At this time, the MTA has said it would cost $8 billion to reactivate the RBB with four new stations. However, advocates like Rick Horan and studies have shown the MTA could reactivate the rail line for as little as $3.4 billion (QL:5). With lower-than-anticipated costs and the ardent need for equitable transit access in South Queens, we call on the MTA to support the QueensLink proposal and detail what we find so special about it.

QueensLink, and vanshnookenraggen. “Parks + Transit.” The QueensLink. QueensRail Corp, 2019. https://thequeenslink.org/.

Adding green spaces, trees, and a new park is already environmentally advantageous in parts of Queens where few parks currently exist. Due to its being a transit desert in many neighborhoods, car-heavy Queens also lets out thousands of tons of gas emissions annually. With more transit access, fewer residents would need cars; in combination with the parks from the QueensWay proposal, the overall output of gasses in Queens would decrease dramatically, increasing the quality of life, improving the landscape, and decreasing commute times for Queens residents.

Before June 28, 2010, the G line ran from Smith-9th Streets in Brooklyn to Court Square in Queens and, on late nights, even to Forest Hills-71 Avenue, making parts of west Brooklyn more accessible to Queens commuters. After the 2010 service cuts, the G route was trimmed from its northern terminus of Forest Hills to Court Square in Queens, but was expanded from Smith-9th south to Church Avenue in Brooklyn. In addition to extending the M to Rockaway Park, advocates of the QueensLink project have proposed re-extending the G to its previous northern terminal at the Forest Hills station in Queens. But other service enhancements could be initiated as part of (or even separately from) the QueensLink project.

Vanshnookenraggen. “Introducing the QueensLink.” vanshnookenraggen, July 8, 2021. https://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2021/07/queenslink/.

There is a planned 0.2-mile tunnel connection between 63 Street - Rego Park and the rest of the RBB. QueensLink proposes two options to continue after this connection: an elevated track and a shallow tunnel. It makes the most sense with regard to construction distractions and financing to continue into a shallow tunnel for the first section of the reactivated RBB. QueensLink officials say the tunnel option would be roughly $300 million cheaper than the creation of new bridges (QL:14). This would also allow for park spaces that would remain uninterrupted visually or sound-wise by the presence of an elevated subway. Where the viaduct begins at 101st Avenue, it would return to an elevated format before connecting with the existing Rockaway Beach-bound tracks at Rockaway Boulevard (A).

Vanshnookenraggen. “Introducing the QueensLink.” vanshnookenraggen, July 8, 2021. https://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2021/07/queenslink/.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated in a September press conference that the first phase of development for the QueensWay, not the QueensLink, would commence shortly. Adams did not share any QueensLink updates alongside the proposal. Although the 33+ acres of parks are crucial, Adams’ announcement falls short of creating an equitable and green Queens for all. Rockaway commuters would still suffer from one-hour commute times to Times Square - 42nd Street, which cannot be softened much by the presence of grass and trees. With only so much real estate left in Queens, it’s critical for the City to make multiple uses of the area that was once the Rockaway Beach Branch at an achievable price tag. We, as the authors, certainly hope for the eventual adoption of the QueensLink and that Mayor Adams reconsiders his proposal.