INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Federal Railroad Administration has released the long awaited draft Environmental Impact Study in regards to the All Aboard Florida high speed passenger rail proposed to connect Orlando to Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
“The project has the potential to adversely affect land use, transportation (particularly traffic at-grade crossings), noise and vibration, water resources, wetlands and floodplains, biological communities, protected species, social and economic conditions, cultural resources, parks and recreation areas and utilities,” the report states.
It continues, “However, mitigation measures would be required that will reduce these potential adverse effects. The project would also have beneficial environmental effects, such as traffic diversion from I-95 and other highways, economic growth, air quality improvements and energy consumption improvements during operation.”
At the end of a 21-page summary of the 500-page report, the agency finds, overall, no major detriment to the proposed All Aboard Florida corridor.
“The cumulative analysis for the project shows that the combination of the AAF Passenger Rail Project impacts with other impacts would not result in serious deterioration of environmental functions or exceed applicable significant thresholds,” the report states.
The EIS analyzes the potential effects of four different options – the do-nothing or “no action” option plus three action options.
The north-south route and frequency of trains at 32 per day, anticipated ridership of 3.5 million annually and need for a second track are all the same in the three “action options,” but the east-west route is slightly different in each alternative.
One option has the high-speed train running within the County Road 528 Beachline Highway right of way, another sets the tracks alongside the 528 right of way and still a third puts the route south of the 528 right of way.
Since news surfaced that All Aboard Florida, originally slated to be a private business venture, was seeking approximately $1.5 billion in federally secured loans to finance a portion of the construction, the project has been met with extreme resistance from local residents and officials.
Citizens of Indian River County have been particularly vocal about safety concerns, the impact on property values, and all around reduction in the quality of life that 32 extra high-speed trains could bring with them.
All Aboard Florida has come under fire by local government officials and activists — namely County Commissioner Bob Solari — for a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to release a business plan or other pertinent financial data showing that the project, if built, will be a viable commercial venture.
Those directly affected by the planned All-Aboard Florida train now have 75 days to review, comment on and object to the findings. Public meetings about the report will be scheduled along the train’s planned corridor, but it is yet unclear how much if any power the public will have to affect the Federal Rail Administration’s ruling on whether or not it will approve the massive loan application.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
