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Dive Brief:
- New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will release the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed interborough express train later this year, a major step toward construction of the $5.5 billion light rail line, according to a Sept. 9 news release.
- The rail line between New York City’s Brooklyn and Queens boroughs will connect with 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road, bringing rail transit to historically underserved communities in both boroughs.
- The project is in the design and engineering phase, which will continue through 2027. MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber said last year that construction would take about five years. The completion date will depend on design and financing details, according to the MTA.
Diving knowledge:
Light rail lines operate in cities like Seattle, Denver and Dallas, but the interborough express will be the MTA’s first. Light rail “represents a cost-effective and buildable project mode,” according to New York State’s 2025 scoping document.
The line will be built alongside an existing 14-mile-long freight rail route on new tracks, according to the MTA. The transit authority projects 160,000 daily users when the IBX goes into service.
The project is funded in part by $2.75 billion in the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan and $45 million in New York’s fiscal year 2026 state budget. The MTA will explore federal funding, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told amNY last week. Otherwise, the state could step in, he said.
All IBX stations will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, and the transit authority will focus on accessibility projects at four non-accessible subway stations that will connect to the Interborough Expressway. “I’m thrilled that the long-awaited IBX is not only moving forward, but that existing stations are being prioritized to improve accessibility,” New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez said in a statement.
The IBX will be the first new end-to-end rapid transit line built entirely in New York City since 1937, according to the MTA.
