Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study open house public hearings announced

The following is a press release by the Iowa Department of Transportation.  The Iowa Environmental Council posts this and other environmental events on our statewide environmental events calendar.  For more information about the Chicago-to-Omaha rail study, follow this link.

The Iowa Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and Illinois Department of Transportation, has scheduled in-person public hearings and online, self-directed meetings for the Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study.

Public input will be sought on the Draft Tier 1 Service Level Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including the project’s purpose and need, all reasonable alternatives, the affected environment, and the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives considered. The basis for recommendation of the preferred route alternative will be presented. Preliminary reports, including environmental documents with exhibits and maps, will be available for review.

Public Meetings for Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study

From a press release by the Iowa Department of Transportation:

The Iowa Department of Transportation in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and Illinois Department of Transportation want to remind you about the upcoming Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study’s in-person and online, self-directed open house meetings beginning May 1, 2012.

The open house is intended to illustrate various route alternatives, explain the process used to evaluate the route alternatives, discuss the findings of the alternatives analysis, and gain public input on the proposed route alternatives.

Potential improvements to the passenger rail system from Chicago, Ill., through Iowa, to Omaha Neb., will help complete the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative’s vision for developing an improved and expanded passenger rail system in the Midwest. This Study will be a major step in assessing the viability of a high-speed, regional passenger rail system for Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and the Midwest.

Online meeting
The online meeting and route alternatives analysis report will be available by visiting http://www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha/ beginning May 1through May 12, 2012.

Passenger rail study announced from Chicago, through Iowa, to Omaha

From a press release by the Iowa Department of Transportation:

The Federal Railroad Administration, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), is kicking off the Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study. The Iowa DOT will host an online, self-directed, open house meeting beginning Feb. 13, 2012, available at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha.

The online open house will be the first opportunity for the public to participate in the study, which is intended to:

• Evaluate potential route alternatives.
• Evaluate levels of service and ridership.
• Analyze environmental impacts.
• Determine a preferred Chicago to Omaha passenger rail route alternative.

“Potential improvements to the passenger rail system from Chicago, through Iowa, to Omaha will help complete the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative’s vision for developing an improved and expanded passenger rail system in the Midwest,” said Tamara Nicholson, Iowa DOT director of the Office of Rail Transportation. “The study will be a major step in assessing the viability of a high-speed, regional passenger rail system for Iowa and the Midwest.”

Comments can be submitted at the online open house. Meeting materials and a comment form can also be downloaded at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha/ and mailed to: Tamara Nicholson, director, Office of Rail Transportation, Iowa Department of Transportation, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010. For those without Internet access, meeting materials and a comment form may be requested by calling 800-488-7119.

For more information, please visit the study’s website or call the toll-free comment line at 800-488-7119.