Three years after Governor Kathy Hochul kickstarted the state’s effort to build a 14-mile light rail connecting Queens and Brooklyn, the Interborough Express was officially moved from the planning to the design and engineering phase.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the next stage of the $5.5 billion project on Friday, several days after the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board approved a $165.9 million contract for two engineering and design firms to guide the project along.
While the IBX won’t be pulling into stations in Queens and Brooklyn anytime in the immediate future, the state has already committed to funding half of the ambitious project. The MTA set aside $2.75 billion for the IBX in its 2025-2029 capital plan, which features few other expansion projects like the rail line…