The Interborough Express (IBX) is a proposed 14-mile (22.5 km) 24/7 light rail line in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. As proposed, the line would operate on its own separate tracks within the existing

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

from the

Bay Ridge Branch The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway in New York City. It is the longest freight-only line of the LIRR, connecting the Montauk Branch and CSX Transpor ...

and

Fremont Secondary The New York Connecting Railroad or NYCR is a rail line in the borough of Queens in New York City. It links New York City and Long Island by rail directly to the North American mainland. Amtrak, CSX, Canadian Pacific Railway, Providence ...

to connect

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights to the east, the Narrows and the Belt Parkway to the west, and Fort Hamilton Army Base ...

and Jackson Heights, Queens. Near the

All Faiths Cemetery The All Faiths Cemetery is located in Middle Village, Queens, New York. The 225-acre (91 ha) cemetery was established in 1850 by Lutheran pastor Frederick W. Geissenhainer, and incorporated in 1852. Originally named Lutheran Cemetery, it was rena ...

in Queens, IBX would operate on the street. the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in t ...

(MTA) estimated that the project would be operational in 2027.

History

The

Regional Plan Association The Regional Plan Association is an independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization, founded in 1922, that focuses on recommendations to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of a 31-county New York–New Jersey– ...

originally proposed the

Triboro RX Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, and throughout the subway's history, various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. The first major expansion of the subway sy ...

along this route in 1996 and again in 2012. In mid-October 2019, the MTA announced that it would study the feasibility of restoring passenger service on the Bay Ridge Branch portion of the route. On January 23, 2020, the MTA Board awarded a $1.3 million contract to study the feasibility of restoring passenger service to this section to AECOM. In November 2021, Acting MTA Chairman and CEO

Janno Lieber The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in the U ...

said that money from

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and originally in the House as the INVEST in America ActH.R. 3684, is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congres ...

could be used to fund the completion of the Bay Ridge Branch project. In early January 2022, as part of her

State of the State address The State of the State Address is a speech customarily given once each year by the governors of each of the states of the United States, although the terminology for this speech differs for some states: in Iowa, the speech is called the Condition of ...

, New York governor

Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; née Courtney; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician serving as the 57th governor of New York since August 24, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she is New York's first female governor, as well as the firs ...

announced that the state would move forward with the Bay Ridge Branch Line by conducting an environmental study on the IBX. The study would consider whether the line should be heavy rail (

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

regional rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster ser ...

), light rail, or

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

. A feasibility study was also completed on January 20, 2022.Interborough Express (IBX)—Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis, Interim Report
MTA, January 2022 Governor Hochul also announced that she had directed the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...

to complete an environmental review for the

Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel The Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel (also known as the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel) is a proposed freight rail transport tunnel under Upper New York Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey between northeastern New Jersey and Long Island, inc ...

for freight. Hochul announced in her January 2023 address that the project would proceed as a light rail corridor. According to the

(MTA), the route had to run along Metropolitan Avenue and 69th Street in

Middle Village, Queens Middle Village is a mainly residential neighborhood in the central section of the borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and the for ...

, to avoid a narrow tunnel under

; the cemetery's superintendent said in early 2024 that the MTA had never contacted the cemetery. Virtual

town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...

s for the IBX began in August 2023, followed by in-person town halls that November. At the time, the MTA expected that the project would be finished in 2027 at a cost of $5.5 billion. In her 2024 State of the State address, Kathy Hochul announced that formal design and engineering work would begin later in the year.

Description

The IBX is planned to be built as a light rail line. Reasons for the light rail choice include faster service, easier construction—mostly fitting in existing right of way with a short on street segment, availability of off-the-shelf rolling stock and a lower overall cost, estimated at $5.5 billion, or about $48,000 per expected daily rider. Proposed headway would be 5 minutes peak and 10 minutes at other times. Freight use would continue, requiring separated tracks. End-to-end travel times are expected to be 40 minutes, and weekday ridership is initially projected to be 115,000. The route would connect up to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.

Preliminary stations

As of 2023, the preliminary stations are:

Brooklyn Army Terminal The Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) is a large warehouse complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City. The site occupies more than between 58th and 63rd Streets west of Second Avenue, on Brooklyn's western shore. The complex was originally u ...

, 4th Avenue, 8th Avenue, New Utrecht Avenue,

McDonald Avenue McDonald Avenue is a north-south street in Brooklyn, New York City. The avenue runs about between the intersection of 86th Street and Shell Road in Gravesend, north to 20th Street and 10th Avenue in Windsor Terrace. It runs underneath the New York ...

, East 16th Street, Flatbush Avenue-Nostrand Avenue, Utica Avenue, Remsen Avenue,

Linden Boulevard Linden Boulevard is a boulevard in New York City. It starts off at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn as a one-way street to Caton Avenue, where it becomes a two-way boulevard, and stretches through both Brooklyn and Queens. This boulevard, especi ...

, Livonia Avenue, Sutter Avenue,

Atlantic Avenue Atlantic Avenue may refer to: Highways * Atlantic Avenue (Boston) in Massachusetts * Atlantic Avenue (New York City) in Brooklyn and Queens, New York * Florida State Road 806 in Palm Beach County, locally known as Atlantic Avenue * Atlantic Avenue ...

Wilson Avenue Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender *Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Rodr ...

, Myrtle Avenue,

Metropolitan Avenue Metropolitan Avenue is a major east-west street in Queens and northern Brooklyn, New York City. Its western end is at the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the eastern end at Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The avenue was constructe ...

, Eliot Avenue, Grand Avenue, and

Roosevelt Avenue Roosevelt Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue are main thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. West of Queens Boulevard, the r ...

References

External links

MTA Interborough Express Website
{{Transportation in New York City, state=autocollapse 2027 in rail transport Light rail in New York City Proposed railway lines in New York (state) Proposed public transportation in New York City Railroads on Long Island

History

Description

Preliminary stations

See also

References

External links