MTA opens comments for Interborough Express
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The MTA is looking for public input on its very early and undefined plan for the Interborough Express. Photo via MTA
By Rachel Vick
Though the specifics remain as vague as an announcement over a subway car intercom, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is moving forward with a proposal to directly connect Jackson Heights to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The agency held a town hall Thursday night to inform community members about the plan to build a new transit line dubbed the Interborough Express and ask for their input on the best options — from the type of transit option, to the best places for stations.
“I’m glad to have a chance to emphasize how much of an opportunity the Interborough Express presents for New Yorkers,” said President of MTA Construction and Development Jamie Torres-Springer. “All walks of life would benefit from shorter trip times and better connections.”
“There's more to public transit than getting people to and from Manhattan,” he added.
Torres-Springer explained that part of the reasoning behind moving forward with the project is to reflect public transportation needs where population growth has outpaced infrastructure, leaving many riders underserved. More than half of the workers along the line use trains to commute between the boroughs, he said.
Initial options for transit were narrowed down to three due the logistical and technological constraints of building alongside the working freight line. Light rail — similar to a tram — commuter rail or bus rapid transit are options, each with varying travel times and rider capacity.
A feasibility study requested by Governor Kathy Hochul — who greenlit the version of cross-borough transit in January — projected light rail to have the highest opportunity for ridership and the shortest run time.
“Infrastructure is all about connection, and with the Interborough Express we can connect people to their family and friends while also improving their quality of life,” Hochul said in January. “The Interborough Express will connect Brooklyn and Queens, not only shaving time off commutes but also making it easier to connect to subway lines across the route.”
Construction is likely at least two years out, according to MTA Senior Vice President of Regional Planning Michael Shiffer.
Shiffer explained that using existing infrastructure will allow the project to be completed quicker and cheaper, but the environmental review and cost projections will need to wait until the decision between the three is finalized.
“Part of the reason we are looking at this specific line is to mitigate [cost] to the best of our ability,” Shiffer said. “In the meantime part of why we've come to the public is… about what they see as the opportunities of this line and constraints.”
Once constructed, IBX would serve the 900,000 residents of the neighborhoods along the route and connect to more than a dozen subway lines. It would also eliminate the need to travel through Manhattan to get to Brooklyn, cutting travel time down 40 minutes end-to-end.
It would intersect areas where 71 percent of the residents are people of color and 33 percent are below 1.5 times the federal poverty line, according to the feasibility study.
Attendees were unable to speak, but they submitted dozens of questions about the specifics of the project. Among the frequent concerns were disruption to the neighborhoods, cost for ridership and the undetermined timeline.
The fares will be determined by the MTA Board upon completion, but officials explained that they expect the system to be fully integrated with the subway and whatever iteration of OMNY is in place at the time.
Service would operate at up to five-minute headways during the peak periods, with off-peak headways of up to 10 minutes at other times of the day.
Those interested in sharing their thoughts on locations for stations or type of transit can submit them at new.mta.info/ibx.
