New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced that the engineering and design phase of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Interborough Express (IBX) has commenced, which is the next step in the development of the transformative transit project.

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 partnership 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.”

IBX Project to Bring First New NYC Transit Line in Decades

According to an agency release, the IBX will be a new transit option for close to 900,000 residents living in neighborhoods along the route and 260,000 people who work near the corridor in Brooklyn and Queens. It will create 19 stations and connect with 17 different subway lines, 50 bus routes, and two LIRR stations.

The project will be built along a 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.

Advancing Transformative Transit Projects Across New York

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.

“The IBX is a life-changer for millions,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “It’s about time Brooklyn and Queens residents could move directly between our two most populous boroughs – for jobs, education, recreation, and everything else. I want to thank Governor Hochul and our partners in Albany and Washington for their support in getting this project off the ground.” 

In January, Governor Hochul and the MTA commenced the nation’s first-ever congestion pricing program, successfully reducing traffic and increasing 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. 

Plus, Governor Hochul has advanced major transit initiatives across New York, including securing funding for the Second Avenue Subway extension in November 2023, opening Grand Central Madison in January 2023, launching the Penn Access project in December 2022, and securing long-term support for the MTA.

Interborough Express Design Phase Begins

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, 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 Interborough Express will transform mobility in New York’s two largest boroughs with fast, reliable, frequent public transit,” MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said. “I look forward to getting the design process underway and continuing the MTA’s track record of completing projects better, faster, and cheaper than ever before.” 

In Middle Village, Queens, the MTA is progressing with designing 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.