Conventional rail is the way to go. Much more scalable capacity, the possibility to through run to the Bronx if an extension is built, and much lower infra costs are what makes it desirable. Honestly, light rail isn't the best, but still better than BRT, which just is the overall worst (lowest capacity, makes the least sense given it's a *rail* line already).

I'm a Londoner and I'm begging you guys to learn from us. Use conventional rail. The IBX is so often compared to the London Overground which has been a huge success here for circumferential journeys. Its fast, comfortable, and relatively frequent at 5-10 minute all day headways. The best mode to achieve this in conventional rail. This will be a core line of the system as long as the MTA exists. For a city the size of New York, its core dedicated infrastructure HAS to be a step above Light Rail and especially BRT. Buses and low floor trams just can't compare to the capacity, speed, or comfort of conventional rail.

I hope the Conventional Rail option is chosen. It's the best choice for reactivating the Bay Ridge Line. I love that this is going to be something similar to the London Overground, using Commuter-type stock, however, modified for higher capacity operations. I can't wait to see this service in operation, and I hope it doesn't take too long for this line to be completed.

Whatever it turns into, it HAS to be part of a single swipe metro card system. Keep it IN network. And you have to get out ahead of the transit oriented development gentrification issue. Some of the neighborhoods you are going to be connecting to are traditionally car oriented and may be hostile to that change. Plan for tough conversations about how important projects like this are for the future of the city.

The LIRR-style cars with more doors is absolutely the way to go with this, Especially with future Bronx expansion in mind! Bus Rapid Transit idea IS REDICULOUS!! Rails are already there, upgrade and use them!! Its already designed FRA, Keep it that way!! And Bonus, Freight Can still be run on it too!! 3 track with center express/freight would be perfect!

This should 100% be extended to the Bronx IF this ever gets approved and built by the city. It is an absolute necessity that it be extended to the Bronx. Conventional Rail would be the way to go for the IBX

The people have spoken MTA. Conventional Rail is the smartest way to go on this project.

As a civil engineer, now retired, who worked on the CT part of the MTA (New Haven Line) for decades, I would also vouch for the "Commuter Rail" version, mainly due to interoperability with the rest of the LIRR system & potential to tie into the Hell Gate Bridge for single seat service to the Bronx. The vehicles would have to be designed to run on multiple systems (DC 3rd rail & overhead AC catenary), but the New Haven Line M8's already are capable of running on 4 different systems so that is entirely do-able. I originally thought it should be the same as existing NYC subway (ie "Heavy Rail Metro") but then realized this requires full separation from freight rail. Commuter Rail vehicles can operate with freight traffic on the same routes, a huge advantage for up front costs (no need to construct separated corridors). Light Rail is usually good but, besides the need for separate corridors from freight, I'd hesitate to introduce an entirely new mode of transit to a heavily unionized & compartmentalized agency. That will just generate a whole slew of duplicated staff who can only work on 1 system or the other. For example, light rail overhead catenary is totally different than the 3rd rail or even the heavy rail catenary on the New Haven Line / Hell Gate Bridge. Thus requiring an entirely separate staff with separate training. Likewise for vehicle maintenance - light rail vehicles are somewhere between trains & buses, very unique. I'm sure all the transit unions are absolutely Salivating over a light rail option. I won't even Dignify the busway option. Busways have their place, but not here. Use them in outer, less dense corridors.

Conventional Rail is only definite option incase of a possible future expansion to The Bronx and connections to other LIRR Branches. LRT & BRT gets rid of that possibility. Light Rail is still a good option but is really only needed if they ever plan to extend the line on city streets or extend to Laguardia Airport as one of the alternatives. Bus Rapid Transit shouldn't be considered since the tracks are already there and constructing roads & new viaduct is a waste of money. But if it's truly the most flexible and other bus routes can use it to speed up time, so be it.

