No to the Amtrak Rail Yard

Recently Amtrak announced plans to revive the defunct Canal Street Yard. For over a decade that yard has had minimum trains and underpasses left to decay by Union-Pacific. Amtrak and federal agencies are using a Categorical Exclusion—a federal legal loophole— to bypass assessing the environmental impact and fast-track the inactive rail yard into a 24/7 heavy industrial hub.

Many in the communities that touch this rail yard had hopes they would fix the decaying infrastructure or eventually the rail yard which stretches almost the entire length of the two community areas would become something new. For instance the picture at the top of this page is of Palmisano Park. It once was an open quarry in the middle of Bridgeport. It is now a beautiful 26 acre park with a little pond for fishing, bouldering rocks, a large natural prairie, and a place for neighbors to enjoy year round.

The hope of BA, and many neighbors was that maybe this decaying industrial rail yard could become something for all neighbors to enjoy. And if not that, at least some more housing for our communities. However a new rail yard is not beneficial to any community member, the environmental impact of rail yards is known to be harmful to all who live, work, play, and attend school near them. Within a mile of this rail yard is 17 elementary schools, 8 senior living facilities, and 10 day care/after school centers.