Governor Kathy Hochul wants to revive a proposal to repurpose miles freight rail lines between southern Brooklyn and Queens for a new public transit dubbed the “Interborough Express.”
“Today I’m announcing a bold idea: take an old unused, 14-mile-long right-of-way and create what we’re calling the Interborough Express, a new rail service that will connect Brooklyn and Queens,” Hochul announced at her State of the State address Wednesday. “I’ll direct the MTA to immediately commence an environmental review so we get that project rolling down the track.”
The scheme would open tracks for passenger service from Bay Ridge through southern and south-eastern parts of Brooklyn up to Jackson Heights in Queens, while still preserving the corridor for freight use.