Here's my thoughts on the Interborough Express: - Conventional rail is without a doubt the best option for the proposed IBX since it would not really require that much rebuilding other than the construction of stations and reconstruction of the tracks in some places. If the IBX ends up with dedicated railcars, they should be in similar dimensions to the New York City Subway's B Division cars so they can easily be transferred to surrounding yards if need be, although dedicated yards for the IBX will be constructed for sure. - Light rail is also a great option for mostly the same reasons, though it will certainly be less expensive than conventional rail. Doesn't mean it's the better choice however. If light rail is chosen, I hope the trams stay off the streets, we already have enough traffic these days. - Buses is a hell no. While it is indeed the most flexible option compared to both rail types, all I see is cars sneaking onto the dedicated bus lanes at all hours, no matter how many cops are utilized to keep them out.

Conventional Rail is my top pick. Hopefully in the future they would consider an extension to LGA or The Bronx or even both. One route going to LGA and the other going to the Bronx.

Conventional Rail is 100% the best way to go. The tracks for it are already in place and it will be easy to connect to the Bronx later on. Not to mention the most capacity. It would also feel a lot more integrated with the rest of the system despite it being different as it would be heavy rail rolling stock and have similar frequencies. Light rail is okay, but would have less of a capacity and new tracks would have to be added to a place already with tracks, not to mention less capacity. Conventional Rail is the way. Just make sure it's a free connection and is integrated with the existing system

Conventional rail is the way to go, great idea as I commute from Astoria to Brooklyn everyday, so I know its needed!

This project has been LONG needed in the city and absolutely shouldn't be anything but conventional rail of these three options. We need to consider the future and potential ease of expansion to both the Bronx and Staten Island absolutely *have* to be on the table. Conventional rail with trains modeled after and performing like subway rolling stock is an excellent start, but we also need proper single swipe fare integration. Rides can't be overpriced or overcomplicated with things like tickets or MNRR/LIRR pricing. In order to see the highest possible usage potential for this project, you *have* to make sure the users who would benefit the most from this see it as a strong option contemporary with the rest of the NYC subway system especially since this service is already predominantly running through some of the poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. You can also aid in adoption of this service by making it have easily understood designations alongside the original subway network (give it an "X" bullet and make it visible on future subway maps). As for the other options... Throw that bus rapid transit idea out immediately. It's easy to say in a video like this how it'd be flexible and "easy" to implement but it's just begging for people who don't know any better to turn in on this new "exclusive" lane and cause havoc alongside squandering the full potential of a new rail alignment. Light rail is cute, and probably would get attention for the novelty, but this is a once in a generation chance to make something that really addresses a unique issue with modern NYC public transportation while possessing tons of potential to build off of. Let's not go with novelty for novelty's sake here.

Conventional rail is THE only way the Interborough Express will reactivate the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch due to overall historical significance. Light rail & bus rapid transit will be too slow &/or too few riders.

Definitely go for the conventional rail. Fastest and most reliable option, and no need for extra tracks. BRT just seems ridiculous in this scenario, you literally have tracks already. As many others have said, this should be fully integrated with the subway system with free transfers and metrocard compatible. I use metro north regularly and like their fare system well enough, but it certainly doesn't beat metrocard/OMNY.

For the love of God please just use conventional rail. Don’t screw this up MTA, South Brooklyn needs transit

I love this. We are in DIRE need of expansion in our transit system & this looks excellent. I’d prefer it to be a Subway-like thing, commuter or light rail. I just wish this was going to The Bronx like it was supposed to when it was the Triboro RX. It still something needed and very worthwhile & I hope it happens very very soon.

I think that conventional rail is the perfect choice. As for the trains, I suggest to make them all 10-car trains with 10-car stations. Have 2 tracks on each side of the station. And finally, have the new IBX line to be extended to go to the Bronx, because they want to experience what this new line would be like. It's a wonderful new wave of the future in New York!

After watching the town hall, I gotta say I'm skeptical that the light rail option could be faster than the conventional rail option when you have so many at-grade crossings. In practical operation in NYC, you're going to have issues at the grade crossings. Conventional rail seems much more resilient to prevent interruptions.

