U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

ALL ABOARD FLORIDA PASSENGER RAIL PROJECT

WEST PALM BEACH TO MIAMI, FLORIDA

West Palm Beach Vehicle Maintenance Facility

Submitted Pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act

42 U.S.C 4332 (2)(c)

Prepared in accordance with the FRA’s Environmental Procedures

(64 Fed. Reg. 28545 (May 26, 1999))

JANUARY 2015
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Table of Contents

Chapter Description Page

1 Background Information................................................................................................ 1

2 Statement of Purpose and Need ................................................................................... 3

3 Alternatives Considered................................................................................................. 4

4 Summary of Environmental Impacts ............................................................................. 7

5 Environmental Commitments...................................................................................... 11

6 Coordination and Consultation.................................................................................... 12

7 Conclusion.................................................................................................................... 13
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List of Tables

Table No. Description Page

Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts.......................................................................................... 7

Table 2 Summary of Project Commitments ..............................................................................11

List of Figures

Figure No. Description Page

Figure 1 Project Vicinity................................................................................................................ 2
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1 Background Information 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) previously evaluated the potential environmental and related 

impacts of constructing and operating an intercity passenger rail service proposed by All Aboard Florida -

Operations LLC (AAF) between West Palm Beach and Miami, FL. FRA conducted an environmental review 

in 2012/2013, including preparing and issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) (Environmental 

Assessment and Section 4(f) Evaluation for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project West Palm Beach to 

Miami, Florida, October 31, 2012) and then a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on January 30, 2013. 

AAF is proposing to implement the intercity passenger rail service through a phased approach. Phase I 

would provide rail service from West Palm Beach to Miami while Phase II would extend service to 

Orlando. Phase I would provide passenger rail service along the 66.5 miles of the Florida East Coast 

Railway, L.L.C. (FECR) Corridor connecting West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. AAF has 

obtained private financing and is proceeding to implement Phase I. Phase I of the passenger rail project, 

as described in the 2012 EA, includes constructing three new stations (West Palm Beach, Fort 

Lauderdale and Miami), purchasing five train sets, adding a second track along most of the 66.5-mile 

corridor, and adding 16 new round-trip intercity passenger train trips (32 one-way trips) on the West 

Palm Beach to Miami section of the FECR Corridor.

Evaluation of environmental impacts for the 2012 EA and 2013 FONSI included a Vehicle Maintenance 

Facility (VMF) to support AAF passenger service at an existing rail maintenance yard in Fort Lauderdale 

(Andrews Yard), which FECR owns and operates. However, AAF subsequently determined that the 

Andrews Yard location was unavailable in a configuration necessary for AAF’s use and identified an 

alternative location. In October 2014, FRA issued a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA)

documenting the environmental impacts of an alternate VMF located at the West Palm Beach (WPB) 

Rail Yard. 

The WPB Rail Yard is an approximately 27-acre site located in WPB, east of Division Avenue, between 

15th Street and 23rd Street (Figure 1-1). The WPB Rail Yard is an active FECR freight yard currently 

used for staging and building freight trains, which includes assembling freight rail cars to be picked up 

when a locomotive goes to the WPB Rail Yard to drop off empty rail cars. 

FRA approved the SEA for the proposed WPB VMF location on October 22, 2014 and made it available for 

public review at local libraries. Copies were distributed to state and federal environmental resource 

agencies and local governments and the document was published to the FRA website at 

https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L16031. The comment period for the SEA closed on November 24, 

2014. There were no requests for a public hearing and no public comments were received. 
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2 Statement of Purpose and Need 

The purpose for Phase I of the passenger rail project from West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida, as 

described in the 2012 EA, is to address South Florida’s current and future needs by enhancing its 

transportation system, improving safety and air quality, creating jobs, providing a transportation

alternative for millions of Floridians and tourists, and supporting economic development by:

• Returning the existing FECR corridor to a dual-track system to allow for the restoration of fast, 

dependable, and efficient passenger service in Southeast Florida; and

• Implementing a privately owned, operated, and maintained intercity passenger rail service that will 

connect downtown West Palm Beach to downtown Miami, with one stop in downtown Fort 

Lauderdale.

Through Phase I, the passenger rail project will enhance mobility and improve safety in the region, 

particularly along the Interstate 95 corridor (I-95), by reintroducing passenger rail service between 

West Palm Beach and Miami, which ceased in 1968. 

The purpose of the proposed VMF is to accommodate the storage and maintenance needs of the 

passenger trains associated with the passenger rail project. Necessary services at the VMF include 

fueling, routine maintenance, overnight train storage, vehicle washing, and daily cleaning and stocking. 

