Brooklyn — Streetcars for Waterfront

January 2016

The New York Daily News reports that the booming Brooklyn-Queens waterfront is primed for a $1.7 billion streetcar route, according to a detailed proposal obtained by the paper.

A study undertaken for a nonprofit called the Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector — whose members include transit experts, community leaders and business executives — envisions modern articulated streetcars serving 10 neighborhoods along the 17-mile stretch of waterfront land between Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens.

The goal of the Brooklyn Queens Connector is to connect neighborhoods to new job hubs with a direct rail route, not depending on the Manhattan-oriented subway system. There will be an increasing needs as the waterfront adds new residences and offices. The study projects 15.8 million passengers annually in 2035.

The $1.7 billion price estimate and a possible $26 million in annual operating costs, the study believes the streetcar to be financially viable. It would generate $3.7 billion of new tax revenue, “generating more than enough value to pay for its own construction,” according to the study.