MTA: Light rail will be most cost-effective for Interborough Express project
NEW YORK -- The MTA held a town hall on the Interborough Express project, or IBX, on Wednesday.
It's expected to shorten travel time between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and Jackson Heights, Queens.
The transit authority has decided that light rail will be the most cost-effective.
Officials say it will use a freight rail line that's currently underused, passing through 20 neighborhoods and connecting to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.
- Related story: Queens residents say Interborough Express would offer much needed option for commuting to Brooklyn
"The running time noted here is 39 minutes and very few people would ride all the way," said Michael J. Shiffer, Senior Vice President of MTA Regional Planning. "You're riding intermediately through various parts of the line connecting the subway lines and buses."
The project will require a budget of $5.5 billion.
It's still very early in the process.
