Questions for the IBX Open House

By John Pegram[1]

The MTA has announced a series of Interborough Express (IBX) Open House meetings, starting Thursday, March 27^th, 6 - 8PM at the Queens Public Library, 20-12 Madison St, Ridgewood, NY 11385, which appears to be near the Forest Avenue station on the M line, and near stops on the B13, B20, Q38, Q39 and Q58 bus routes.

If you attend, please look for me and say hello.

I understand that some members of the IBX Project Team read these articles, so I will use this article to send them some questions I have collected. I hope to hear the answers on March 27^th.

Status & General

· Where is the IBX project now on its timeline? Is the project ahead of or behind the last publicly projected schedule and why?

· What is the present status of funding for the IBX project, both in the planning and construction stages?

· What is the latest information regarding ridership forecasting?

· What steps are being taken to control costs and avoid repetition of Second Avenue Subway problems? (See https://bqrail.substack.com/p/ibx-cost-estimate-excesses-and-errors).

· What is the status of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?

· What is the status of the proposed Stage 2 EIS for the Port Authority’s Cross-Harbor Freight Project (CHFP)? Is a Cross-Harbor Freight Tunnel still under serious consideration? What effects on IBX planning do CHFP plans have?

· What is the status of negotiations with CSX for use of its Fremont Secondary right-of-way for the northern section of the IBX line?

· What is the status of negotiations with Buckeye Pipeline for relocation of its pipes to permit rail use of all four tubes of the East New York tunnel?

· What are the current plans for the All Faiths Cemetery (Metropolitan Avenue) and East New York tunnels?

· Why is an extension to the Bronx not included in the IBX plan? Ridership projections? Cost-benefit? Other? (See https://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2025/02/why-the-ibx-wont-reach-the-bronx/). Is the MTA considering alternatives, such as Bronx-Queens express bus service?

· How many and what is total area of adjacent properties that the MTA will have to acquire in order to implement its current IBX plan?

· How do you plan to replace highway bridges? Prefab and drop into place? How long will a street be closed for replacement?

· When will the FAQs on the MTA IBX webpage be corrected and updated?

Stations

· What changes have been made for the locations of IBX stations?

· Will the entire platforms and stairs be covered at all outdoor stations?

· Will heated platforms (for snow and ice removal) be provided at all outdoor stations? Will some or all stations have platform screen doors?

· What are the current plans for the major terminals and transfer points, especially at Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT), 4^th Avenue, Broadway Junction and Roosevelt Avenue?

· What steps are being taken to provide good connections at IBX stations to and from other subway and bus lines?

Railcars

· Now that there will be no street-running on the IBX line, are alternatives to tram-like light rail vehicles being considered?

· Will the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) include the potential use of subway-type railcars, such as those used on the PATH system or NYC Transit A Division (numbered lines)?

· Will the draft Environmental Impact Statement include the potential use of driverless railcars, permitting more frequent service than other alternatives?

· What is the status of consideration of power source alternatives, such as a high voltage AC catenary or a low voltage DC third rail?

· Will the draft EIS include a cost-benefit analysis of the railcar alternatives?

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.

As usual a PDF copy of this article is attached.

Ibx Open House Questions 2025 03 12

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[1] © John Pegram, 2025.