As a Brooklynite who frequents Flushing Queens and hates the drive as well as the parking situation there, this gives me hope for commuting again. Gas prices are getting crazy so this will be a great primary way of getting between Bk and Queens.

To everyone saying conventional rail is the answer: make sure to attend hearings! Get your voice heard

I think conventional rail would be the best option. The tracks are already in place, and if that isn’t enough, the space for the tracks are already there. This will be huge for those living in Flatlands and SW Canarsie, as only bus service operates through this area.

I'm not from Brooklyn or Queens, but I'm right next to 'em. Conventional Rail is the best way to go. Specifically, the proposed LIRR-style regional rail stock. You wouldn't have to waste money on building over-rail structures for light rail or bus rapid transit. Just make the rolling stock and the stations, and there you are. Freight can still run. Light Rail would require new tracks, and BRT? Really? Why waste a whole bunch of taxpayer money to build a road above very fine tracks? Plus, as others have stated, there's the potential of expanding the line to the Bronx via Randalls and Wards, or, what I propose, making a separate branch that's under the same brand, with the two branches connected via the proposed LIRR Sunnyside Station (Please get to that after East Side Access). One issue, for me, is that the shorthand name should be different. IBX sounds too similar to IBS. Maybe the InterBo?

Conventional rail is definitely the best option in terms of capacity and speed. The population density of the neighborhoods that IBX will serve, especially Jackson Heights and Bay Ridge, will also justify using a commuter rail like option, hopefully one that accepts MetroCard. I wouldn't mind light rail either, but definitely no BRT.

I'm glad the MTA will be using portions of freight right-of-ways for this project. They should go for the conventional rail option and design it similar to CTA's Orange Line, which runs alongside unused freight lines to Chicago's Midway Airport.

Long overdue!....the infamous 2hr queens to brooklyn commutes would be finally a thing of the past

I don't even live in NYC anymore but I'm with the majority on this: conventional rail is the way to go.

Best way to go is conventional rail. This could mean better connections to other lines

I am so excited in general! I live pretty close to the Ave. J stop on the Q. This would really help people connect more with friends and family. There are a bunch of people and places I’d visit if there were a better transportation option that didn’t involve Manhattan.

Conventional rail seems to be the best option especially when you consider public perception is important and conventional rail tends to be what people perceive the best.

Agree that conventional rail is best given the ridership volume and high frequency need. Would be really useful to have several north-south parallel lines running to connect college point and whitestone in queens to jfk and beyond (e.g. Long Beach) as well as several north-south lines to connect Astoria and Jackson Heights to Sheepshead Bay/National Recreation Area via and adjacent to East New York. Please, please make this happen in this decade. Also, extending to a Bronx-Queens connection

Conventional rail/subway is the way to go as it has right of way and a connection to the Bronx is needed. It makes the most sense allowing possible connections to the other subway lines without needing “new” equipment. The busses are the worst idea. We have the silver line in Boston and once it interacts with street traffic it gets bogged down the green line as well for that matter.

Please add platform barriers if you are going with Conventional Rail or Light Rail.

Light rail sound like a great idea bc it's the shortest end to end time and has the most weekday riders.

The conventional rail card is the best option for the new route. For future provisions, it should be extended to St. George in Staten Island for a fast connection to Brooklyn and to ease out traffic on the Verrazano bridge

Conventional Rail is the way to go. Bus and light rail would be a mess at street level. I hear a lot of people mention the Bronx being left out. A fair temporary compromise could be a station that connects the Northern Blvd M/R lines to the Metro Norths Bronx expansion that will be traveling directly above it. It's already going from Coop City, Morris Park, Parkchester, and Hunts Point across the Hells Gate Bridge through the Sunnyside Yards to Penn Station. A free transfer stop at Northern Blvd would fully integrate the Bronx into a non-Manhattan-centric system. Also extend it to LaGuardia Airport from Jackson Heights, with plans to spur off to the Bronx in the near future. Maybe even a station between Queens Blvd and 51st Ave to capitalize of the two potential Queens LIRR stops after the split going to Woodside. Ultimate goal should be completing the Owls Head Park Tunnel at the end of the line in Brooklyn and connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island and ultimately opening up a second freight corridor to the mainland US.

