New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that consultant firm WSP USA, Inc. was chosen to perform the environmental review for Interborough Express, the Light Rail Transit project which would connect communities in Brooklyn and Queens to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.

"This marks a major milestone in this monumental project -- bringing us that much closer to connecting communities in Brooklyn and Queens while improving their quality of life," Governor Hochul said. "By building on already existing infrastructure, the Interborough Express will shave time off commutes and make it easier to connect to subway lines across the route." 

How the Interborough Express Works

The Interborough Express would use the existing right-of-way of the Bay Ridge Branch, which is a freight rail line that runs through Brooklyn and Queens, connecting ethnically and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.

The project would include several new connections in neighborhoods that currently lack efficient connections to each other, and in some cases, to Manhattan. 

According to the MTA’s Planning & Environmental Linkages Study, up to seven out of 10 people served will be from communities of color, approximately one-half will come from households with no cars, and approximately one-third will be living in households at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line. 

The Consultant will be directed by MTA Construction & Development. The environmental review will be closely coordinated with other transportation projects and regional studies. 

This contract will cover the period up to and including the issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) and wi include:  

• Further advancement of conceptual design and general planning support

• Preparation of the Scoping Information Packet   

• Preparation of the EIS  

• Support at EIS Public Hearings  

• Support for Preliminary Engineering and FTA CIG program application

Proposed 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.

Nineteen stations are planned along the 14-mile corridor between Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens.  

Public outreach will be ongoing throughout the project.