DOT 181-08
December 31, 2008

News Digest

FRA Issues Record of Decision for the Replacement of 100 Year-Old Portal Bridge Over Hackensack River in New Jersey.  The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Portal Bridge Capacity Enhancement Project over the Hackensack River, between Secaucus and Kearny, NJ.  The FEIS, prepared in cooperation with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, considered four build alternatives in addition to a No Action Alternative. The FRA has decided to proceed with the alternative which includes a three-track fixed northern bridge, a two-track moveable southern bridge built on a new southern alignment, and a track over track grade separation to eliminate crossover movements. This alternative is expected to cost $1.344 billion in 2008 dollars and take 66 months to complete.  Replacing the bridge with additional tracks will result in enhanced capacity, improved service, and operational flexibility. The existing Portal Bridge is a two-track, moveable swing-span bridge that was constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and began operation in 1910. The bridge, owned by Amtrak, is a bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor that conflicts with marine traffic and impedes efficient and reliable passenger rail service. Nearly 500 trains utilize the bridge every weekday, and both Amtrak and NJ Transit anticipate additional growth in the future.  The FEIS and additional information is available on the Portal Bridge website.  Contact:  Rob Kulat (202) 493-6024.

FRA Increases Minimum and Maximum Civil Penalties.  The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule increasing the civil penalties for violations of a railroad safety statute or regulation.  The increase incorporates the new maximum civil penalty amounts authorized by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and new minimum amounts required under the Federal Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990.  Specifically, FRA is increasing the minimum civil penalty per violation from $550 to $650, while the ordinary maximum civil penalty per violation will be increased from $16,000 to $25,000 and the aggravated maximum civil penalty per violation, where a grossly negligent violation or pattern of repeated violations has created an imminent hazard of death or injury, will be increased from $27,000 to $100,000.  The new penalty schedule takes effect March 2, 2009.  Contact: Rob Kulat (202) 493-6024.

FRA Issues Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS and EIR for High Speed Train System in California. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Notice of Intent that it will prepare the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) and project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) jointly with the California High Speed Rail Authority for the San Francisco to San Jose section of the California High Speed Train (HST) system. The preparation of the EIR/EIS will involve development of preliminary engineering designs and assessment of environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST system, including track, ancillary facilities and stations.  In 2005, FRA completed the first phase of the environmental review process when it approved the statewide HST system for intercity travel in California.  On December 2, 2008, FRA issued a Record of Decision completing a second program EIR/EIS and selecting alignments and station locations within the broad corridor using the Caltrain rail right-of-way, between San Francisco and the Central Valley along the San Francisco Peninsula, and the Pacheco Pass via Henry Miller Road.  The approved HST system would be about 800 miles long, with electric propulsion and steel-wheel-on-steel-rail trains capable of maximum operating speeds of 220 mph on a mostly dedicated system of fully grade-separated, access-controlled steel tracks and with state-of-the-art safety, signaling, communication, and automated train control systems.  Contact:  Rob Kulat (202) 493-6024.