New York's transit agency is turning to riders as it shapes one of the city's most ambitious transit plans in years. The MTA is opening the door to feedback over designing the new Interboro Express, known as the IBX, inviting the public to weigh in as the long-discussed line moves through its planning stages.
The IBX is envisioned as a light rail project connecting 900,000 New Yorkers between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, Queens. The route would stitch together two boroughs that have long lacked a direct rail link, targeting a huge population of riders who currently have to loop through Manhattan or rely on buses to make the trip.
To collect input, transit officials brought the conversation directly to commuters. They held a pop-up event at the Canarsie Rockaway Parkway subway stop, an outreach effort that gave riders the chance to receive information about the plan and to provide feedback of their own on how it should take shape.
The scale of the project is one of its main selling points. As designed, the IBX would use 18 stations to connect 17 subway lines, 50 bus routes and two Long Island Rail Road stations, weaving the new line into much of the existing transit network across Brooklyn and Queens.
Riders who stopped by the event responded warmly to the concept. One said the plan was a great idea, adding that if the MTA can demonstrate the value of the line to the community, it would go a long way toward building support for the project among the New Yorkers it is meant to serve.
The outreach is running alongside the more technical steps required for a project of this size. Transit officials are also conducting an environmental review, a standard but significant part of advancing a major infrastructure plan through the approvals it needs before construction can begin.
For now, the timing of any groundbreaking remains open. Transit officials say the exact construction timeline depends on the design details, leaving the schedule to be determined as the plans, public feedback and environmental work continue to move forward.