Queens residents were privy to a first look at the initial plans for the Interborough Express (IBX), NYC’s upcoming light rail that will connect Brooklyn and Queens, at MTA’s first public open house on the project.
IBX overview
The light rail will span 14 miles across existing tracks, connecting 17 subway lines, the Long Island Railroad and more than 50 bus routes. The breakthrough transit project will finally improve mobility between the two most populated boroughs of NYC: Brooklyn and Queens.
IBX will ultimately eliminate riders needing to pass through Manhattan just to travel between Brooklyn and Queens. Ridership on the IBX is projected to reach 115,000 daily riders on weekdays alone.
IBX route
The light rail with travel between southern and eastern Brooklyn and central Queens between 19 proposed stations. These neighborhoods include: Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, in addition to communities that don’t currently have a rail station.
IBX fare
Fare to ride the IBX will be determined at a later date by the MTA Board upon implementation.
IBX impact
The construction of the IBX will impact the 900,000 residents and 260,000 workers within ½-mile of the line. Of those nearly one million residents, more than 55% of Brooklyn residents in the corridor work in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, 40% of Queens residents in the corridor work in Queens. The IBX will grant these residents more equity and connection on there day-to-day commute, while reducing road congestion.
We asked ChatGPT to generate an AI image of what the Interborough Borough Express could look like and this is what it came up with.
IBX status
Sources say MTA is currently looking to select an engineering firm for the project. However, the IBX will depend on proper funding and the MTA’s proposed 2025-2029 capital plan has yet to receive approval. Project executive for the MTA, Charlie Gans, expressed that they are focused on the capital program and hoping all goes to plan. If so, “we can basically take off like a rocket,” he remarked.
The next open house will be held in Brooklyn on April 3rd, 2025 at South Shore High School.