The BQX is a new, state-of-the-art streetcar system being planned by the City of New York. The BQX will be efficient and emissions-free and it will run on tracks flush with the existing roadway. Possible without underground power sources, it will also be resilient against major weather and flood events. BQX trains will be ADA accessible and will accommodate bicycle parking.
BQX
The BQX will be New York City’s first new rail system since the subway began service more than a century ago.
What is the BQX?
Where will it go?
The BQX will link neighborhoods along a 11-mile route from Astoria to Red Hook. Stops are expected to be approximately ½ mile apart and the line will connect to 9 ferry landings, over 30 different bus routes, 13 different subway lines. It will travel primarily in dedicated lanes, separated from traffic and bicycles along the route.
How often will it run?
The BQX could run 24 hours a day, at 5 minute intervals during peak service.
How much will it cost to ride?
The BQX fare will be the same as standard bus and subway fares, and should be integrated with the MTA for fare payment and free transfers.
How many people will it serve?
The BQX is projected to serve over 50,000 riders per weekday with potential to grow to over 90,000 riders in the coming decades. This service is essential to relieve overburdened subway lines and congested streets along the route and to accommodate the projected population growth. The BQX will enhance opportunities and quality of life for everyone who lives and works along the Brooklyn Queens waterfront.
Will it reduce travel times?
The BQX will reduce travel time for tens of thousand New Yorkers. For example, it will save 20 minutes off a round trip between Greenpoint and Downtown Brooklyn and nearly 30 minutes off a roundtrip between Astoria and Long Island City. Furthermore, the BQX will provide a smoother and more comfortable ride with fewer transfers for commuters. And it will be reliable, meaning riders won’t have to leave extra time to account for delays as they do now with subways and buses.
How will it be funded?
The BQX is anticipated to cost approximately $2.7 billion to construct. These estimates assume that the BQX will be built and operated using all union labor. Half the project can be paid for by a bond issued against future tax revenue increases from commercial and multifamily properties along the BQX route and will not not rely upon any new residential rezonings or tax rate increases. Furthermore, the project is estimated to created $30 billion in economic value over the coming decades which is over 10 times its capital cost.
When will it be built?
The BQX is a big idea. It has the ability to impact generations of New Yorkers. It will require community outreach, an environmental impact statement, a series of reviews and approvals, and construction bidding. If all stakeholders work together, the BQX can break ground by 2024.
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A diverse
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The Waterfront At-a-Glance
The BQX will relieve overburdened infrastructure, ensure that growth and opportunity is spread more equitably along the waterfront, and provide access to jobs, educational opportunities, and recreational amenities for everyone.
The Brooklyn Queens waterfront has historically been the heart of New York City’s industry, with factories lining its shores from Bay Ridge to Astoria. As the City’s economy transitioned away from industrial production after World War II, the waterfront became increasingly underutilized and inaccessible. Over the past 15 years, however, New York has rediscovered its waterfront, reclaiming it for greenways and bike paths, river access, residential development and job creation in the creative economy.
Today the Brooklyn Queens waterfront is diverse and dynamic, with major employment hubs, growing mixed-income residential neighborhoods, new parks, arts and culture, higher education and healthcare facilities.
Despite this renaissance, the corridor continues to be severely underserved by transportation infrastructure, leaving some neighborhoods isolated, unable to access the growing opportunities along the waterfront. Many of these neighborhoods are still suffering from high unemployment and poverty. The BQX is a critical step in connecting waterfront residents to job centers, educational opportunities and recreational amenities, helping families break the cycle of poverty.
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Press
Supporters
The BQX is supported by a deep and diverse coalition of New Yorkers including community leaders, small businesses, economic development groups and transit experts.
FAQ
The City has studied a waterfront streetcar before. Why is now the time right for the BQX?
The Brooklyn Queens waterfront has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, experiencing enormous residential and job growth, with far more growth on the horizon. In fact, during this time the center of the city has shifted eastward and Brooklyn and Queens have become first-choice destinations for living and working. Yet the transportation system has not kept up. With the streetcar, the City has identified an investment that will help both accommodate and catalyze more equitable growth, relieving congestion in communities that have experienced growth and bringing opportunity to communities that have been disconnected from the corridor’s revitalization.
Why a streetcar? Wouldn’t buses be more affordable?
The streets along the Brooklyn Queens waterfront are complex and indirect, making it difficult to service with a single bus route or Select Bus Service (SBS), the MTA’s rapid bus alternative. SBS vehicles also do not have the capacity to accommodate the anticipated BQX ridership. Unlike a bus, the BQX has the ability to move the projected 50,000 daily riders along the corridor in a single, efficient route. With dedicated right-of-way and traffic priority, it won’t get snarled in the traffic and congestion that often slows bus service. As a result, it will be faster and more reliable than any bus route along the corridor. More importantly, the rails will physically connect the corridor, helping to attract riders and catalyze economic development opportunities in a way that buses do not.
Won’t the streetcar mostly serve luxury condos on the waterfront?
