NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) — A new transit rail line that would run between Brooklyn and Queens is set to undergo a design and environmental review process, a step forward in providing rapid public transportation to underserved areas of New York City.
The MTA will release a request for proposals for preliminary engineering and design of the 14-mile Interborough Express project, or IBX, while at the same time embarking on the environmental review work with the federal government, MTA officials announced Tuesday during a press conference at the site of a future IBX station in Jackson Heights in Queens.
The $5.5 billion IBX project will provide light-rail service along an existing freight railway. About 60% of people who live along the route commute to jobs that are in Brooklyn and Queens, not Manhattan, Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief executive officer, said during the press conference. The aim is to reduce commuting time and offer better public transportation through lower-income neighborhoods where more than 50% of residents don’t own a car.