The WPB Rail Yard is needed to provide a suitable location for a VMF to support the passenger rail

service. The proposed location would place the layover facility (overnight train storage) at one end of 

the passenger rail line in order to reduce or eliminate non-revenue trips. Utilizing FECR’s existing 

WPB Rail Yard would eliminate the need to acquire parcels or change land uses. The maintenance 

activities planned to be conducted at the VMF would be performed within the existing footprint of the

WPB Rail Yard.
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3 Alternatives Considered

Initial evaluation of environmental impacts for the 2012 EA and 2013 FONSI included a VMF to support 

AAF passenger service at an existing rail maintenance yard in Fort Lauderdale (Andrews Yard), which 

FECR owns and operates. Since the publication of the 2012 EA, FECR has committed a substantial 

portion of the Andrews Yard’s property to a transload freight facility. The available excess land will not 

sustain the needs for a VMF on the property. The configuration of the property would require AAF to 

construct duplicate buildings at two locations in the yard to service trains, increasing the cost of the 

facility. Additionally, no more than seven-car trains could be stored at any time. The AAF trainsets will 

eventually have 8 ten-car trains, with two locomotives,

1 causing a physical constraint on the mainline of 

Andrews Yard. Because of the configuration constraints, the train washing station would need to be 

built within the mainline right-of-way located outside of the Andrews Yard property, requiring 

additional moves to wash trains. AAF would also require the use of at least 30 feet of the mainline rightof-way for access tracks and storage tracks. This use of the mainline would interfere with freight 

operations at the Andrews Yard. Because the Andrews Yard location is unavailable in a configuration 

necessary for AAF’s use at this time, this site was eliminated from consideration.

AAF has identified an alternative location. The new location of the WPB Rail Yard is a 27-acre FECR 

freight layover yard currently used for staging and assembling freight trains. Project construction would

occur entirely within the footprint of the existing FECR Corridor and existing WPB Rail Yard, and would 

not require any property acquisition.

The principal difference between the two locations is the proximity of the proposed VMF to the 

WPB Station (the nearest train station for both sites). The VMF at Andrews Yard would have been 

located approximately 30 miles from the WPB Rail Station, requiring approximately 60 miles of rail 

travel (round trip) in order to reach the VMF. The existing WPB Rail Yard is 0.9 miles from the WPB 

Station. This proximity reduces the number of at-grade crossings required during travel from the 

train station to the VMF. Travel to and from Andrews Yard would have involved 63 crossings, while 

the WPB Rail Yard will require only four at-grade crossings in each direction.

3.1 Proposed Vehicle Maintenance Facility

The proposed location for the VMF is the WPB Rail Yard, which is an approximately 27-acre site located 

in West Palm Beach, east of Division Avenue, between 15th Street and 23rd Street. At this location, there 

are currently nine tracks within the FECR freight yard (two main line tracks and seven storage tracks), a 

row of maintenance and staff buildings, and 2 storage tracks within the central portion of the site. The 

western portion of the site is used to stage containers and trucks. Access to the site is from 15th Street. 

The proposed changes at this facility would expand capacity for staging and maintaining passenger 

trains. In order to perform these necessary services, physical changes to the WPB Rail Yard would 

1 Initially, Phase I will only include five cars; Phase II would include eight cars. Train sets will also include two 

locomotives.
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include new facilities and buildings, four additional tracks, and moving the existing mid-yard tracks.

Together, these proposed changes comprise the Project evaluated in the SEA.

The Project at the WPB Rail Yard would modify the existing WPB Rail Yard to accommodate storage and 

maintenance services for passenger trains by:

• Adding four tracks within the existing WPB Rail Yard for train refueling, storage, crew change-out, 

train cleaning, washing, and light repairs, which would include two storage tracks and two light 

repair tracks.

• Constructing facilities for electrical and mechanical rooms, parts storage, repair equipment, 

wastewater treatment, and waste storage.

• Providing men’s and women’s restrooms, showers, and locker room trailers.

• Installing a security fence to separate passenger operations from freight movements and 

operations.

• Expanding parking for approximately 30 worker/visitor vehicles as well as one to two commercial 

vehicles.

• Shifting two FECR intermodal tracks and one stub track to the northwest in order to accommodate 

the AAF storage and maintenance tracks.

All Project improvements, including the new buildings, will occur within the existing footprint of the 

WPB Rail Yard. Existing FECR yard buildings are aligned parallel to the FECR tracks. The AAF buildings 

and facilities, housed in the Shop Canopy, would be built between the first and second FECR building. 

