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The Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is available for public review. Download the DEIS and appendices from the DEIS page and learn how the high speed passenger rail service alternatives will affect mobility, safety, the environment, and economic growth. Six public hearings were held across the State between March 4, 2014 and March 12, 2014. Public comments were accepted through April 30, 2014. If you missed attending one of the public hearings, you can download and view the same material shown at the open houses and presented at the public hearings: Brochure

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About this Project

New York is developing plans to strengthen our world-class rail system by providing residents, businesses, and travelers with high-speed passenger rail within the Empire Corridor. This service will give the state a strategic advantage in creating jobs, protecting our environment, and stimulating economic growth. Travelers and businesses will be attracted by fast, frequent, reliable, and comfortable passenger rail service. Adding to the appeal are anticipated improvements in on-time performance and reliability resulting from investments in this 463-mile rail corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls.

With help from the public and key stakeholders, the DOT project team has analyzed what it would take to make the train trip between NYC and Niagara Falls take less time and what it would cost to speed up the travel. The project team also figured out how full the trains would be, how many new trains could be added, and what all those benefits would give the public and at what cost.

These activities - which take place as part of a federally required Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement or EIS - make good business sense. The EIS will document the state’s research, public input, technical analysis and decision making so that residents understand how high-speed rail decisions were reached. In the process, the document will become a strategic plan for delivering reliable and environmentally sustainable high-speed rail service.

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will examine and evaluate potential improvements and projects to intercity passenger rail service within the corridor, which proceeds north from NYC to Albany, turns west to Schenectady, passes through Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, then terminates at Niagara Falls, a distance of 463 miles.

Throughout the project there will be many opportunities for corridor residents, transit users, businesses, taxpayers and other partners to learn about high speed rail, and identify local needs and concerns regarding the potential expansion of high speed rail.

New York State’s High Speed Rail Vision

New York State has one of the most comprehensive and intensively-used passenger and freight transportation systems in the nation. It provides energy-efficient mobility for passengers and contributes to the economic vitality of the state and the nation. New York State’s Vision for High Speed Rail is to enhance the passenger and freight rail operations by diverting traffic from less energy efficient modes and improve connectivity among the State’s cities and regions. The goal is to increase train ridership by improving the on-time-performance (OTP) to make travel more reliable, reduce the trip time to make travel more comparable to automobiles and airplanes, increase the train frequency to give citizens more options, and revitalize stations to improve comfort and access.

This vision is consistent with the New York State Rail Plan released in 2009.

Other New York State High Speed Rail Projects

High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail transportation is critical to New York State’s economic future and environmental sustainability. The New York State Department of Transportation is engaged in advancing funded projects and other initiatives, and is seeking additional federal funding to improve intercity passenger rail service on both the Empire and Adirondack Corridors while strengthening the freight rail system.

Visit the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail site to learn more about other passenger rail projects.