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The North Carolina Department of Transportation and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation have submitted the Southeast High Speed Rail Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) recommendation report to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

The document identifies the two states’ recommendations to the FRA for the preferred rail alternative for each of the 26 sections of the SEHSR corridor from Richmond, Va., to Raleigh, N.C. The 162-mile segment is part of the overall Washington, D.C.-to-Charlotte, N.C., corridor.

The recommendations are based on public, local government and agency comments received on the Draft EIS, which was published in May 2010 and presented to the public in a series of meetings. Other input includes an assessment of community and environmental impacts, issues regarding train operations and construction, as well as costs.

A draft of the recommendation report was issued in February 2012.

Once the report is approved by the FRA, the preferred alternatives will be presented in the Tier II Final EIS, which could be published in early 2013. Then, the FRA could issue a record of decision, and the North Carolina and Virginia transportation agencies would hold a second round of public hearings.