The Shop Canopy would include electrical and mechanical rooms; a fire pump room; electronic parts, 

storage, and repair room; industrial waste treatment; storage; and sand, grease, motor oil, and other oil 

storage. The proposed VMF at the WPB Rail Yard would not include passenger loading or unloading, 

which would only occur at passenger rail stations.

AAF expects that the number of light poles illuminating the WPB Rail Yard would not change, but light 

poles may be relocated within the WPB Rail Yard. Utility poles may need to be relocated within the WPB 

Rail Yard and along the corridor between the WPB Rail Yard and the WPB Station.

3.2 Train Operations and Track Improvements

Under existing operations, four freight trains stop daily at this facility: two during the day (from 

7:01 AM to 10:00 PM) and two at night (from 10:01 PM to 7:00 AM). Each train idles for approximately

45 minutes, which includes the time the train remains stationary, the staging and time required for 

building the freight. 

With the passenger rail service, eight round-trip daily AAF train sets would require servicing at the VMF. 

Maintenance operations would occur between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM, with the train sets entering the 

VMF between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. Outbound train sets would exit between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM.

The train sets would consist of two locomotives and eight cars and would operate at a maximum speed 

of 20 miles per hour (mph) along the majority of the track, but would slow to approximately 5 mph 

when approaching or leaving the WPB Rail Yard. During the day, crew changes would idle for a total of 
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10 minutes while at the WPB Rail Yard. Passenger trains are expected to idle for approximately

30 minutes for routine activities conducted at the VMF, which are conducted in both the daytime and 

nighttime.

The WPB Rail Yard, the location of the proposed VMF, is 0.9 miles north of the WPB Station. 

Approximately 16 passenger train trips would occur between the WPB Station and the WPB Rail Yard 

daily (eight trips northbound and eight trips southbound). Passenger trains will be moving at an average 

speed of 25 mph on this segment. In order to prevent severe noise impacts, locomotive warning horns 

would be replaced with stationary wayside horns at the 15th Street intersection just south of the Yard, in 

accordance with the commitments established under the prior FONSI.

The Project would enhance public safety with respect to local vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Project 

would upgrade crossing signal equipment at the four at-grade crossings within the Project Study Area 

(15th Street, 3rd Street, Banyan Boulevard [1st Street], and Clematis Street). An FRA Diagnostic Team 

reviewed the safety of FECR grade crossings along the passenger rail project corridor to determine

whether grade crossing equipment and warning devices are needed for each at-grade crossing2. There 

were no safety concerns identified in the Diagnostic Team report for any of the four at-grade crossings 

within the Project Study Area, due to the slow speeds trains enter and exit the WPB Rail Yard. General 

safety recommendations for the passenger rail project corridor include equipping sidewalks with a 

visual and gated barrier for safe pedestrian passage. The Project would also implement electronic 

warning systems, which would monitor and communicate train locations and speeds, and would stop 

trains if a crossing were not clear. Upgrades to road crossings would be coordinated with and/or 

communicated to local emergency responders, as activations at the road crossings would be more 

frequent with the increased frequency of train traffic. 

2 Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety, Highway Rail Crossing and Trespasser Program Division. March 20, 

2014. On-Site Engineering Field Report – Part 1. All Aboard Florida.
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4 Summary of Environmental Impacts 

The FRA’s Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) (FRA 

procedures) provides a list of potential environmental impact categories that should be considered in 

the environmental assessment process. The SEA addressed resources that the VMF is reasonably likely 

to impact. Categories not evaluated and the rationale for not including them are detailed in Section 4.1

of the SEA. A summary of impacts associated with the Project are shown in Table 1. 

Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts 

Category SEA Section Summary of Impact Proposed Mitigation

Air Quality Section 4.2 and 

Section 4.11.1

No Long Term Impact: WPB Rail Yard would 

require only 0.9 miles of travel before AAF 

trains go into revenue service. Reduced travel 

time associated with the WPM Rail Yard would 

result in significantly lower pollutant emissions. 

Although the Project would result in increased 

pollutant emissions near the WPM Rail Yard, 

the Project would result in less pollutant 

emissions overall compared to the 2012 EA 

conditions. Tailpipe emissions would be 

exceptionally small when considered relative 

to current tailpipe emissions from other 

vehicles in the area.

As the Project is located in an attainment 

area for all criteria pollutants (EPA 2012b), 

pursuant to the CAA Amendments, a 

determination of conformity with the State 

Implementation Plan or plan to maintain the 

National Ambient Air Quality Standards is not 

required. Pursuant to this exclusion, a 

development or select analysis of emissions 

inventories of criteria pollutants of the Project 

is not necessary for General Conformity 

determination purposes.

