Environmental Concerns

Amtrak proposes to operate its new Midwest Maintenance Facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week alongside Bridgeport homes and Armour Square Park.

Residents have raised concerns about air pollution, diesel emissions, locomotive idling, noise, vibration, sleep disruption, stormwater runoff, fuels and maintenance fluids, spill risk, emergency response, traffic and industrial lighting.

There is substantial scientific research examining environmental and health effects associated with rail yards, railway operations, transportation pollution, noise and vibration. There is also a documented environmental and operational history at Amtrak facilities, including its existing Chicago maintenance operation.

The research does not predict the precise effects of the proposed Bridgeport facility. Rail facilities, equipment, operating practices and surrounding communities differ. But the evidence provides important context for understanding why residents are concerned about placing a large 24/7 rail maintenance operation immediately beside homes and a heavily used public park.

Air Pollution Near Rail Yards

Rail yards can be concentrated sources of diesel-related air pollution because locomotives may idle, move, accelerate and operate for extended periods within a relatively small geographic area.

A peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health examined health-risk assessments conducted for 18 major California rail yards and the communities surrounding them.

The researchers examined estimated diesel particulate matter emissions and associated cancer risks for residents living near the yards. The study identified the proximity of rail yards to residential communities and other sensitive locations as an environmental-justice and public-health concern.

Read the peer-reviewed California rail-yard study.

PM2.5 and Black Carbon Near Atlanta Rail Yards

Researchers studying major rail yards in Atlanta measured PM2.5 and black carbon, pollutants associated with combustion emissions, around two rail yards.

The researchers found that the rail yards were significant local sources of both pollutants and modeled potential air-quality benefits from replacing conventional switcher locomotives with lower-emission technology.

This research is particularly relevant to questions about the difference between trains passing through a neighborhood and locomotive activity concentrated within a rail yard.

Read the peer-reviewed Atlanta rail-yard study.

Children Living and Attending School Near a Rail Yard

Children are among the populations of particular concern when researchers study exposure to transportation-related air pollution.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Community Health examined children attending an elementary school located near the San Bernardino Railyard, a large 24/7 freight rail facility, and compared them with children attending a demographically matched school farther away.

Researchers examined respiratory symptoms, lung function and airway inflammation.

The study found significantly greater respiratory health concerns among children attending the school near the rail yard. Among the findings, reduced peak expiratory flow was more prevalent among children at the school near the rail yard, and researchers also found evidence of increased airway inflammation among some children living near the facility.

Read the peer-reviewed study.

The San Bernardino facility is a freight rail yard and differs from the passenger maintenance facility proposed for Bridgeport. Its findings should not be used to predict specific health outcomes here. It does, however, provide relevant research on the potential importance of proximity between concentrated rail activity and places where children live and spend time.

Railway Noise and Cardiovascular Health

Environmental concerns surrounding rail operations extend beyond air pollution.

Researchers have also studied associations between long-term exposure to railway noise and cardiovascular health.

A large Swiss population study involving thousands of adults examined exposure to transportation noise and blood pressure. Researchers found associations between increasing railway noise exposure and blood pressure, with some associations stronger among people with chronic disease.

This research adds to a broader scientific literature examining the potential health effects of long-term transportation-noise exposure.

Read the peer-reviewed study.

Nighttime Noise, Sleep and Vibration

A 24/7 maintenance facility raises a particular question about what happens at night.

Railway operations can generate noise from locomotive movements, engines, wheels and brakes, coupling and uncoupling, horns or bells where applicable, maintenance equipment, backup alarms, generators and other machinery.

A 2023 systematic review examined the health effects of railway-induced vibration together with railway noise. Across the literature, researchers identified annoyance and sleep disturbance as important effects and concluded that vibration should be considered alongside noise when assessing the health burden associated with railway exposure.

Read the review.

Experimental sleep research has also examined railway noise and vibration under controlled conditions. In one study, sleeping participants were exposed to simulated railway events. Both railway vibration and railway noise increased the probability of cortical arousals or awakenings, and their effects were additive when noise and vibration occurred together.

Read the peer-reviewed study.

For a facility expected to operate continuously, the relevant environmental question therefore includes not simply average sound levels, but nighttime operations, individual noise events and vibration.

Transportation Pollution and Pregnancy

The scientific literature also includes research examining transportation-related pollution exposure during pregnancy.

Recent U.S. research involving pregnant women in Rochester, New York, evaluated proximity to transportation-pollution sources, including a railroad yard. Researchers found associations between transportation-related pollution exposure and pregnancy-related outcomes.

Read the research study.

This research does not establish what exposure levels would occur around the proposed Bridgeport facility or predict an outcome for people living here. It adds to the body of research demonstrating why pollution associated with transportation facilities near residential populations warrants careful evaluation.

Chicago-Area Research: EPA's Cicero Rail Yard Study

There is also research much closer to home.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studied air pollution surrounding the Cicero Rail Yard in the Chicago area, which is surrounded by densely populated residential neighborhoods.

EPA found that under certain wind conditions, black carbon concentrations in nearby residential areas were approximately 30% to 104% higher than urban background levels, with effects detected hundreds of meters downwind.

EPA concluded that concentrated diesel-emission activity at the rail yard could adversely affect local-scale air quality.

This EPA work is not peer-reviewed research and the Cicero facility is not equivalent to the proposed Amtrak maintenance facility. It is nevertheless important Chicago-area evidence demonstrating that concentrated locomotive activity can measurably affect air quality beyond a rail-yard boundary.

EPA Air Pollution Study at Cicero Rail Yard

Amtrak's Own Inspector General Documented Excessive Idling in Chicago

The environmental concerns become especially relevant when considered alongside Amtrak's own operating history in Chicago.

