The public comment period for a set of proposed projects along a rail line that runs through Lake Forest has been extended by 60 days.
Amtrak is looking to increase service on its Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago from seven round trips a day to 10 round trips a day. To make that possible, the rail company has proposed five projects along the mainline tracks to increase speed and reduce travel times. One of those projects would involve building a side track near the Academy Woods Subdivision that would be long enough to hold a typical freight train.
An environmental impact study was released in mid-October with an initial public comment period set to expire on Nov. 15. At the request of several municipalities, that’s been extended to Jan. 15, according to Lake Forest City Manager Bob Kiely.
During the next two months, the city wants to meet with representatives of IDOT, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Amtrak to request further information on the impact of a third rail, Kiely said.
“That gives us the ability to have a more comprehensive conversation about what this means in the short and long term for residents of Lake Forest,” Kiely said. “We want to know what options they looked at, what options did they discount. We’d like to think there is a win-win situation for Amtrak, Metra and the city of Lake Forest.”
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Lake Forest is working with the communities of Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield and Bannockburn.
“Working in conjunction with all the impacted communities, we hope we have a very loud voice at the federal level,” said JoAnn Desmond, president of the Academy Woods Homeowners Association.
Desmond describes the extension of the public comment period as a good first step.
“It could have occurred without the knowledge of thousands of people who would be impacted by it,” Desmond said. “This gives municipalities a chance to educate their communities about what this means and to demand further environmental impact study from Wisconsin DOT, IDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration.”
The homeowners association is concerned about potential noise, vibrations, air pollution from idling trains and possible impacts on the ecosystems of Middlefork Savanna and wetlands.
Ultimately, the Federal Railroad Administration will decide on the proposed projects.
“We recognize we have little or no power,” Kiely said, though he added that “we see this as a positive sign that they were willing to sit down and meet with us and not ignore our request (for comment period extension).”
The environmental impact study may be found online at Chi-milwrailstudy.wi.gov.
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