Hey Queens and Brooklyn residents: The plan for a direct train link from Brooklyn to Queens — known as the Interborough Express (IBX) — became closer to a sure thing Wednesday when the MTA announced a board-approved design contract.
The MTA board voted at its monthly meeting on July 30 to approve the full design of the proposed rail line, which will connect Queens commuters to the Brooklyn waterfront in Bay Ridge, all while bypassing Manhattan.
Specifically, board members approved a nearly $166 million design contract with Jacobs and HDR. Total IBX construction is expected to cost $5.5 billion.
The contract will include a “comprehensive scope of work.” Engineers will conduct surveys, geotechnical and environmental investigations, and structure inspections, among other tasks, to advance the design.
Engineers will also assist in third-party negotiations and public outreach, MTA officials said.
“The joint venture was selected because of its strong leadership team, thoughtful management approach, its comprehensive understanding of corridor constraints, and its extensive experience performing the work of comparable magnitude and complexity,” explained Charles Gantz, project executive for the IBX.
How will the MTA create the IBX?
Plans for the IBX include turning existing infrastructure – notably a freight rail line that gets one to two trains a day – into a light-rail line that will serve about 200,000 passengers.
The entire 14-mile route would likely take about 40 minutes. It will also connect to 17 subway lines, adding more travel options for New Yorkers who live in transportation deserts with minimal train availability.
“A complete change of mobility and access for so many people,” MTA chair and president Janno Lieber said. “This is a huge deal. The IBX is going to change people’s lives and folks are understandably psyched about it.”
The IBX will start at Roosevelt Avenue in Queens and feature 19 stops along the way to the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The entire route will bypass Manhattan, and head into neighborhoods including Jackson Heights, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Midwood, East Flatbush, East New York, Brownsville, among others before the final stop at the army terminal.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has championed the project for the state-run MTA since she took office in 2021.
“She has been pushing it forward every step of the way and making sure we had the resources to advance it,” Lieber said.
The project will be funded through investments made for expansion within the MTA’s approved $68.4 billion 2025-2029 capital plan.
