### 9306 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 32 / Tuesday, February 18, 2014 / Notices

**DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION**

**Office of the Secretary**

**Notice of Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity**  **and Foreign Air Carrier Permits Filed Under Subpart B (Formerly Subpart Q)**  **During the Week Ending February 1,**
**2014**

The following Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits were filed under Subpart B (formerly Subpart Q) of the Department of Transportation’s Procedural Regulations (See 14 CFR 301.201 et. seq.). The due date for Answers, Conforming Applications, or Motions to Modify Scope are set forth below for each application. Following the Answer period DOT may process the application by expedited procedures. Such procedures may consist of the adoption of a show-cause order, a tentative order, or in appropriate cases a final order without further proceedings.

Docket Number: DOT–OST–2014–

0012.

Date Filed: January 28, 2014. Due Date for Answers, Conforming Applications, or Motion to Modify Scope: February 18, 2014.

Description: Application of Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. (‘‘Eastern’’) requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing Eastern to engage in interstate charter air transportation of persons, property and mail.

Docket Number: DOT–OST–2014–

0013.

Date Filed: January 28, 2014. Due Date for Answers, Conforming Applications, or Motion to Modify Scope: February 18, 2014.

Description: Application of Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. (Eastern) requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing Eastern to engage in foreign charter air transportation of persons, property and mail.

Barbara J. Hairston, Supervisory Dockets Officer, Docket Operations, Federal Register Liaison.

[FR Doc. 2014–03416 Filed 2–14–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION** 

**Federal Railroad Administration**

**Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement for the Chicago to Joliet High-Speed**  **Rail Project, Cook and Will counties, Illinois** 

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

**ACTION :**  Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

**SUMMARY :**  FRA issues this Notice of Intent (Notice) to advise the public that FRA and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will jointly prepare a Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Chicago to Joliet High-Speed Rail (HSR) Project (Project). The EIS will evaluate environmental and related impacts of upgrading the rail system and associated infrastructure between the Chicago, IL Union Station and the Joliet, IL Union Station to implement high-speed passenger rail service, increase rail capacity, and improve reliability for identified incremental service additions.

FRA issues this Notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities conducted by FRA and IDOT will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the public, governmental agencies, and all other interested parties are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts to be evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the evaluation.

**DATES :**  Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be provided to IDOT within thirty (30) days of the publication of this Notice, at the address listed below. Comments may also be provided orally or in writing at the scoping meetings for the Project. Scoping meeting dates, times and locations, in addition to Project information can be found online on the FRA Web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at www.idothsr.org. Three scoping meetings will be held during February 2014. These meetings will be advertised locally and are scheduled for the following locations on the dates indicated below from 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

• February 24, 2014: Chicago Union Station, The Union Gallery, 500 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60661. • February 26, 2014: Jacob Henry Mansion, Victorian Ballroom, 15 S. Richards Street, Joliet, IL 60433.

• February 27, 2014: Homewood Suites by Hilton Orland Park, 6245 S La Grange Road, Orland Park, IL 60467.

**ADDRESSES :**  Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be mailed or emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this Notice to Mr. John Oimoen, Deputy Director, Department of Intermodal and Public Transit, Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite 6–600, Chicago, Illinois 60601, john.oimoen@ illinois.gov.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Ms. Andrea Martin, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590, andrea.martin@ dot.gov; or Mr. John Oimoen at the above address. Information and documents regarding the EIS process will also be made available through the FRA Web site at www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at www.idothsr.org

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  FRA is preparing an EIS for the Project proposed by IDOT that will provide HSR service along the Rock Island District (RID) Railroad corridor between Chicago and Joliet, IL. The proposed Project consists of additional track, geometric improvements (e.g., curves), bridge/culvert improvements, grade separations at selected highway-railcrossings, a rail-rail flyover, highwayrail grade crossing warning device improvements, safety improvements to existing Metra Stations to accommodate the HSR through traffic, and a new HSR station or improvements to an existing Metra Station to accommodate HSR service. Scenarios of HSR service will be developed and evaluated including additional frequencies (i.e., number of trips), ridership projections (i.e., estimated number of passengers), and operating speeds.

The Project is intended to implement a portion of the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor Program consistent with the overall purpose and need that was established in the Tier 1 EIS. Because of inadequate rail capacity and deficiencies in the existing rail infrastructure, there is currently a modal imbalance within the Chicago to St. Louis corridor. Currently, 98 percent of the 51 million trips made annually within the Chicago to St. Louis corridor are accomplished through automobile, with only one percent by passenger rail. This modal imbalance contributes to high roadway congestion, reduced