The reality is that economic growth on the waterfront has largely been confined to three neighborhoods – Long Island City, North Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn/DUMBO. The streetcar will ensure that other communities along the corridor have equitable access to this economic growth. It will connect thousands of people, including 40,000 NYCHA residents, to jobs, education, healthcare and recreational amenities. The BQX will also serve the nearly 300,000 people who work along the waterfront, helping to preserve and revitalize the 50 million square feet of manufacturing and industrial space along the route. By connecting people to major middle-class job centers in the Navy Yard, Industry City, Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City, the streetcar will expand employment opportunities and support continued growth of the City’s manufacturing and creative tech economies.
How will the BQX be integrated with the existing transportation system?
New York relies on public transportation like no other American city, and this is increasingly a multi-modal town, with new options like CitiBike, ferries and taxi apps making it easier to get around town. The BQX will become an integrated part of this network, with easy connections to 9 ferry stops, more than 30 bus routes, 13 subway lines. The BQX will also run on the same fare system as the MTA and should accommodate free transfers and use of the MTA’s weekly and monthly cards.
But haven’t other cities tried and failed with streetcars?
The key to a successful streetcar is establishing a route that serves a clear need, integrates with the existing transit network, runs fast and travels far enough to draw ridership and spur growth, and has a clear funding source. That’s exactly what the City has identified here. By connecting underserved neighborhoods to jobs, culture and the broader transit system, the BQX will serve over 50,000 people each day and will become a vital part of New York City’s transportation network.
Building a brand new rail line is expensive. Why should we invest in the BQX rather than more important infrastructure improvements planned by the City?
The BQX doesn’t require State funding and won’t compete with other MTA projects. By capturing the value created by building real transit infrastructure, we will be able to partially pay for the system. Furthermore, the project is estimated to created $30 billion in economic value over the coming decades which is over 10 times its capital cost.
It’s hard getting anything approved in New York. Is there any chance this will actually get built?
The BQX already has broad support from community groups, elected officials, urban and transportation advocates, and business leaders in Brooklyn, Queens and across the City because it will provide desperately-needed transportation access to neighborhoods underserved by our aging transit system. We expect a robust debate and thoughtful discussion throughout the public review process, and believe it will continue to be widely supported by a variety of stakeholders. New Yorkers rely on public transportation and the BQX will be a vital addition for those living and working along the Brooklyn Queens waterfront.
What is the relationship between the Friends and the City?
The Friends group is an independent non-profit, 501c3 organization that was formed to advocate for the BQX.
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| A History of Streetcars in Brooklyn | Factsheet: The Brooklyn Queens Connector | Why not a bus | BQX Completion of Conceptual Design Report |
Join Us
Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that seeks to create connectivity and generate economic growth along the East River waterfront corridor from Red Hook to Astoria through the construction of a modern streetcar that complements and enhances existing transportation infrastructure.
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Press Kit
Please click the link below to download Friends of the BQX press materials, including renderings and press releases.
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Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
ChairJed Walentas, Two Trees Management Co. Secretary
TreasurerRandy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce |
Vice-ChairsMichelle de la Uz, Fifth Avenue Committee Jukay Hsu, Pursuit Elizabeth Lusskin, Long Island City Partnership Carlo Scissura, The New York Building Congress Paul Steely White Tom Wright, Reginal Plan Association |
Board of Directors
Marc Agger, Agger Fish Corporation Carmelo Anthony, Melo7 Tech Partners Jordan Barowitz, The Durst Organization Frances Brown, NYCHA Red Hook East Houses Darold Burgess, NYCHA Ingersoll Houses Vishaan Chakrabarti, Practice for Architecture Urbanism DPC Claudia Coger, NYCHA Astoria Houses Erin Gabrielli, Atlas Capital Group Alex Garvin, AGA Public Realm Strategies Tom Grech, Queens Chamber of Commerce Annette Juriaco, Rubenstein Michael Kaye, Douglaston Development Andrew Kimball, Industry City Isabella Lee, NYCHA Walt Whitman Houses Joe Lhota, NYU Langone Medical Center Anthony Lopez, Zone 126 Gail Mellow, LaGuardia Community College Regina Myer, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership |
Brandon Nelson, JetBlue Toba Potosky, Cadman Park Conservancy Tucker Reed, Totem David Rosen, Brooklyn Allied Bars & Restaurants John Rudikoff, Brooklyn Law School Michael Rudin, Rudin Management Michael Ruiz, National Grid Caroline Samponaro, Lyft Alexandria Sica, DUMBO BID April Simpson, NYCHA Queensbridge Houses Anthony Sosa, NYCHA Ingersoll Houses Daniel Squadron, Future Now Doug Steiner, Steiner Studios Bishop Mitchell Taylor, Urban Upbound Julie Tighe, NYLCV Jay Walder, Virgin Hyperloop One Carol Wilkins, NYCHA Ravenswood Houses Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures |
StaffChristopher Torres – Executive Director Kristina Gonzalez – Organizing Director
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Lawrence Simmons – Organizer Sankarsh Ramachandra – Organizer Alana Hassan – Organizer
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