NYCT Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility)

Project Description

The purpose of the New York City Transit (NYCT) Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility project is to provide NYCT with a facility to inspect and accept newly purchased railcars, prior to their entry into revenue service. NYCT currently has no such facility within the system and must rely on off-site inspections completed when taking possession from the railcar supplier. NYCT will upgrade rail lines at the site, located in Brooklyn, NY, and construct an enclosed receiving facility, allowing railcars to flow through. PCA performed air quality, noise and vibration assessments in support of the Environmental Due Diligence Assessment (EDDA) report and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), following SEQRA and CEQR guidelines, as applicable.

Since the proposed facility is located within Brooklyn, PCA performed operational and construction-related air quality assessments following CEQR Technical Manual guidelines. The facility will include a permanent structure and a new HVAC system to provide heating and cooling; therefore, PCA performed HVAC emissions screening using CEQR nomographs. Results of the HVAC screening indicated no potential for significant air quality impact, and a detailed dispersion analysis was not warranted. The project’s emergency generator also screened out since it was exempt from requiring an air quality permit from NYSDEC, pursuant to 6 NYCRR201-3.2. Further, mobile sources of air quality screened out, since the project would generate a small number of tractor trailers per night, during a few overnight periods per month to transport rail cars received at Bush Terminal for transport to the proposed facility. Additionally, a battery-operated rail car mover, with no associated emissions, would be used to move the new rail cars throughout the site.

Construction of the proposed project is expected to occur over approximately 26 months, require heavy construction equipment, and is located adjacent to a densely populated area with residences, schools, recreational areas, as well as commercial/industrial establishments; therefore, PCA performed a quantitative air quality assessment following CEQR Technical Manual guidelines. USEPA’s NONROAD2008a model was used to develop emissions for various pieces of construction equipment. Subsequently, USEPA’s AERMOD dispersion model was used to evaluate pollutant concentrations at receptor locations for comparison to applicable standards. No construction-related air quality impacts were predicted related to on-site emissions.

PCA documented existing noise and vibration levels in two locations within the existing abandoned rail yard. Since the facility is anticipated to operate five days per week with approximately three shifts per day, covering 24-hour periods, minimum noise levels were identified for hours of noise sensitivity. The proposed project is subject to SEQRA; therefore, the noise assessment was performed in general accordance with the NYSDEC guidance document, Assessing and Mitigating Noise Impacts, DEP-001-1, revised February 2, 2001. Operational noise was assessed based on three noise sources: 1) movement of new rail cars on existing tracks from the Brooklyn Marina to the Rail Acceptance and Testing Facility, 2) inspections within the Rail Acceptance and Testing Facility, and 3) noise associated with mechanical equipment on the facility rooftop. Supportive acoustic calculations demonstrated no operational noise impacts anticipated. Also, activities associated with inspection and testing at the proposed facility would not generate vibration; therefore, no ground-borne operational vibration impacts were anticipated as a result of the proposed project.

Due to the long-term construction duration of the project, a construction-related noise impact assessment was performed to ensure compliance with the New York City Noise Control Code (as amended by Local Law 113 of 2005). The construction-related noise impact assessment was performed using the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Roadway Construction Noise Model (RCNM). In the absence of City vibration requirements, a construction vibration assessment was performed using the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, (September 2018), FTA Report No. 0123. The vibration assessment evaluated the potential for construction-induced structural damage as well as annoyance from feelable vibrations. Five construction scenarios with the greatest potential to impact the surrounding community were assessed. Due to predicted construction-related noise and vibration impacts, both noise and vibration mitigation measures were recommended.