Draft EIS and a public hearing on the 
Draft EIS.

    Issued in Washington, DC., on June 12, 2002.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. 02-15381 Filed 6-18-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P