The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has advanced the Interborough Express (IBX) light rail project linking Brooklyn and Queens into the engineering and design phase. A joint venture of Jacobs and HDR has been selected to lead system, civil, and station design, with work beginning this summer.
The 14-mile corridor will run along an existing freight right-of-way from Sunset Park in Brooklyn to Jackson Heights in Queens, adding 19 stations and connections to 17 subway lines, 50 bus routes, and two Long Island Rail Road stations. The project aims to cut travel times between the two boroughs to 32 minutes and is projected to carry 48 million riders annually—more than any other light rail system in the U.S.
Funding for the $5.5 billion project includes $2.75 billion from the MTA’s 2025–2029 Capital Plan, $45 million from New York State’s 2025 budget, and $16 million from U.S. Department of Transportation grants. Design refinements include an underground alignment beneath Metropolitan Avenue in Queens to avoid traffic-related delays, raising projected daily ridership to 160,000. Construction will follow completion of the design phase.