Buses are a non-starter. Hugely expensive to construct (and maintain) miles of elevated roadway, and a platoon of extra employees to drive them all. Conventional rail makes the most sense: the tracks are already there; all you need are the cars and the stations. Station entry with the existing fare system is trivial to implement, and passengers would hardly notice the difference from the other subway system lines. (I'd love to just transfer at the 36th St. R station!)

why did they delete this yesterday and reupload this

Conventional rail is the way to go👍🏾 maybe you can connect to the LIRR and future Metro North Railroad if they going to the Bronx

BRT and LRT are way too low capacity for this line, conventional rail is the way to go

If you do bus rapid transit, I would imagine other motorists or bicyclist will try to take advantage and use parts of the line.

Conventional rail a la Overground is absolutely the right choice.

So, is it official?... If true, this is gonna be a game changer for the Brooklyn & Queens and hopefully Bronx Amazing video as well. Very detailed & professional. Like everyone here, conventional/suburban rail would be as effective & cheaper to get on track

Order more R211S for this. They are FRA-compliant and can run alongside freight trains. They can also be stored & maintained at the Coney Island Shops.

The MTA is underselling this project. They need to go with the best available technology: a lightweight, high-frequency, automated metro with platform screen doors, identical to Sydney Metro or Montreal REM. This is an orbital rail line that will be around for more than a century. We can't mess around by cementing crewed trains and overbearing FRA compliance into that legacy. It's going to have to reliably operate at minimum possible headways for most of the day, and then add cars to increase capacity over its lifetime. Just spitballing, I'd say the current ridership projections are conservative, and that actual ridership could quickly exceed 20k riders per hour in the peaks. There's no way that heavy M-8's could accomplish that.

Build it yesterday, using heavy-/conventional rail, closer to the Subway than MetroNorth/LIRR in terms of doors and seating arrangement.

Awesome for the Proposed Express to be happening in the MTA. : )

I like the train option the most

The first option is the answer. A train that has more doors then the LIRR, sharing and reconstructing the existed fright rail, and plans (if proposed) to extend the IBX train to the Bronx. Also they should get battery powered trains for the line just like LIRR are planning with that.

Please go for conventional rail! Amazing project. Circumferential routes are what makes a transit system truly great, like Berlin or Tokyo

Wow!! Thank you! You recognized the public's actual needs vs the real estate industry. I hope this can function by end of this decade or better yet...SOONER

I'm all for it. I'm working in Brooklyn now and it's taking me an hour and half to and from

As a new LIRR rail fan this is gonna be so cool! Can’t wait

I love this idea. Connecting the two boroughs and making trips shorter and easier is the way to go.

Great job, mta.

So excited for this! Let's make it happen.

This is absolutely the way to go and very convenient to !

If you go with the bus option, it will turn into a regular highway within the decade. Brooklyn and Queens finally have the opportunity to have a dedicated train line. Don't waste it. Commuter rail is the way to go.

I’ve been hearing about this idea for a long time so I’m glad to see the MTA put out a video. Conventional rail seems like the best. At all costs please avoid busses. Busses just seems like such a waste of infrastructure just to build another road. Hopefully this project gets approved, I don’t really see any downsides to its construction.

As a person who lives near that area, there should definitely be a stop near Linden Boulevard including a possible connection to the L train

I’m glad there’s going to be a rail in Bay Ridge.

Remember growing up so close to these tracks. Can't wait to see what happens. Conventional rail is the best approach.

Convential all the way! And since you used the Class 150 as the model for conventional rail, I must add, a Class 150 in the us would be pretty cool

I love it! and conventional rail is definitely the way to go

One of the best ideas for new york in a long time, increase ferry service too please!!!

The B1M channel did a video about this. Its an interesting project. Perhaps from Bay Ridge through a tunnel to Staten Island and New Jersey? Of course The Bronx should be the next phase. But after yesterday, get the guns off MTA!

