This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a series of Brooklyn-based town hall meetings for a new transit project in the works.
Hosted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the in-person meetings will give local residents the opportunity to learn about and provide feedback on the Interborough Express, a light rail transit project that is planned for the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
The purpose of the project is to utilize the existing freight rail line that runs through Brooklyn and Queens (Bay Ridge Branch) and expand upon it so that it connects more neighborhoods (including underserved communities) in those two boroughs to easily accessible subway lines.
Among the neighborhoods that would benefit from the project include Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.
According to initial studies regarding the Interborough Express, once completed, the project’s new transit lines would have the potential to serve up to 115,000 daily weekday riders, along with reducing travel times between Brooklyn and Queens by up to 30 minutes each way, depending on distance.
“The Interborough Express is going to be a gamechanger for New York City, and as we move forward with this project, I want the entire community to be involved,” said Hochul. “I encourage everyone to attend one of these sessions to learn more about the IBX and share their feedback.”
The first Brooklyn town hall will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 6:30pm- 8:30pm at Brooklyn College in Flatbush. The second meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30, from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Widdi Catering Hall in Sunset Park.
During the meetings, attendees will get to hear about the project’s progress to date, along with reviewing studies that have been made about the Interborough Express thus far.