Construction Impacts: Due to the relatively 

small area of construction, impacts from 

upgrading the WPB Rail Yard would be 

negligible.

Construction Mitigation: Contractors will

control fugitive dust emissions through 

watering or other palliative measures. 

Noise and Vibration Section 4.3 and 

Section 4.11.2

Noise Impacts: The noise assessment reported 

that FTA impact criteria were exceeded at 

several locations, mainly associated with FRAmandated train horn activation at nearby 

intersections on the mainline track.

No Long Term Vibration Impacts: No parcels 

will experience additional vibration events that 

exceed the Occasional Events criteria.

Noise Mitigation: Stationary wayside horns will 

replace locomotive warning horns at the 15th 

Street intersection just south of the WPB Rail 

Yard. Using stationary wayside warning horns

will reduce the impacts from Severe Impact, for 

eight Category 2 parcels, to Moderate.
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Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts (Continued)

Category SEA Section Summary of Impact Proposed Mitigation

Cultural Resources Section 4.4 No Long Term Impact: The Project would 

have no effect on structures located along 

the existing FECR Corridor as a result of 

increased train traffic or noise. There would 

be no effect on the visual setting of these 

properties, and no change in the FECR 

historic corridor itself. State Historic 

Preservation Officer (SHPO) concurrence 

received Oct. 30, 2014 (see Appendix A). 

Construction Impacts: None.

Not applicable

Hazardous 

Materials and Solid 

Waste

Section 4.5 and 

Section 4.11.3

No Long Term Impact: The majority of 

potentially contaminated sites identified by 

this evaluation are within developed areas 

adjacent to the existing FECR Corridor. The 

proposed rail infrastructure upgrades 

associated with the Project would not impact 

existing contaminated areas. The Project is 

not expected to encounter impacted soil or 

groundwater.

Planned operations at this facility would also 

include the use of hazardous materials. The 

Project would not include the use or storage 

of hazardous materials outside the WPB Rail 

Yard property. Typical materials that AAF 

would store and use include diesel fuel, 

motor oils, lubricants, and degreasers. 

Passenger trains traveling between the WPB 

Station and the WPB Rail Yard would not be 

carrying, storing, or using hazardous 

materials with the exception of on-board fuel, 

lubricants, and relatively small quantities of 

materials required for the operation of 

passenger trains.

Construction Impacts: The Project should 

not encounter contaminated soil or 

groundwater. The Project would generate 

construction and demolition waste such as 

used railroad ties, steel rail, excess soil, rock, 

organic material, asphalt, concrete, and 

wood.

Construction Mitigation: Contractors will 

handle, transport, and dispose all 

construction and demolition waste according 

to federal, state, and local regulations as well 

as industry best management practices. 

Contractors will recycle materials to the 

extent practicable. 
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Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts (Continued)

Category SEA Section Summary of Impact Proposed Mitigation

Transportation Section 4.6 No Long Term Impact: The Project would 

increase average daily traffic volume on 15th

Street by approximately 25 to 30 employee 

vehicles and one to two delivery vehicles. 

This increase would have a minimal impact 

on local roadways and traffic patterns.

The Project includes a total of 16 daily train 

trips between the WPB VMF and the WPB 

Station. The Project is completely within an 

existing area of the FECR Corridor that 

crosses four roadways at signalized and/or 

gated crossings within the 0.9-mile section 

between the WPB Rail Yard and the WPB 

Station. The addition of 16 passenger trains 

would result in additional closures of 18.6 to 

20.3 minutes per day.

Transportation Improvements: The Project 

will enhance public transportation safety 

through crossing improvements at each of 

the four at-grade crossings within the Project 

Study Area. This includes upgraded warning 

devices such as flashing lights, signage, 

pavement markings, median barriers, and 

four-quadrant gates. The Project will also 

implement electronic warning systems, which 

monitor and communicate train locations and 

speeds, and stops trains if a crossing were 

not clear. Upgrades to road-crossings will be 

coordinated with and/or communicated to 

local emergency responders, as activations 

at the road crossings will be more frequent 

with the increased frequency of train traffic. 

Social and 

Economic 

Environment

Section 4.7 and 

Section 4.11.4

No Long Term Impact: The Project would 

not require property acquisition, and no 

property conversions from private ownership 

to transportation use would take place. 

Therefore, the Project would not result in any 

residential or commercial relocations, the 

loss of revenues generated by business 

enterprises, or the loss of assessed land 

taxes.

The Project would establish 20 to 30 new 

jobs, resulting in direct socioeconomic 

benefits in the form of increased local labor 

income. The implementation of the VMF is 

anticipated to increase the tax valuation of 

the WPB Rail Yard, thereby increasing 

municipal property tax collections.

