Federal Railroad Administration

Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI)
For

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority - Newport News Transportation Center
Project

In 2016, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in coordination with the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Newport News
Transportation Center Project to evaluate potential impacts to the human and natural environment, in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FHWA invited FRA to act as a
cooperating agency in development of the EA on April 13, 2015. FRA accepted FHWA's invitation to be a
cooperating agency on this EA in a letter dated April 24, 2015. FRA designated FHWA as the lead Federal
agency in the preparation of the EA and stated if any funding for the project come through FRA, the EA
must comply with FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 Fed. Reg. 28545). With
FRA acting as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA, it ensured that the EA conformed to
FRA's Procedures. FHWA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project’s EA on
October 28, 2016, and subsequently approved three NEPA re-evaluations for the project on March 2, 2017,
December 10, 2019, and January 29, 2020. FRA completed a NEPA reevaluation in January 2024.

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (Grantee) received Congressionally directed funding under FRA
Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program for
construction activities. The CRISI funded portion of the project includes construction of two miles of new
track, a switch connection from the newly constructed track to the mainline, and necessary earth work and
support structures, including completion of culverts and a retaining wall at Lucas creek crossing, which
supports the overall construction of the Newport News Transportation Center. The current train station has
inadequate parking, an asphalt ground level platform area, no canopy for users and is undersized for its
ridership. It is in the south end of the City of Newport News and train operations must use miles of CSXT
tracks to turn the trains and to travel to and from the station and CSXT maintenance yard.

The FRA funded portion of the FHWA project is a $53 million dollar effort consisting of a 8,066 square
foot Amtrak station with onsite turning wye, drop off loop, parking, ADA compliant boarding platform, bus
loop and site amenities located on 30 acres of City of Newport News property at 500-B Bland Blvd, in
Newport News, Virginia, and a service facility with a 3,000 square foot maintenance building with two
1,000 foot service tracks approximately 1 mile from the main station located at 13200 Warwick Springs Dr.
The project also includes approximately 2 miles of new trackwork, with approximately 1.5 miles of the
tracks located in the CSXT railroad right-of-way, which will connect the two sites with dedicated Amtrak
rail.

The current train station, located in the south end of Newport News, has several inadequacies: insufficient
parking, an asphalt ground level platform area without a canopy for users, and a size that does not
adequately accommodate its ridership. Additionally, train operations require the use of several miles of
CSXT tracks for turning the trains and for traveling to and from the station and CSXT’s maintenance yard.

Pursuant to 40 CFR § 1506.3(c), FRA reviewed the FHWA environmental documentation
(EA/FONSI/NEPA reevaluations), along with engineering design plans and concluded FRA’s federal
action, as described above, is substantially the same as the action evaluated in FHWA’s EA (October 2016),
NEPA re-evaluations (March 2, 2017, December 10, 2019 and January 29, 2020) and the current project
engineering plans dated September 16, 2019, which were included within the 2019 and 2020 NEPA re-
evaluations. FRA completed a further reevaluation in January 2024.


Pursuant to 40 CFR § 1506.3(a), FRA determined the FHWA documentation is sufficient and meets the
standards for an adequate EA under NEPA (42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the FHWA/FTA/FRA joint
regulations implementing NEPA (23 CFR Part 771).

Pursuant to 36 CFR § 800.2(a)(2), FRA designated FHWA the lead Federal agency on November 30,
2023, for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 306108) and
its implementing regulations (36 CFR part 800) (Section 106). The FHWA environmental documentation
concluded that the project will not result in adverse effects on historic properties. In addition, the FHWA
environmental documentation supports the conclusion under Section 4(f) of the United States Department
of Transportation Act (49 USC § 303) and the FHWA/FTA/FRA joint implementing regulations (23 CFR
part 774) (Section 4(f)) that the project would not result in any Section 4(f) uses.

FRA has reviewed the proposed actions and scope, which FRA determined have remained consistent, and
no new environmental concerns were identified based on FRA’s January 2024 reevaluation of the project.
FRA has carefully considered the project record and is adopting and incorporating by reference FHWA’s
EA and NEPA re-evaluations and the mitigation commitments. Based on the analysis therein, FRA has
determined the project, inclusive of individual elements that are or may be funded by grants administered
by FRA, satisfies the requirements of NEPA (42 USC §§ 4321 et seq.), the CEQ NEPA implementing
regulations (40 CFR § 1500-1508), and the FHWA/FTA/FRA joint regulations implementing NEPA (23
CFR § 771), and would have no foreseeable significant impact on the quality of the human or natural
environment provided it is implemented in accordance with the environmental commitments identified in
FHWA’s EA.

FRA, relying on FHWA’s evaluation as the lead Federal agency, has also satisfied requirements under
Section 106, Section 4(f), and related laws. The EA provides sufficient evidence and analysis for FRA to
determine that an environmental impact statement is not required for the Newport News Transportation
Center project as presented and has affirmed the continued validity and relevance of the environmental
documents as outlined in this section.

StephanidB. Perez,PG 7 Date
Chief, Environmental Review Division a

Office of Environmental Program Management

Federal Railroad Administration

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