Interborough Express Progress Reports
By John Pegram[1]
This article describes some of the Interborough Express (IBX) developments through June 2024, including coexistence of the IBX transit line with rail freight in the same corridor, street-running and the All Faiths Cemetery, the tunnel and station at East New York, and the proposed station and maintenance facility at Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) at the Bay Ridge end of the line. The source of this information is the first 12 monthly Progress Reports of the MTA’s consultants working on the Interborough Express project, which I recently obtained from the MTA in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. Copies of the reports are attached.
The availability of these reports provides particularly welcome news, because the MTA has not said much new about the IBX project for over a year. The IBX FAQs on the IBX project website have not been significantly updated or corrected since I published a critique of them in March 2024.[2] An MTA open house, hosted by Community Board 5 in East New York on September 16, 2024, was a good opportunity for the community to learn about the IBX proposal; however, the presentations were substantially the same as those at IBX open houses last year.[3]
Coexistence with Freight
The IBX transit line would have separate tracks on a corridor shared with freight tracks, owned by CSX Transportation (northern 2.8 miles) and the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) (remaining 12.4 miles). The MTA has told me that 31,096 revenue freight carloads were handled on the LIRR in 2022 and 30,795 carloads in 2023.[4] Assuming a six-day workweek, that is only an average of about 100 revenue carloads per day.
Freight traffic appears unlikely to increase significantly unless a Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel is built between New Jersey and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, in place of the existing rail freight carfloat. As discussed in previous articles, that appears unlikely.[5] However, the Progress Reports indicate that the MTA and its consultants are meeting regularly with Port Authority representatives about the Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP).
There may be difficulties at the north end of the proposed IBX line. Starting in October 2023, the Progress Reports reveal that the consultants were evaluating the possibility of elevating the IBX over the CSX segment of the corridor.” Later reports include a Scope and Schedule Risk statement, “Potential for CSX to not agree to an alignment that is shared with IBX operations.”
A “flyover” elevated structure would not be the most practical or least expensive arrangement. If the property were not a railroad, the MTA probably could force a sale to it at a reasonable price, using New York eminent domain law. The situation is complicated in the case of railroad property, because regulation by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) applies, which preempts state law. However, CSX probably would not like the bad publicity likely to result from blocking the IBX line or causing a significant increase in its cost. Also, CSX may not feel the need for the full width of the corridor when it becomes clear that the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel project will not proceed.
Metropolitan Avenue – All Faiths Cemetery
The existing tunnel under All Faiths Cemetery at Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village in Queens is too narrow to accommodate two tracks for the IBX line plus at least one freight track. Also, that tunnel belongs to CSX (see above). Therefore, the MTA proposed use of Light Rail Vehicles, which would run around the cemetery on Metropolitan Avenue and adjoining streets. That led to strong opposition to street-running.
The consultants, WSP USA, Inc., reported analysis of options at Metropolitan Avenue and the cemetery in September 2023. In October 2023, they were considering options including street running, a cut and cover tunnel, and a flyover. (A cemetery flyover would be consistent with a flyover for the entire CSX section of the corridor, discussed above).
The report of work done in November 2023 includes cost estimating for a cut-and-cover tunnel under All Faiths Cemetery, as well as preparation of the cemetery flyover concept and cost estimating for that. Participation in a workshop on street running on Metropolitan Avenue and drafting evaluation criteria for Metropolitan Avenue concept comparison are also mentioned in that report. WSP reported that, in December 2023 through February 2024, it continued costing and evaluation of alternatives at Metropolitan Avenue.
Two studies mentioned in the Progress Reports also indicate that alternatives to street running were being seriously considered. One was an Overhead Catenary Structure (OSC)/third rail memo, starting in April 2024. Of course, conventional third rail would not be considered for street-running. The other was a study of operating and capital costs for driverless vehicle operations, which WSP began least as early as January 2024. It made a presentation to the MTA on that subject in March 2024.
