Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector
The prototype car was unveiled at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The group leading advocacy efforts for the establishment of a light-rail system along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront introduced NYC on Monday to the possible future of public transportation in the two boroughs.
Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector unveiled an actual-size prototype of a BQX streetcar at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. According to the New York Daily News, the $100,000 car is 46 feet long, 9 feet wide, and was designed and constructed by the French multinational rail-transport company Alstom.
According to the Friends of the BQX, the “state-of-the-art streetcar system will be efficient” and run
from Astoria to Sunset Park on 14 miles of track “flush with the existing roadway.”
Stops are expected to be approximately a half-mile apart and the line will connect to up to 10 ferry landings, 30 bus routes, 15 subway lines, 116 Citi Bike stations, and six Long Island Rail Road lines. The BQX will travel primarily in dedicated lanes, separated from traffic and bicycles along the route, the group noted.
The idea of a modern-day Gotham trolley system was introduced by Mayor Bill de Blasio during his State of the City address in February 2016. According to Hizzoner, the $2.5 billion BQX could “generate over $25 billion of economic impact” for the five boroughs over 30 years.
“The BQX has the potential to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” de Blasio added.
According to Friends of the BQX, it would take approximately $30 million per year to operate and maintain the system. The fare will be the same as standard bus and subway fares, and should be integrated with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for payment and free transfers.
“If all stakeholders work together, the BQX can break ground by 2019,” the group added.
