Queens is the largest borough in New York City by area and is home to over 2.4 million people. People commute from Queens to all other parts of the city. Yet, compared to Brooklyn and Manhattan, Queens is underserved when it comes to transit. Thanks to the way it was built, being more car-centric than the other boroughs, train accessibility is limited.
The Interborough Express (IBX) – a light commuter rail that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is planning to build – will help Queens commuters get around the city much faster. However, there is another proposal that would bolster Queens’ transit accessibility even more.
QueensLink is a grassroots movement that proposes diverting the M line south, all the way into the Rockaways. It would use the long-abandoned Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Rockaway Beach Branch right-of-way to connect to the A line. This plan is one that will benefit Queens residents and pave the way for a greener New York City.
Using the abandoned rail, the M train would add four new stops: Metropolitan Avenue – Parkside; Jamaica Avenue – 104 Street (with a connection to the J and Z trains); Atlantic Avenue – Woodhaven (with a transfer available to the LIRR Atlantic Branch) and Liberty Avenue – Rockaway Boulevard (connecting to the A train).
The new Metropolitan Avenue Parkside station would be underground while the other three stops would be above ground. At the Atlantic Avenue Woodhaven stop, the former underground LIRR Woodhaven station would be refurbished and reopened to provide a transfer onto the Atlantic Branch. This would make getting to Atlantic Terminal much easier for Queens residents; instead of having to go east to Jamaica and then take the Atlantic line, this would allow them a direct transfer.
Although the M line would no longer terminate at the Forest Hills – 71 Avenue station, the station would not lose out on service. In fact, they re-acquire another train. QueensLink proposes re-extending the G train to Forest Hills, where it originally terminated until 2010. This would give the only subway line not running to Manhattan a facelift, reviving what is now one of the city’s shortest subway lines.
This plan greatly expands the M train’s capabilities. Having a connection to the J and Z trains in Queens will greatly assist the locals’ ability to get to Brooklyn. The new A train connection can also help locals get to any part of Manhattan, as the A runs all the way uptown to Inwood.
This plan would also give commuters easier access to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Because it would run alongside the A train, the M would now make a stop at Howard Beach – JFK, which is where the AirTrain’s connection to the subway is.
A north-south subway line running to JFK would make getting to the airport easier for Queens residents, instead of having to transfer at Jamaica using the LIRR or taking a complicated route using the subway. Since the M stops in Midtown Manhattan, it would also provide a direct subway line from there to JFK. A direct line from Midtown to JFK with no transfer would garner many riders who are eager for a faster way to get to the airport.
NYC’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) conducted a study that found most people in the project area commute to Midtown or JFK for work, so the M train taking them to both places would be a big help for those residents. That study also found that while public transportation is still the most used means of transportation there, the usage is below average compared to the rest of the city. This line would reduce carbon emissions by giving commuters another option to get to work besides driving.
Surrounding the repurposed railroad would be major new parks and added bike lanes. These additions include the proposed Rego Park Gardens, Forest Hills Greenway, a living garden on the roof of the Metropolitan Avenue Station, a greenway going through Forest Park and Atlantic Green Park.
Rego Park Gardens would be open green space over the underground M line with new bike lanes. Forest Hills Greenway would provide something similar, also with access to composting beds. The Metropolitan Avenue Park would give direct access to the station, with bike parking available and an elevator down to the station from the roof. This park shows new urbanist ideas that provide recreational space for New Yorkers while giving them easy access to the subway.
This plan would also require less construction than IBX. While it needs 14 miles of construction along the abandoned freight line, QueensLink would only require 3.5 miles. While IBX is going to need a whole new fleet of trains, QueensLink only requires an expansion of the M line’s fleet and more frequent arrivals. IBX can also be greatly beneficial to commuters, and I support its creation, but the QueensLink plan would be easier for these reasons.
Another competitor to QueensLink – QueensWay – offers a different vision for this space. It proposes an elevated, linear park where the former Rockaway Beach Branch lies, comparable to the High Line Park in Manhattan. While this sounds nice, it impedes the opportunity for the use of the right-of-way. It would create a public space for people but not use the land to its full potential.
After NYC Mayor Eric Adams took office, he publicly backed QueensWay. However, current Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has supported QueensLink in the past, and if he takes office, the city could reverse course on the QueensWay plan.
About $117 million in federal funding that was supposed to be allocated to QueensWay was cut after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed. However, the city gave QueensWay $14 million in its latest budget, allowing its first phase to be funded. Though QueensWay does have city funding now, that could change if Mamdani wins.
QueensLink not only provides a great plan to connect Queens’ commuters, but it also lays out a great example of what sustainable planning can look like in New York City. Plans like this should be encouraged; where the commuter has greater mobility and residents can have a new green space for recreation. This plan follows many new urbanist ideas, which is what cities across the country need to be doing. Greater access to public transportation while making walkable areas for recreation in a mostly residential area is the perfect balance. It repurposes unused land to its full potential. A feasible plan that benefits all New Yorkers is the answer that this city needs.
