Gov. Hochul wants MTA to pursue Interborough Express concept

A proposed project to utilize existing rail right-of-way to provide a passenger rail connection for residents in Brooklyn and Queens will begin the environmental review process.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin the process after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul included the project as part of her 2022 State of the State address.

The Bay Ridge Branch is owned by Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), but hosts freight traffic under an agreement with the New York & Atlantic Railway. The 14-mile Interborough Express would connect Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, which the governor’s office describes as ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods.

"It's time to invest in the bold, cutting-edge infrastructure projects that will make a real difference in the lives of everyday New Yorkers," Gov. Hochul said. "New Yorkers deserve reliable public transit that connects them from work to home and everywhere in between. The Interborough Express would be a transformational addition to Brooklyn and Queens, cutting down on travel time and helping neighborhoods and communities become cleaner, greener and more equitable."

The communities are not currently served by rail transit and with 57 percent of Brooklyn households and 36 percent of Queens households not owning cars, there are more than 100,000 daily trips made in the area on buses. The governor’s office says a rail connection would provide end-to-end travel times of less than 40 minutes providing “significant time savings for interborough Brooklyn and Queens trips compared with existing transit options.”

The governor’s office explains subway lines in the neighborhoods are oriented to move riders to Manhattan, making neighborhood to neighborhood crossings slow and tedious. The project would create better links for travel to and from Manhattan by connecting communities with up to 17 subway and LIRR, as well as key connections among neighborhoods, across boroughs and opening up new opportunities for reverse commuting into Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

"This project would smartly repurpose existing infrastructure to add mass transit and create access to jobs, education and opportunity for so many residents of Queens and Brooklyn," said MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "I applaud Governor Hochul's leadership, and we are enthusiastic to work with her and federal and state partners to advance the Interborough concept."

Additionally, Gov. Hochul directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to complete an environmental review for the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel as the existing Bay Ridge Branch corridor can service cross harbor rail freight and would dramatically reduce truck congestion regionally and expand goods movement facilities, thereby fortifying supply chains still struggling to recover from the pandemic.

The governor’s office says transportation planners believe that cross harbor rail freight and passenger service on the Interborough Express can work together in concert, which could be a game-changer for the region.