The RTD Northwest Rail project is currently in the environmental planning and preliminary engineering phase. The Northwest Rail Environmental Evaluation is an environmental study that RTD is preparing by following the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  It will identify the community and environmental impacts that may result from the construction and implementation of commuter rail passenger service along the BNSF Railway line and recommend ways of lessening them.

RTD will conduct community outreach and involvement throughout the environmental study to collect input on its findings and recommendations. After the release of the Draft Environmental Evaluation, RTD will hold Public Hearings to collect comments on the study, including the proposed mitigation measures. RTD will then develop the Final Environmental Evaluation for submittal to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency for the study. At that time, RTD will request a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will then prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA), which will serve as the decision document for the environmental study. A FONSI by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would allow the project to move forward into the final design and construction phase.