Interborough Express (IBX)
Summary
The Interborough Express is a transformative rapid transit project that would connect currently underserved areas of Brooklyn and Queens. It would substantially reduce travel time between the two boroughs, reduce congestion, and expand economic opportunities for people who work in the surrounding neighborhoods.
The project would be built along the existing Bay Ridge Connect and CSX-owned Fremont Secondary, a 14-mile freight line extending from Bay Ridge Brooklyn to Jackson Heights, Queens. It would create new transit options for nearly 900,000 residents along the route and 260,000 people who work in Brooklyn and Queens. It would connect with up to 17 different subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), providing service to underserved locations where more than one third of residents live below the federal poverty line. It would bring much-needed transit service to underserved areas like East Flatbush, Maspeth, and Canarsie. The IBX could help reduce car commutes while redirecting outer borough trips from overburdened Manhattan-bound subway lines. The project is guided by six key needs:
- Improve transit connections to community job centers
- Cost-effectively meet needs of transit and freight systems within the dedicated right-of-way
- Support economic growth in local communities
- Preserve freight corridor for current and future needs
- Reduce roadway traffic by increasing number of residents riding public transit
- Connect to and between subway lines to provide better travel options
Draft Scoping Document feedback
Attend a public meeting and share your feedback on the Draft Scoping Document. Provide your comments:
- at an upcoming public meeting
- by email to: IBXoutreach@mtacd.org
- online at MTA’s website
Share your feedback!
MTA seeking public feedback about the Interborough Express. Your input will help inform the next phases of the project. Submit a comment or feedback:
- by email to: IBXoutreach@mtacd.org
- online using MTA’s digital engagement tool at arcgis.com/114eiS0
2025 Outreach events
To update the community on the latest project news, the IBX team has started a new round of open house from March 27 to May 8, 2025. Join an in-person open house to learn more about the project, ways to stay involved, and how to share your feedback.
- March 27, 2025 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Queens Public Library at Ridgewood, 20-12 Madison St, Ridgewood, NY 11385
- April 3, 2025 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – South Shore High School, 6565 Flatlands Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11236
- April 22, 2025 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Maimonides Medical Center, 4802 10th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11219
- May 8, 2025 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81st St, Queens, NY 11372
2024 Outreach events
Between September 23 – December 6, 2024, the Interborough Express team held outreach events at the following locations to ensure that as many people who live, work, and commute along the proposed IBX corridor know about the project:
- Broadway Junction
- Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College
- 45th Street
- Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenue
- Woodhaven Boulevard
- Roosevelt Avenue
- East 16th Street
- Metropolitan Avenue
- Wilson Avenue
- Utica Avenue
Review and Update on Project Status – March 26, 2024
MTA presented a review on the status of the Interborough Express at CB14’s Transportation Committee Meeting on March 26, 2024. Watch the update below.
The MTA is still collecting feedback, which will inform the Proposed Final Plan, the next version of the plan.
IBX Update Presentations – Fall 2023
Factsheet
Also available in: Bengali • Chinese • Haitian Creole • Korean • Russian • Spanish
Documents
August 13, 2023 Town Hall Public meeting – Recording
September 22, 2022 Town Hall Public meeting – Recording
May 19, 2022 Town Hall public meeting – Recording
January 2022 Interim Report
