MTA Moves Forward With New Brooklyn–Queens Rail Line

Yisroel R.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is moving ahead with plans for the Interborough Express, a major new rail line that would connect Brooklyn and Queens and improve travel between the two boroughs.

The project, known as the IBX, is expected to serve more than 160,000 riders each weekday and would link up with multiple subway lines, bus routes, and the Long Island Rail Road. This project would be the first entirely new rail line in New York City since World War II and the largest transit expansion effort by the MTA in more than 50 years.

In honor of Earth Day, the MTA highlighted the project’s potential environmental benefits, saying the line could reduce passenger car travel by about 21.8 million miles per year and cut thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Officials say the goal of the project is not only to improve travel times but also to reduce reliance on cars and ease traffic congestion across the city. Transportation remains the largest source of pollution in the United States, with most coming from passenger vehicles.

The project is currently in the design phase, which is expected to take about two years. As part of the next step, the MTA will host a series of public workshops across Brooklyn and Queens this spring, giving residents a chance to learn about the project and share feedback as planning continues.