Governor Hochul Announces Interborough Express Advancing from Planning to Active Phase

Interborough Express Project To Begin This Summer With Focus on Light Rail System Design

Direct Connections Between Brooklyn and Queens Will Reduce Travel Times Up To 30 Minutes in Either Direction

Projected Annual Ridership of 48 Million Total Trips; Higher Than Any Other Light Rail Across the U.S.

B-Roll of the Interborough Express Route Available Here and Rendering of IBX Project Available Here

Governor Hochul today announced that the engineering and design phase of the Interborough Express (IBX) has commenced, the next step in the development of the transformative transit project. On Wednesday, the MTA Board authorized the selection of a joint venture between Jacobs and HDR as the team that will oversee the design and engineering phase of the IBX. This represents major progress for the project, which will connect historically underserved communities in Brooklyn and Queens to the subway, bus and Long Island Rail Road, while significantly reducing travel times between Brooklyn and Queens, with an end-to-end run time of 32 minutes along the 14-mile line. In April, Governor Hochul approved $2.75 billion in funding for the project as part of the historic 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan.

“Building the Interborough Express will transform New York, connecting communities like never before, shortening commutes and unleashing the full potential of Brooklyn and Queens,” Governor Hochul said. “The IBX is the sort of project that future generations will describe as a no-brainer, and thanks to funding we secured for the MTA's Capital Plan, we’re not just talking about it – we’re getting it done.”

The IBX will be a new transit option for close to 900,000 residents living in neighborhoods along the route, along with 260,000 people who work near the corridor in Brooklyn and Queens. It will create 19 stations and connect with 17 different subway lines — A, C, E, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 5, 7, B, D, F, M, J, Z and L trains — 50 bus routes and two LIRR stations. The project will be built along an existing, 14-mile freight line owned by the MTA LIRR and CSX Corp. that extends from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens. New York and Atlantic Railway currently operates freight rail on the corridor under a concession agreement on the LIRR branch.

The IBX will be the first new end-to-end rapid transit built entirely within New York City since the IND Crosstown Line, now called the G, fully opened in 1937. IBX stations built in Brooklyn will be the first transit stations built in the city’s most populous borough since the A line extended from Broadway Junction to Euclid Ave in 1948. IBX stations in Queens will be the first new transit stations built since the Archer Avenue extension of the E, J, and Z lines to Jamaica in 1988.

The IBX is the latest major transportation project that Governor Hochul has advanced. In May, Governor Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey broke ground on the first phase of the new Midtown Bus Terminal project. In January, Governor Hochul and the MTA commenced the nation’s first-ever congestion pricing program, which has successfully reduced traffic and increased economic activity in Manhattan. In July 2024, Governor Hochul secured a $6.88 billion federal grant agreement for the Gateway Development Commission to proceed with the Hudson Tunnel Project, improving rail service for over 200,000 daily riders.

In November 2023, Governor Hochul secured full funding for the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway to 125 St. In April 2023, Governor Hochul provided unprecedented state support to solve the MTA's post-pandemic fiscal cliff and chart a long-term sustainable and efficient future for the agency. In January 2023, Governor Hochul opened Grand Central Madison, bringing LIRR service to east Midtown, shortening commutes and increasing service for Long Island and Queens riders. In December 2022, Governor Hochul broke ground on the Penn Access project, which will bring Metro-North service to Penn Station and to previously unserved communities in the Bronx.

Design Progress

Project design will officially kick off this summer, focusing on light rail system design including: communications and signal design, vehicle design, track design, plus civil engineering efforts such as station design, bridge reconstruction and retaining wall design and design of the operations facility and storage yard. The design process is the last major step in the project before formal construction begins.

The project has undergone further refinement to ensure that it will provide the best service for passengers for the best value. In Middle Village, Queens, the MTA is progressing with the design of a tunnel solution beneath Metropolitan Avenue, rather than on-street operations, making the proposed line less prone to travel delays due to mixed traffic operations. This refinement has reduced projected running times of the new line from 39 minutes to 32 minutes and has increased ridership projections to 160,000 per day, up 50,000 from the MTA's prior estimate. IBX’s projected annual ridership is higher than the current ridership of any other light rail system in the country at 48 million riders — the next largest is Los Angeles at 46 million riders per year.

Light Rail was determined to offer the best service to riders at the best value to the MTA, with about 70 percent of projected IBX riders transferring within the MTA system. Station locations were selected based on public feedback, ridership projections, ability for riders to transfer to other parts of the MTA network, constructability, and spacing.

Funding

The project design phase will be principally funded through $45 million secured by Governor Hochul in New York State’s 2025 budget and the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan. An additional $15 million was awarded to the MTA by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, which will fund a corridor assessment in support of the design phase. USDOT has also provided $1 million to fund innovative finance expert services for the project. The total estimated cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with 50 percent of the total funding for the project secured by Governor Hochul in the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan.

Since 2023, the MTA has hosted ten open houses attended by nearly 1,000 community members along the route to raise awareness and gather feedback. The MTA also held pop-up outreach at 10 subway stations across the IBX corridor speaking with 1,300 members of the public and over 250 businesses. Every quarter, the MTA hosts a virtual community council on the project with elected officials, community groups and community boards.