A study’s proposals to move trains carrying hazardous materials away from the nation’s capital elicited protests from Maryland lawmakers.
The National Capital Planning Commission on Wednesday proposed three alternative routes they say will help eliminate potential for train-related terrorist attacks, create development along the Anacostia River and improve passenger travel in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.
Seven miles of freight rail service runs through the heart of D.C., past iconic American memorials, the U.S.Capitol and an estimated 100,000 federal employees, posing a serious security risk.
One alternative would include building a new eight-mile tunnel through the District from the Potomac Yard in Alexandria to the Maryland border east of the Anacostia River.
That proposal would cost about $5.3 billion. Two options, which would cost about $4.5 billion, would run through Prince George’s and Charles counties.
Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., opposed the Maryland routes because they would place a disproportionate burden on his constituents’ health.
“Rerouting freight trains carrying hazardous materials through low-income and minority areas makes this an environmental justice issue,” he said.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he opposed any plan that would only shift the risk to other parts of the region or that would come at the expense of the communities along the alternative routes.
Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson’s chief of staff, Michael Herman, said the Maryland routes would quadruple rail traffic there and put lives at risk.