The conventional rail option should use modified M8 railcars (New haven line E.M.Us). This way the service could interstate with Metro North and or Lirr, plus it opens up the possibility of extending to the Bronx in the future!

Don't cheap out! Go for conventional rail with full grade separation/no level crossings. You have a golden opportunity here. I live in London, so I have no stake in this, but take a look at the London Overground for inspiration. This is a bit of a long comment but the things that will make this a success are: - Fast, reliable and frequent service. Needs to be a train _at least_ every 15-mins, increasing to subway frequencies in the future. Anything less will kill rather than induce demand. - Integrated with subway ticketing systems - Connections to other services - where it isn't possible to provide an in-station connection, allow passengers to connect to subway services or trains that are e.g. a 200m walk away without charging them for a second journey. Add as many connections as possible. - Lifts, step free access and level boarding of trains from the start (one of the failings of London Overground, IMO) - Clean and modern trains - Leave room for it be extended to Staten Island and further into Queens in the future With Overground, TFL (London's MTA equivalent) has completely transformed outer-London travel by taking over conventional rail lines that either had infrequent/unreliable passenger service or in some cases had closed decades earlier. They upgraded and rebuilt stations, put in new trains and provided regular, frequent services and provided an outer-London orbital service. It's been transformational. Passenger numbers have gone through the roof. Probably most similar to the IBX, they completely transformed the Gospel Oak to Barking line. It was a line running through outer areas that was mainly used by freight but had a slow diesel passenger service that was super infrequent and unreliable. It was nearly closed several times. Over the years TFL electrified it, renovated stations, increased the length of the trains from 2 cars to 4 and increased the frequency from every 30mins to every 15mins. It's been such a success that it can't keep up with demand. The East London Line extension took over a rundown minor tube line and extended it over disused rail viaducts and existing conventional rail corridors to made a subway-like service on the cheap. It created so much demand that within a few years they had to extend the trains from four to five cars, and it's still super busy at all times of the day.

As someone who lives in the atl metro area I must say I’m jealous of NYC and it’s willingness to expand rail in its city. That’s something we need here in Atlanta desperately

In a lot of American cities, the total population and population density makes conventional rail not the best option. New York absolutely has the justification for the conventional rail though. I hope they extend it to The Bronx too!

This is great to see.

I live on this proposed rail and can't WAIT for the antiquated, insanely loud dumpster freight trains to be replaced. Conventional rail makes the most sense, though the quieter the better! What a huge quality of life upgrade this will be for everyone in NYC.

Great news! Have it built!

This is a fantastic idea. At some point, we should consider extending it to the Bronx as well.

Conventional Rail! Hands down!

2 years later and we’re still in planning phases. Come on MTA, enough “consultations” and more construction!

this will be completed in 2050, if not 2100. good luck getting something like this done in NYC. wont be holding my breath

Go conventional rail - the future needs of the system can always be met better that way, and it’s an investment in the city for the future!

I like the proposal and think conventional rail would be the best route. Definitely look into stations near existing bus or subway routes so people can make connections as smoothly as possible.

Love this idea! Would make my commute from Staten Island to Sheepshead Bay much easier.

This sounds great. I always wondered why they never did this.

Make it a LIRR Branch. It allows for connectivity to the LIRR network and subways/buses. It would work best when OMNY is fully introduced. Not to mention it would be more comfortable than the subway.

The final stop in Queens should be 74th Street Jackson Heights not 69th Fisk. If the MTA is spending the money build the 3 block tunnel and allow easy transfer to the E,F,R,M and the 7. It would also allow easy transfer to the bus lines terminating at the Jackson Heights (the Victor Moore bus station).

