Amtrak’s new maintenance facility in Bridgeport will undergo a federal environmental review after community pushback over the project initially being allowed to move forward without one, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.The agency’s dashboard for the project lists Oct. 8 as the s tart date of the environmental review, which it also said is expected to be complete by year's end.The review will trigger a 30-day public comment period, and the federal agency said it will hold at least two public meetings on the project, though details on those have yet to be released.Amtrak initially had received more than $600 million and a “categorical exclusion” from the federal government for the project, which allowed it to move forward without a full environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement “unless there are extraordinary circumstances.”But the federal agency changed its tune after Amtrak said it planned to use some of the funds for the $915 million project to repair 17 viaducts “supporting the Canal Street Yard.”“After reviewing this modified project scope, FRA has decided to prepare an environmental assessment, through a process that will include public comment, for the Proposed Action,” the agency said on its website for the project.It comes after months of public outcry from local residents who worry the new facility could pose health hazards and generate smells and sounds that could tank property values. An initial review from the FRA determined the project would have a minimal noise, air quality and groundwater impact on the surrounding community.Also behind neighbors' ire: The move comes hand-in-hand with potential future White Sox owner Justin Ishbia’s companies helping to finance Amtrak’s move while purchasing the existing rail facility, which it wants to develop as a site for a proposed new stadium for the South Side team. Related What to know about the Chicago White Sox stadium proposal City Council grills Amtrak over proposed Bridgeport rail yard Bridgeport, Chinatown residents tell us what they think about Amtrak rail yard development plans In a joint statement Monday, Ishbia’s company, Canal Edge, and Amtrak said they welcomed the “opportunity for additional review, dialogue and feedback.”“We believe a deeper public review process will better help stakeholders understand the need for a new facility and associated viaduct repair work as well as the environmental impact of the project,” the companies said.Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), whose ward encompasses the proposed maintenance facility, said a 24/7 rail maintenance operation in the middle of a residential neighborhood “should have been an immediate nonstarter,” and that the fight against the new railyard would continue. Both of the state's U.S. senators, Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, called for transparency for the environmental review, but applauded the move as progress.“We should not have had to scream, fight and pound on the doors of power just to get the basic transparency about the environmental effects this plan could have on our residents,” Lee said in a statement. “No matter what this environmental study produces, our concerns about noise pollution, economic impact and other issues remain unaddressed.”Hannah Dembosky, founder of the Bridgeport Environmentalists, said she and other residents are still pushing for a more detailed Environmental Impact Statement. Demobosky is concerned the Trump administration’s history of flouting environmental concerns will carry through the Amtrak project’s two-month assessment.She said she hopes for an independent review of the findings. The Rail Passengers Association, a rail travel advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., said it plans such a review, in addition to conducting its own community survey.“I am concerned that under the Trump administration, this environmental assessment could just be used to silence community members if it's done behind closed doors,” said Dembosky, a Bridgeport resident. “Having this next to so many homes, residences and schools, it'll be important to have detailed and accurate information.” Hannah Dembosky, of Bridgeport Environmentalists, speaks at a news conference outside Rate Field on the South Side last month. Speakers at that news conference decried the proposed plan to move the White Sox out of Bridgeport and build an Amtrak maintenance facility there.Violet Miller/Sun-Times ...read more read less