BQX Streetcar: Doubt Casts Shadow on Brooklyn-Queens Connector's Future

The Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) streetcar project may have gone belly up during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was proposed as a $2.7 billion streetcar linking Red Hook, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens in 2016 by then-Mayor de Blasio. Unfortunately, the pandemic put a dent in these plans when the city estimated a $7.4 billion shortfall in its gaping budget as tax revenue plunged when businesses and people were put on "pause" for months. An environmental review had not even started before it was nixed. Public meetings have not been forthcoming, and during this time the Trump administration was not in the mood to help with federal funding of mass public transit in New York City.

As you can see in the video above by the Brooklyn Eagle, the media presentation mockup showcases the Alstom Citadis tram, the very same one that rots away now, which was featured in a late 2017 campaign to promote the proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector. This streetcar line aimed to connect Red Hook in Brooklyn with Astoria in Queens. Notably, the design includes the distinctive touch of 'Ora-Ïto,' the brand of renowned designer Ito Morabito, whose name appears alongside Alstom's logo. The interior features striking red seating and is equipped with several amenities designed to accommodate ADA passengers.

The Brooklyn-Queens Connector was supposed to be 16 miles long but was cut down to 11 miles in August 2018 and would not have carried passengers until 2029. The waterfront streetcar was supposed to connect nine ferry landings, 30 bus routes, 13 subway lines, and more than 100 Citi Bike stations, spanning an uncertain future across different mayoral administrations. During this time local city council members were not in favor of the project once it was announced. The loss of the Long Island City Amazon HQ2 to immense public backlash did not help. The project was also competing with other agencies' pet projects in the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts Program, including those of the MTA, the Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Amtrak. In addition, the city was short $1.6 billion per the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Federal assistance was necessary to cover that shortfall.

The project was also collectively praised by pro-public transit advocates and derided by critics as an expensive boondoggle that would be a disastrous project in an already dense car-centric city with a growing bicycle movement. The Adams administration has not looked to revive the dead project or made any updates to it. Other new proposals have hit the news in successive updates. The tunnel underneath the Hudson is getting fixed and the Gateway project has gotten the green light for new rail tunnels. The Interborough Express is getting avid attention, with competing views between the MTA and QueensLink on reviving the 3.5-mile-long LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch line that runs from 63rd Drive in Rego Park to Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park.

The ambitious plans for a Brooklyn-Queens streetcar line, championed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio as the BQX, have all but vanished from the public discourse. Under the administration of Mayor Eric Adams, known for his tough-on-crime stance, no new developments have emerged to breathe life into this once-promising project. The last significant news coverage of the BQX dates back to 2018, and the overwhelming pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic have further pushed this initiative to the backburner of governmental priorities.

Instead, attention has shifted to the potential revival of the long-abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch, reimagined as the QueensWay — an elevated linear park akin to the celebrated High Line in Manhattan. Funding grants are being directed towards this open space project, leaving the much-needed Interborough Express, which would serve a larger population of Queens residents, in limbo.

The Interborough Express, a proposed transit line utilizing existing rail infrastructure, has the potential to significantly improve connectivity and reduce commute times for communities historically underserved by public transportation. However, the allure of a marquee park project seems to have overshadowed the pressing need for enhanced transit options in the borough.

As a city renowned for its car-centric urban planning, New York faces a crucial juncture in its approach to transportation. The apparent demise of the BQX streetcar project raises questions about the city's commitment to expanding sustainable and equitable mobility solutions. While open green spaces undoubtedly contribute to the quality of life, the prioritization of the QueensWay over the Interborough Express highlights a troubling trend of valuing cosmetic improvements over substantive investments in public transit infrastructure.

As the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic and the evolving needs of its residents, it is imperative that policymakers and community stakeholders engage in a frank and inclusive dialogue about the future of transportation in New York. The decisions made today will shape the city's resilience, livability, and economic vitality for generations to come. Will New York rise to the challenge and embrace innovative transit solutions, or will it remain mired in a car-dominated status quo? The fate of projects like the BQX and the Interborough Express may hold the answer.

📋 Reader Records

🚋 Did You Ride the BQX Mock-Up — or Fight For or Against the Line?

This tram shell is the only physical thing a $2.7 billion proposal ever produced, and it is quietly rotting. If you stepped inside it during the 2017 campaign tour, attended one of the public meetings, organized for or against the route through your neighborhood, or worked on the EDC or Friends of the BQX side of it, that is the record now that the press coverage has stopped. Photographs of the mock-up when it was new, meeting flyers, renderings, or simply what people in Red Hook and Astoria actually said about it at the time — I would like to hear any of it. And if you know who owns this thing now, or what happens to it next, even better.

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⬇️ Keep Reading

🚇 More Abandoned Transit and NYC Infrastructure

From demolished substations and abandoned power plants to forgotten rail lines and repurposed hospitals — the infrastructure that once moved and powered the Northeast.

🚇 IRT (MTA) Electrical Substation No. 14 One of the original Interborough Rapid Transit substations — now demolished for luxury housing. › ⚡ Kingsbridge Substation No. 3 A forgotten Bronx substation along the Harlem River, its rotary converters and battery floor frozen in time. › 🏭 New Haven's English Station A coal-fired power plant squatting on Ball Island — gauges and switches rusted into permanent silence. › ⚡ Inside Yonkers' Abandoned Glenwood Power Plant Built 1904–1906 to electrify the Hudson and Harlem rail lines, decommissioned in 1963, and stuck in redevelopment limbo ever since. › 🛏️ Greenpoint Nurses' Residence Inside Brooklyn's abandoned hospital quarters — now a shelter and affordable housing. › 🚚 73-99 Empire Boulevard, Crown Heights A century of Brooklyn transport history cleared in months for a 13-story apartment building. ›

🚋 The BQX was proposed in 2016 as a $2.7 billion, 16-mile waterfront streetcar from Red Hook to Astoria, shortened to 11 miles in 2018 and shelved after the pandemic left the city $1.6 billion short of funding it. Its Alstom Citadis presentation mock-up, designed with Ora-Ïto, is all that physically remains.

Sources:

1. Griffin, A. (2020, May 4). Future of the BQX streetcar uncertain as COVID-19 puts hole in city budget. LIC Post.
2. Newman, A. (2018, August 30). New plan for city streetcar: Shorter, pricier and not coming soon. The New York Times.
3. McGeehan, P. (2022, July 5). Hudson River tunnel project moves ahead as states agree to share costs. The New York Times.
4. Gannon, M. (2021, July 15). BQ-axed? Mayor de Blasio still believes. Queens Chronicle.
5. Is the BQX finally dead? (2020, September 3). NYCUrbanism.
6. Schilling, J. (2022, February 11). QueensLink proposal looks to reactivate Rockaway train line. The Wave.
7. Chung, J. (2022, January 5). Hochul promises "Inter-Borough Express" rail service to connect Brooklyn and Queens. Gothamist.
8. Diamond, B. (2016). BQX Streetcar: Learning from other projects. Lulu.com.
9. Euzarraga, M. (2024, March 14). QueensWay: Deserted LIRR tracks to be turned into the High Line of Queens. PIX11 News.