The MTA is taking the first step toward building the Brooklyn-Queens light-rail service known as the Interborough Express, with officials announcing Tuesday they are seeking contractors to do the initial design work on the project.
“It makes no sense that the 5 million people who live in Brooklyn and Queens have to go to Manhattan on the subway to reach the other borough,” MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said Tuesday at a press event in Jackson Heights — the proposed route’s northern terminus.
The proposed light rail would run via an existing but rarely used right-of-way for freight trains that connects Queens to the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. The Interborough Express, or IBX, would have 19 passenger stations and connect to 17 of the city’s 25 subway lines.
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A map provided by the New York City Mayor’s Office shows the proposed light-rail system’s route between Brooklyn and Queens.
“If you live on these lines, today’s a good day for you,” said Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA’s head of construction and development.
MTA officials also announced Tuesday that the line would not involve “street-running” in Queens, as in running on busy streets — perhaps the light-rail line’s most contentious issue.
Instead, the IBX will follow the route of the existing freight line and run through a tunnel under the All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village — a plan that will either require the widening of the existing freight tunnel to meet federal passenger-rail standards, or else necessitate the building of an additional tube under the cemetery.
“It’s a huge deal. It means this is going to be a dedicated right-of-way throughout the 14-mile [line],” Torres-Springer said. “We can run faster — that means more trains, it means more passengers.”
The contract announced Tuesday is for the project’s preliminary engineering and design phase — a task that is expected to take about two years and cost about $67 million.
The bulk of that money will come directly from the 2025 New York State budget. Gov. Hochul, a longtime IBX champion, made the project the centerpiece of her transit budget, earmarking $52 million in state funding toward its design and engineering work.
Soon after the MTA stopped issuing new capital construction contracts following Hochul’s decision to pause congestion pricing for Manhattan, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer drummed up $15 million in federal funding to cover the difference in the IBX’s preliminary engineering price tag.
The MTA is seeking an additional $2.75 billion toward the project in its 2025-29 capital budget. The full IBX project is expected to cost $5.5 billion.
