NYC Interborough Express enters design phase for Brooklyn-Queens light rail
The Interborough Express, New York City's first light rail system which would link Brooklyn and Queens, is another step closer to becoming a reality.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday the project to build the nation's busiest light rail system has entered the engineering and design phase.
The future of mass transit in Brooklyn and Queens
Renderings provide a glimpse into the future of transit between two of New York's most-populated, yet underserved communities.
"A clean, fast, 14-mile light rail line. A connection between Brooklyn and Queens like never before. We're calling it the Interborough Express, IBX," Hochul said.
The plan has been discussed for more than 30 years. But it's now moving into the next phase.
"This means a lot of planning is going to occur. Looking at the stations, tracks, vehicles, signals, so we can get shovels in the ground and make this become a reality," the governor said.
Hochul approved $2.75 billion in funding for the project back in April. It's aimed at reducing the travel time between Brooklyn and Queens to 32 minutes for more than 1 million New Yorkers and other commuters.
"One of the things I love best about this project is that we get to get more transit out of the infrastructure we have," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.
New rail line would link Sunset Park to Jackson Heights
The IBX light rail would extend from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens, with a total of 19 new stations connecting to 17 subway lines.
They would be the first new transit stations in Brooklyn since 1948 and Queens since 1988.
The MTA is now coming up with an underground design for Metropolitan Avenue in Queens to, hopefully, make the area less prone to delays.
"I think it would be great because the commute sometimes gets a little busy," Louisa Brenya, of Queens, said.
Diana Arboleda, of Jackson Heights, is all too familiar with the current lengthy and inconvenient ways to get to Brooklyn from her home.
"It's a hassle," she said.
"This would help me a lot because the commute is time consuming," Kasheen Buckner, of Brooklyn, said.
IBX is expected to become the busiest light rail system in the country, with 48 million riders annually.