IBX Stop by Stop: Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn

amNewYork’s ride on the planned IBX is still deep into Brooklyn, with the next stop letting us off in a community that thrives with diverse culture, academics, shopping and more to enjoy in Flatbush and Midwood.

The proposed stop for the IBX (formally called the Interborough Express) in Flatbush would link to the 2 and 5 trains at Flatbush Ave-Nostrand Ave., a major transit center flanked by Brooklyn College, a retail corridor that attracts shoppers from around the borough, and housing that ranges from multi-story apartment buildings to eye-catching Victorian houses that sit on tree-lined streets.

The MTA is still deciding on the exact location for many of the 19 planned stops for the IBX, but Flatbush Ave.-Nostrand Ave. is the likely spot for Flatbush. The total estimated cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with about half of the total funding for the project secured in the MTA’s 2025-2029 capital plan.

While the IBX is still in its early phases, the MTA celebrated two milestones for the project this year, including its entry into the design phase on July 30, followed by the start of environmental reviews on Oct. 15.

“The IBX project will finally give Brooklyn and Queens the fast, reliable transit connection they deserve, and we’re ready to complete it faster, better and cheaper,” said Jamie Torres-Springer, MTA’s construction and development president. “We look forward to putting shovels in the ground on this transformational project and sharing our ideas with customers.”

Gems of Flatbush

The IBX promises a commute through Brooklyn and Queens that will take around 33 minutes, the MTA maintains. If the agency builds a stop at Flatbush Ave.-Nostrand Ave., passengers will have a smooth ride to work, home, and school, as well as shopping and dining options.

Among the notable points of interest in Flatbush:

Brooklyn College

With a sprawling, 35-acre campus set in both Flatbush and Midwood, Brooklyn College is located just blocks from the 2 and 5 trains. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 edition of Best Colleges, this campus of the City University of New York is ranked #38 in Regional Universities North.

Entranceway of Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

amNewYork encountered a man walking by the school on a recent weekend. He had not heard about the IBX, but said the idea of a train connecting Brooklyn and Queens would “really help” his commute.

“I travel, like, almost everyday from the subway. As a student, this will really help,” he said.

Retail shopping

Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues are packed with both big-box and small shops that make it worth a subway or IBX ride. According to the Flabush Junction BID, around 350,000 people live within a 1.5-mile radius of the intersection that spend around $3 billion a year on goods and services. The popular commercial corridor is home to stores and restaurants including Target, Applebee’s, Foot Locker and Aldi.

A busy retail center located near a planned IBX stop in Flatbush.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

Located where three major thoroughfares converge — Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues and Avenue H — the shopping sits at a transfer point for 2 and 5 trains, seven bus lines and, as the MTA would have it, the IBX.

Victorian homes of Midwood

Midwood, a beautiful neighborhood dotted with large single-family, historic homes, is near the planned Flatbush stop.

Houses in Midwood located near Brooklyn College.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

MTA responds to New Yorkers’ concerns

Many outer-borough residents are looking forward to the arrival of the IBX, which the MTA has said will revolutionize transit across Brooklyn and Queens. However, many New Yorkers have also expressed significant concerns about the massive, multi-billion-dollar project.

Queens residents have shed light during community meetings on the potential disruptions of construction noise and vibration, the possibility of the MTA implementing eminent domain in some areas along the route, and the risk of losing neighborhood character.

Christina Wilkinson, secretary of the Juniper Park Civic Association in Queens, discussed the impact of construction on neighborhoods along the route during the December meeting of Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET). She said even if the MTA eliminated some planned stops for the train, the impact would still be widespread

“When you say, ‘let’s compromise and tell them to skip Grand Avenue,’ you’re still doing with all of this construction, which, if it does move forward, is going to be devastating,” she said. “I don’t see how there isn’t widespread condemnation of property and nonstop construction for how many years.”

Meanwhile, Janno Lieber, MTA chair and CEO, said at an unrelated press conference on Dec. 1 that “the project is well underway.”

“We understand there will always be people who have different views, and we’re going to hear them out,” he said. “But the project is well underway, and the governor is leading the way.”

Previous IBX Stop by Stop stories

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Maspeth has small-town charm in America’s most crowded city

The proposed light rail rolls through Middle Village near a ‘crown jewel’ of Queens parks

NYC’s proposed light rail to roll under hallowed ground in Middle Village

Light rail would bring New Yorkers into trendy Glendale and Ridgewood

A ride through Bushwick, an oasis of art, quirky bars, community spaces and a hipster vibe

East New York could be in for real estate boom when light rail line arrives at Atlantic Avenue

Proposed light rail brings New Yorkers into historic East New York at Sutter Avenue

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Light-rail’s Canarsie stop ushers in new era for transit-starved neighborhood

MTA’s planned light rail is a short ride to a shopper’s paradise near Brooklyn’s Utica Avenue