MTA Taps Jacobs and HDR for Interborough Express Design and Engineering Phase Supervision
The Interborough Express (IBX) project, a much-anticipated light rail line connecting Brooklyn and Queens, is officially progressing from planning to an active design and engineering phase. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has selected Jacobs and HDR to oversee this next step [1][3][4][5].
The estimated total cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with $2.75 billion secured and approved by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in April 2025 as part of the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan, representing approximately half of the project's funding [1][2][3][4].
The IBX is a 14-mile light rail line along an existing freight rail corridor, aiming to shorten commutes, connect underserved communities, and integrate with 17 subway lines, 50 bus routes, and two LIRR stations [1][3][4]. The expected ridership is about 48 million trips annually, the highest of any light rail in the U.S. [4].
Additional funding for the project is anticipated to come from various sources. Besides the $2.75 billion from the MTA Capital Plan, revenue from New York City's congestion pricing and federal and state government contributions are expected to contribute to the project. For instance, $67 million has already been received for early planning from these sources [2].
The design phase of the project will primarily be funded through $45 million secured by Gov. Hochul in New York State's 2025 budget and the MTA's 2025-2029 Capital Plan [1]. This phase will focus on aspects such as communications and signal design, vehicle design, track design, civil engineering efforts like station design, bridge reconstruction, and retaining wall design, and the design of the operations facility and storage yard.
Station locations for the IBX were selected based on public feedback, ridership projections, the ability for riders to transfer to other parts of the MTA network, constructability, and spacing. The IBX will create 19 stations and will be the first new transit option for close to 900,000 residents living in neighborhoods along the route, along with 260,000 people who work near the corridor in Brooklyn and Queens.
The project will be built along an existing, 14-mile freight line owned by the MTA LIRR and CSX Corp. that extends from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens. The IBX will significantly reduce travel times between Brooklyn and Queens, with an end-to-end run time of 32 minutes along the line.
The IBX will connect historically underserved communities in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y., to the subway, bus, and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). IBX stations in Queens will be the first new transit stations built since the Archer Avenue extension of the E, J, and Z lines to Jamaica in 1988. Similarly, the IBX stations built in Brooklyn will be the first transit stations built in the city's most populous borough since the A Line extended from Broadway Junction to Euclid Avenue in 1948.
As the design and engineering phase begins, construction phases are expected to follow, marking a significant step forward for the Interborough Express project.
The management of the Interborough Express (IBX) project, moving from planning to active design and engineering, has selected Jacobs and HDR to oversee this next phase. The estimated total cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with funding coming from various sources, including $2.75 billion secured from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in April 2025 as part of the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan. The development and design of the IBX will include aspects like vehicle design, track design, and station design, funded through sources such as New York State's 2025 budget and the MTA's Capital Plan.
