This is the another of a series of articles introducing documents obtained from the MTA in response to Freedom of Information Law requests.
This article reports on the monthly Progress Report for November 2024 through April 2025 by MTA consultants, WSP USA, Inc., and presentations made by the MTA and WSP to the Interborough Express (IBX) Community Council and Technical Advisory Committee in September 2024, January 2025 and May 2025.
This article only touches on two topics in the Progress Reports. Each report is only two pages and is attached to this article, so a summary here is unnecessary.
Focus Shifts from Federal to State Environmental Impact Statement
A principal job of the consultants, WSP USA, Inc., has been the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the IBX line. An EIS is necessary when applying for federal funding. However, starting as far back as 2023, IBX progress reports noted that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) had not issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), which would formally launch a two year period for formal preparation of the EIS.
Progress Report No. 17 indicates a shift in focus to preparation of the New York State counterpart to a EIS, called a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR). That is consistent with New York State’s commitment by approving the MTA 2025-2029 Capital Plan to pay approximately half of the IBX project’s estimated cost.
Specifically, under the heading “Scope and Schedule Risks and Changes, Report 17 repeated “Potential for NOI to continue being pushed out by FTA” which had been stated in prior reports. It added “Potential for SEQR instead of NEPA EIS.” Also, under “Work Forecast,” the report spoke of repackaging DEIS work for a SEQR. Later reports indicate work on SEQR materials.
CHFP Coordination
This group of progress reports reveal continuing discussions with the Port Authority (PANYNJ or PA) regarding shared land use in the right-of-way (ROW) for freight and IBX operations in connection with the PA’s Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP). The principal topic, in Report 22 for April 2025, was preparation of a presentation to the PA responding to its new concept for the 65th Street Yard.
Presentations
The MTA and WSP meet, approximately quarterly, with an IBX Community Council (CC) and an IBX Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The WSP Progress Reports indicate that WSPM prepares presentations for these meetings. Copies of presentations for meetings in September 2024, January 2025 and May 2025 have been provided to me. They are not very interesting, not revealing more information than already disclosed in press releases, at IBX town meetings and posted at links on the MTA’s IBX website. Therefore, I have only attached the most recent, May 21, 2025 presentation to the TAC. One image from that report, reproduced below, provides a good visual representation of the new location for the IBX Atlantic Avenue Station, and its potential for a better connection to subway lines at Broadway Junction.
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.
Because this article is relatively short and lacks detailed notes, no PDF copy is attached.
[1] © John Pegram, 2025.