@MTAinfo Conventional rail would be the best way to go using older train cars from the 6/2/B/D lines making way for newer proposed train cars for those respective lines. It would make sense to expand into the Bronx after completion with the Hells gate bridge section being the most challenging part due to 3 tracks but I assume freight trains can run in the middle track? A "Randall's Island station" could be implemented somewhere on the island, "Hunts Point Ave" already has an abandoned station which could be renovated as well as "Whitlock Ave", "Parkchester station" could be on the Bronxdale Ave and E. Tremont Ave Intersection, a "Eastchester Rd station" could be right by Calvary Hospital and Einstein Hospital, "Pelham Parkway South station" or simply "Pelham Bay Park station" which is right by the PSAC 2 building and could connect to the BX12 with a possible next last stop being "Co-Op City South" (not sure where).

For everyone who is asking why the Interborough Express isn’t using the subway method, this is why: Why aren’t you considering regular subway service for the line? Due to regulatory separation requirements between freight traffic and heavy rail, using subway train cars on the line would require additional width along the corridor, leading to multiple bridge reconstruction, the potential for significant property acquisition and much higher construction costs. However, the conventional rail alternative would feature vehicles resembling those currently used within the subway system, including more doors than a conventional rail car and subway-like seating configurations. We also expect all three modes under consideration to operate at intervals similar to subway service, with up to five-minute frequencies during peak hours. READ IT. GOD GAVE YOU TWO EYES AND A BRAIN FOR A REASON!!!!

This is the kind of city planning and zoning that I am talking about, this is awesome! Personal thoughts, that it should not take years to send out drones and LiDAR equipment to scan the proposed areas, including existing transit routes and population density. The two level approach is probably most appropriate but I would recommend, it should be designed/built in a way where it’s mostly enclosed to allow for winter hassle free travel and entertainment throughout the route. As a modern facilities that not only services residents travel but a visitors destination adventure, which mean the neighborhood restaurants, sporting facilities, supermarkets and movie theaters should be part of each station’s consideration.

Why would you build an elevated light rail running on top of train tracks when you can just upgrade said train tracks that the MTA already owns and run the IBX on that? Convention rail is the only sensible option.

This needs to go to the northeast Bronx and even New Rochelle!

Pretty cool!

Conventional rail, but have it be a new company separate from MNR and LIRR. MTA Rail could be a really amazing thing if more lines get the same treatment as IBX. An extension could be over the Hell Gate Line to Co-op City, and connect to N/W at Astoria and MNR on the future Penn Station line. Rebuilding/reactivating the Ex-NY&P Getty Square Branch to Yonkers sounds a bit lofty, but more regional rail expansions please!

What are the specifics on how it connects to Jackson Heights? Is this using the upper level of Rosevelt Ave????

Hopefully the day arrives when the Bronx connects to Queens. Would make the trip way easier. Also conventional rail is the only right answer. Hopefully is sooner than later.

So exciting! I think conventional rail (like the London Overground) would be the best choice, as the capacity will be needed when riders increase over time The 2nd best option is light rail (like the Purple Line in the DC area); it can handle fewer passengers, however, so it might not be enough for NYC I don't think BRT can handle future growth on the line, so that is the least preferred option

If we do indeed re-activate the Bay Ridge Branch, conventional rail is the best option. Would provide the best capacity and speed imo during rush hours

Great. When does ESA start? Schedules? Required yard and track expansion to support peak hour services?

It would be amazing if they could also connect the IBX line with another long Island railroad freight line that meets with the proposed line in ridgewood glendale area ... that would provide direct connection to the JFK airtrain this line already connects directly with the sutphin parson archer station an already existing station that connects LIRR , Airtrain, J , E, Z lines ... it would cut commutes to the airport for thousands or airport workers. And give them the option to forego driving and take a cleaner mode of transport.

We could see something like the London Overground or the recent Elizabeth Line with the conventional rail. Out of all the three options, the conventional rail would be best to run on the preexisting freight tracks just because it offers the most capacity of passengers out of the others and could be done with 10 railcars

I really hope this is conventional rail and uses the same fare system as the main subway network

I’m curious how the terminus near Roosevelt Avenue would work… on Google Earth you can see just how close, but still maybe a little too far the freight tracks are to the western end of the 7 station… so would it be an in system transfer or a walking transfer (the dashed lines on the map like between 63rd-Lex and 59th Street)?