East New York Tunnel and Station
The IBX right of way includes an existing, four-tube tunnel at East New York, running very near to the existing subway stations there. However, the MTA did not propose a station at East New York in its 2023 PEL Report, but instead proposed a station south of the tunnel. My articles have criticized that proposal.[6]
One issue concerning this tunnel is that the Buckeye Pipeline, which runs along part of the IBX right-of-way, includes two 12-inch pipes running below the surface in one of the tubes of the East New York Tunnel, a subject I have discussed before.[7] At least part of the pipeline must be moved for the IBX project. Therefore, coordination with the operators of the pipeline is necessary. Review by WSP of Buckeye Pipeline materials began in September 2023. WSP’s report for November 2023 states that the work included preparing of Buckeye pipeline mapping and a meeting with the pipeline operators.
Starting with the Progress Report for November 2023, the reports refer to cost estimating and evaluation of alternatives for a station at Havens Lot. That appears to be an MTA-owned parking lot at Havens Place and Atlantic Avenues in East New York, above the East New York Tunnel. This is similar to my proposed location for a Broadway Junction station, shown in red on the map below.[8] A station there would be closer to the Broadway Junction subway stations than the previous proposal for an Atlantic Avenue station, south of East New York Avenue, shown in black on the map.
WSP reported that it revised its East New York Tunnel memo in December 2023, and in December 2023 through February 2024, it continued costing and evaluation of alternatives at Havens Lot.
Brooklyn Army Terminal
WSP began consideration of maintenance facility siting at Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) in October 2023. WSP’s report of work done in November 2023 included draft layouts of a maintenance and storage facility (MSF or yard) and station at BAT, and exploration of Light Rail vehicle storage under the Bay Ridge Towers, which are apartment houses over the IBX right-of-way at 2nd – 4th Avenues in Brooklyn. Revisions of the maintenance and storage facility layout continued into June 2024.
Initially, the MTA did not plan for a station at BAT; however, the most recent public proposals have included an IBX station south of BAT near 64th Street, as shown in the map above.[9] On reason may be the desire by the NYU Langone Hospital for a nearby IBX station. That hospital is located between 55th and 56th Streets, and between 1st and 2nd Avenues. In December 2023, WSP created a rendering of a proposed IBX station at BAT, possibly for public outreach activities.
Later Progress Reports indicate that the MTA and WSP have been considering the possibility of an IBX station within BAT Building B, which extends from 57th to 60th Streets along 1st Avenue. As shown in the 1940s photo below, at one time LIRR tracks extended into the atrium of that building.
This article expresses the personal views of the author and does not express the views of his employer, or any client or organization. The author has degrees in law and physics, and has taken several engineering courses. After five years of work as an engineer, he has practiced law primarily in the field of patents for over 50 years, dealing with a wide variety of technologies. He is a life-long railfan and user of public transportation in the United States, Europe and Japan.
A PDF copy of this article is attached.
[1] © John Pegram, 2024.
[2] https://bqrail.substack.com/p/fact-checking-the-mtas-interborough
[3] https://new.mta.info/document/126041
[4] Letter to author from the MTA, September 13, 2024. These numbers are for the total revenue carloads handled by the New York & Atlantic Railroad (NYA), the freight operator on LIRR tracks; however, because all freight cars handled on this corridor are transferred to or from NYA, and because substantially all cars handled by NYA travel on the proposed IBX corridor, this appears to be a very good approximation of the total number of revenue freight railcars that travel on the corridor.
[5] See https://bqrail.substack.com/p/no-activity-on-the-cross-harbor-rail; https://bqrail.substack.com/p/summer-2024-ibx-update.
[6] https://bqrail.substack.com/p/an-atlantic-avenue-entrance-to-the; See https://bqrail.substack.com/p/there-should-be-a-broadway-junction
[7] https://bqrail.substack.com/p/interborough-express-can-these-pipes.
[8] Supra, note 6.
[9] Map is from MTA IBX Open House materials at https://new.mta.info/document/126046.
This is awesome! Excellent news, and thanks for FOILing everything.
Were you at the recent open house in person? We had a good conversation with Jordan Smith, the lead planner on IBX, and while he wouldn't give many details unlike this document, it did sound like they were far more open to and optimistic about things like the All Faiths Tunnel, possibility of PSDs (which I assume would go with automation), ridership estimates increasing and runtimes decreasing, etc.