Amtrak's independent Office of Inspector General examined excessive locomotive idling at its Chicago maintenance facility, which the OIG described as Amtrak's largest locomotive maintenance facility.

The OIG found more than 500 incidents in June 2021 alone in which a locomotive shut down after idling for at least two hours and restarted less than 30 minutes later.

In one example, Amtrak's system recorded five separate excessive-idling incidents of approximately two hours each during what was effectively a roughly 10-hour sequence in which the locomotive automatically restarted four times.

The OIG also found that Amtrak lacked an alert mechanism that would allow maintenance personnel to easily identify repeated restarts that could indicate mechanical problems or maintenance errors.

The amount of fuel involved is significant. According to the OIG, a locomotive providing head-end power to passenger cars can consume approximately 30 gallons of diesel per hour, compared with approximately four gallons per hour when head-end power is off.

Read the Amtrak OIG summary.

Read the full OIG report.

A 2,800-Gallon Diesel Spill at Amtrak's Chicago Facility

Fuel handling and spill prevention are another concern.

A federal court opinion describes allegations arising from a 2,800-gallon diesel spill at Amtrak's existing Chicago train-servicing facility in January 2019.

According to the allegations summarized by the court, a fuel-delivery driver failed to disconnect a hose before driving away, spilling approximately 2,800 gallons of diesel.

A neighboring property owner alleged that approximately 900 gallons were recovered and approximately 1,900 gallons remained unaccounted for. The company later sued Amtrak, alleging contamination of its soil and groundwater associated with spills and releases from the facility.

The federal court opinion also references an earlier consent order involving releases of chemicals from Amtrak's property into the Chicago River.

The soil- and groundwater-contamination claims described in the opinion were allegations made in litigation and should not be presented as adjudicated findings.

The 2,800-gallon spill itself provides important context when considering fuel storage, spill prevention, containment and emergency response at a rail maintenance operation.

2024 Train Fire, Oil Spill and Hazmat Response

On September 25, 2024, a train caught fire at Amtrak's existing Chicago yard in the 1600 block of South Lumber Street.

According to CBS Chicago's report of the Chicago Fire Department response, the incident resulted in an oil spill and Level 1 hazardous-materials response.

One person suffered minor injuries and was taken to Stroger Hospital.

The incident occurred at the same Chicago maintenance operation Amtrak now proposes to relocate to Bridgeport.

EPA Enforcement at Amtrak Maintenance Facilities

Amtrak has also previously been subject to federal environmental enforcement involving its maintenance facilities.

In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice reached a Clean Water Act settlement with Amtrak involving nine facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

According to EPA, violations included failures involving required stormwater permits, pollution-prevention plans and spill-prevention plans, as well as sampling and discharge-limit violations.

The resulting agreement required comprehensive environmental compliance audits at 51 Amtrak facilities nationwide.

EPA explains that stormwater discharges from rail maintenance facilities can carry pollutants including oil, grease and metals into storm drains and ultimately affect waterways.

The enforcement action occurred more than two decades ago and did not involve Amtrak's Chicago facility. Its relevance here is the information it provides about the types of pollution-control and spill-prevention issues associated with rail maintenance operations.

Read EPA's Amtrak Water Pollution Settlement.

Armour Square Park and the Surrounding Neighborhood

The proposed Canal Street facility would operate alongside Armour Square Park and an established residential neighborhood.

Armour Square is a heavily used public park with playing fields, playgrounds and other recreational facilities. Children and families spend significant time outdoors here, and people live immediately around the proposed facility.

The park is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service identifies its significance in recreation, social history, architecture and landscape architecture. Its design history includes D.H. Burnham & Company and the Olmsted Brothers.

Bridgeport residents already live alongside active railroad tracks. The proposed project would add a 24/7 maintenance operation involving a different concentration and range of activities.

Depending on the final facility design and operating practices, those activities could include locomotive movements and idling, train servicing, maintenance equipment, coupling and uncoupling, fuels, oils and other maintenance materials, truck and employee traffic, industrial lighting, storm water runoff, noise and vibration.

What Residents Want Evaluated

Taken together, the scientific literature and documented operating history raise questions about the cumulative effects of locating a 24/7 maintenance facility at Canal Street.

Residents want to see site-specific information addressing:

Air quality: Baseline and projected PM2.5, diesel particulate matter, black carbon, ultrafine particles and nitrogen oxides, along with dispersion modeling extending into surrounding residential blocks and Armour Square Park.

Locomotive activity: The number and types of locomotives expected, emissions standards or tiers, anticipated idling and engine-testing hours, and expected 24-hour activity levels.

Noise: Nighttime modeling that considers not only average sound levels but individual and maximum noise events associated with maintenance and rail operations.

Vibration: Analysis of vibration from rail movements and maintenance activity and its potential effects on nearby homes.

Traffic: Expected employee, truck, delivery and service-vehicle traffic.

Lighting: The extent and direction of 24-hour industrial lighting.

Fuels and hazardous materials: The types and quantities of fuels, oils, solvents and other materials expected to be stored and used onsite.

Stormwater and runoff: Plans for controlling runoff and preventing oil, grease, metals and other pollutants from leaving the facility.

Spill prevention and emergency response: Containment systems and plans for fires, fuel spills, oil spills and other emergencies.

Cumulative impacts: The combined effect of air pollution, noise, vibration, lighting, traffic and industrial activity over the expected life of the facility.

Taken together, the research and Amtrak’s documented operating history provide ample reason for residents to be concerned about placing a large, 24/7 rail maintenance facility next to homes and Armour Square Park.

The potential effects on air quality, noise, vibration, stormwater, traffic, lighting, and spill and emergency risks all warrant careful consideration.