Construction Impacts: The Project would 

result in construction jobs, which would 

produce short-term socioeconomic benefits 

in the form of additional jobs and labor 

income.

Not applicable 

Environmental 

Justice

Section 4.8 No Long Term Impact: While there are 

several census tracts that have minority and 

low-income populations greater than 50 

percent and/or are meaningfully greater than 

the Community of Comparison, there would 

be no disproportionate adverse impacts to 

environmental justice communities. As there 

would be no negative environmental 

consequences associated with any resource 

area, there would be no negative impact to 

communities within the Project Study Area.

Not applicable

Safety Section 4.9 No Long Term Impact: The Project would 

enhance public safety with respect to local 

vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 

Construction Impacts: Contractors should 

Safety Improvements: The Project will 

elevate pedestrian safety by upgrading 

crossing signal equipment at the four atgrade crossings within the Project Study 
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Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts (Continued)

Category SEA Section Summary of Impact Proposed Mitigation

not encounter petroleum contaminated soil or 

groundwater during construction activities.

Area.

The Project will comply with all relevant 

health and safety regulations and will include 

a security fence to separate passenger 

operations from freight movements and 

operations.

Construction Mitigation: During 

construction, all contractors will be subject to 

the contractor’s site health and safety plan. 

Site security measures will include fencing, 

gates, and proper signage.

Energy Section 4.10 No Long Term Impact: The Project would 

require an increase in electricity to service 

the new buildings and power equipment; 

however, the additional amount of electricity 

anticipated for the Project would be minimal, 

and would not create an adverse impact or 

disproportionate demand on the existing or 

planning electrical grid.

Construction Impacts: Impacts to aerial 

electric lines would be temporary and would 

likely be limited to relocating utility poles 

within the WPB Rail Yard and potentially 

between the WPB Rail Yard and the 

WPB Station, if tracks require shifting.

None 
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5 Environmental Commitments

During the NEPA process, commitments are made to avoid, minimize and mitigate project impacts. 

Commitments are developed through public comments, requirements and agreements with regulatory 

agencies, and through industry best practices. The following project commitments (Table 2) have been 

agreed to by FRA and AAF and will be implemented for this Project.

Table 2 Summary of Project Commitments

Resource Commitment Project Phase

Air Quality All contractors will be required to control fugitive dust emissions through watering or other 

palliative measures. 

Construction

Noise Replace locomotive warning horns at the 15th Street intersection just south of the WPB Rail 

Yard with stationary wayside horns.

Operations

Noise Passenger train idling will not exceed 30 minutes for crew changes or routine maintenance. Operations

Noise All contractors will be required to implement the following noise control measures, as 

required by the Palm Beach Code:

• Avoid nighttime construction in residential neighborhoods;

• Locate stationary construction equipment as far as possible from noise sensitive sites;

• Route construction-related truck traffic along roadways that cause the least 

disturbance to residents;

• Monitor and maintain equipment to meet noise limits;

• Minimize using generators to power equipment;

• Limit using public address systems; and

• Limit or avoid certain noisy activities during nighttime hours such as aboveground 

jackhammering and impact pile driving.

Construction

Vibration All contractors will be required to operate earth-moving equipment on the construction lot as 

far away from vibration-sensitive sites as possible.

All contractors will be required to phase demolition, earth-moving, and ground-impacting 

operations so as not to occur in the same time period.

Construction

Solid Waste All contractors will be required to handle, transport, and dispose all construction and 

demolition waste according to federal, state, and local regulations as well as industry best 

management practices. All contractors will be required to recycle materials to the extent 

practicable. 

Construction

Safety Improve each of the four at-grade crossings within the Project Study Area in accordance 

with the FRA Diagnostic Team report, which reviewed the safety of FECR grade crossings 

along the passenger rail project corridor. The report provides safety recommendations for 

the entire passenger rail project. In accordance with the report, AAF will install pedestrian 

sidewalks and crossing gates if none currently exist.

Operations
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6 Coordination and Consultation

FRA sent a coordination letter to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on August 18, 

2014, seeking concurrence that the WPB VMF would not impact federal- or state-listed threatened or 

endangered species. USFWS concurred with these findings in a letter dated August 27, 2014. FRA also 

contacted the SHPO on August 18, 2014, seeking concurrence that the WPB VMF location would not 

impact any historic resources or archaeological sites. SHPO issued a letter of concurrence with the 

finding of no effect on October 30, 2014. Agency coordination letters are provided in Appendix A of the 

SEA.