IBX Progress Reports—Through October 2024
John B. Pegram[1]
This is the another of a series of articles introducing documents obtained from the MTA in response to Freedom of Information Law requests.
I have recently obtained complete copies of monthly Progress Report Nos. 14-16 by WSP USA, Inc., the MTA’s consultants who are preparing the preliminary conceptual design and draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Interborough Express (IBX) project. These reports (attached to this article) cover the period of August-October 2024. A outline of the DEIS and a draft funding availability document are also attached.
Although the information in these reports may now be stale, due to the MTAs delays in producing them, I note here a few points worth watching in future reports and other documents that I obtain.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The principal job of the consultants, WSP USA, Inc., on the current project is the preparation of a DEIS for the IBX line. A DEIS is necessary when applying for federal funding, which the MTA has hoped will pay half of the IBX project cost. (See attached draft Federal Transit Administration Funding Availability Template, dated February 2024). Project Reports 14-16 show good progress in preparation of the DEIS, summarized under the headings, “Task 7: Prepare DEIS.” I have also recently obtained an October 2024 Annotated Outline for the DEIS, which is attached to this article. It explains the DEIS procedure at pages 1-2.
CHFP Coordination
The IBX transit tracks are intended to share a right-of-way (ROW) with freight tracks connecting with the railcar float in Bay Ridge, operated by NYNJ Rail, a subsidiary of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority’s Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP) has proposed to expand the car float operation and/or build a Cross Harbor rail freight tunnel.
Progress Reports 14-16 reveal continuing discussions with the Port Authority regarding land use in the ROW for freight and IBX operations. Topics include an IBX Maintenance and Storage facility, a storage yard adjacent the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) buildings at Bay Ridge, and freight sidings along the ROW. (See the April 2024 MTA’s presentation to the FTA entitled “FTA Project Review,” which I recently reported on here, providing a bit more information about some of this activity in 2024).
In an article last year, here, I stated my belief that the CHFP tunnel project is dead. The Port Authority objected; however, they have not provided any evidence of its life. The MTA, Port Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation have been dragging their heels in responding to my Freedom of Information requests for documents about the CHFP. I have sought to compel some of the requested documents in a current N.Y. State Supreme Court case against the MTA and may need to file other court cases in order to obtain relevant documents.
Other BAT Activity
In addition to the activity relating to BAT, mentioned above. We learned from the “FTA Project Review” that the current parking lot and NYPD K9 Unit area between the BAT buildings and 2nd Avenue, are to be replaced by the IBX storage yard and BAT station. Progress Report 14 reveals that the consultants had initiated development of specifications for a parking garage over that storage yard
Other Topics in the Reports
WSP also is responsible for advancing the conceptual design of the IBX project sufficiently to evaluate the probable environmental impact. The work completed and planned is summarized in each report under the heading, “Task 2: Advance Conceptual Design.” Some of the topics there include: summarizing rolling stock specifications, reviewing run-time assumptions, preparing final track alignment drawings and preparing “final” costs.
During the period of the attached reports, considerable attention was being paid to the locations of electrical substations and construction staging areas along the ROW. The consultants were also studying or planning to study property encroachments along the corridor. Such information is necessary not only for the DEIS, but also for deciding where it will be necessary to use property outside the existing ROW.
Scope and Schedule Risks
Like earlier reports, each of Reports 14-16 includes a section identifying “Scope and Schedule Risks” that pertain to the work performed in the reporting period. These three reports state:
Potential for PE Contractor to be brought on in late 2024 or early 2025 instead of early 2024
Potential for CSX to not agree to an alignment that is shared with IBX operations
Potential for NOI to continue being pushed out by FTA
“NOI” refers to a Notice of Intent for the Federal Transit Administration to begin DEIS proceeding in cooperation with a sponsor, in this case the MTA. I will discuss that subject in the IBX Summer 2025 Update.
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.