The Federal Railroad Administration has found the overall environmental impacts of the northern leg of All Aboard Florida’s passenger rail service will be minimal, according to a draft study released last Friday.

The 500-page study, known as an environmental impact statement, evaluates the impacts of the rail project between northern Palm Beach County and Orlando.

The much-anticipated study was originally expected to be released in April.

All Aboard Florida plans to run 32 passenger trains a day between Miami and Orlando on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. Miami-to-West Palm Beach service is expected to begin in late 2016 with the Orlando leg starting in 2017. At a meeting with Delray Beach officials last week, All Aboard Florida’s Public Affairs Director Ali Soule said the private venture has been anxiously awaiting the draft’s release. “We truly believe that a lot of the fears and the misinformation that is out there will be corrected when that document is able to be reviewed by the public,” Soule said at the Sept. 9 meeting.

As part of the document’s release, federal officials will hold a series of eight public meetings along Florida’s east coast. The public will have 75 days to comment on the study’s findings. The comment period ends on Dec. 3.

Here is the public meeting schedule:

October 27, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Miami-Dade College – Wolfson Campus | James K. Batten Room – 2106 | 300 NE 2nd Avenue Miami, FL 33132
October 28, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Broward County Convention Center | 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
October 29, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	West Palm Beach Marriott|1001 Okeechobee Blvd|  West Palm Beach, FL 33401
October 30, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	The Kane Center | 900 SE Salerno Road | Stuart, FL 34997
November 5, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Indian River State College | Richardson Hall | 6155 College Lane| Vero Beach, FL 32966
November 6, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Port St. Lucie Civic Center | 9221 SE Civic Center Place |Port St Lucie, FL 34952
November 12, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Cocoa Civic Center | 430 Delannoy Avenue | Cocoa, FL 32922
November 13, 2014	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Wyndham Orlando Resort I-Drive| 800 International Drive| Orlando, Florida, 32819

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Palm Beach Post