Connecting Communities
The Rockaway Beach Branch has sat abandoned for over 60 years. Some have called for restoring rail service, while others want to see more park space. Now we have a unique opportunity to build BOTH rails and trails! From Queens Center Mall to the Rockaways, we can connect communities with the borough’s FIRST north-south subway. The project includes four new stations with transfers to the A, J/Z, EFR, and 7 trains, as well as the LIRR, while also creating up to 33 acres of new parks and protected bike paths along the right-of-way.
Today, residents of southern Queens face some of the longest commutes in the nation! By building a sustainable, cost-effective transit corridor parallel to Woodhaven Boulevard we can significantly reduce car congestion and emissions. This vital project will provide subway access for at least 47,000 daily riders!
The QueensLink is a grassroots group fighting for reuse of a city-owned treasure running through central and south Queens that’s been neglected for over 60 years: a transit corridor that once carried LIRR trains from the Rockaways to Rego Park and on into Manhattan.
We want to put this treasure to work as part of New York’s subway network, bringing inexpensive mass transit to transit deserts, and providing bicycle and walking paths, parks and other public spaces on 33 acres of land in the right-of-way not needed for rails and stations.
We are incorporating community input to design the project that provides transit equity, jobs, and a clean and sustainable environment, while addressing safety and noise concerns.
QueensLink is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new backbone for sustainable transportation and recreation within New York City.
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Twenty (20) city, state, and federal officials have signed on to our letter of support asking the NYS Gov Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams to fund an Environmental Impact Statement for the QueensLink. The EIS will move us one step closer to the transit justice Queens deserves.
“Queens Borough is home to over 2.4 million residents. Yet, much of Southeast Queens lacks good mass transit access to other parts of the City. QueensLink would solve this major problem while significantly reducing car congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. This project would create many jobs and spur economic development. QueensLink is what is necessary to improve public health and address climate change for now and future generations to come. Queens can move into the 21st century for mass transit with QueensLink. It’s a game changer for Queens, the City and the State.”
“Transportation equity is a major issue in our city that must be confronted. I have begun working on it as the new chair of the City Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It requires addressing the needs of neighborhoods that have suffered from divestment, long commutes, often in two-fare zones, and a lack of transit access. A comprehensive EIS for QueensLink will provide the information needed to achieve transit equity and be sensitive to the quality of life concerns of our neighbors along the right-of-way,”
``I am joining Queenslink in their call upon the Mayor and Governor to ask for a full comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Southeast Queens is in need of expanded transportation alternatives beyond downtown Jamaica. Conducting a thorough EIS for QueensLink is crucial to acquiring the necessary insights that will not only advance transit equity and economic progress throughout Southeast Queens and beyond while balancing quality of life concerns of our northern neighbors.``
“Southeast Queens has existed in a transit desert for far too long. The QueensLink proposal would give Southeast Queens residents a new transportation option that would make getting around much easier. The time is now to get the train moving and the Environmental Impact Statement that is needed to turn the vast promise of QueensLink into a reality.”
``My community for far too long has faced the label of a transit desert because we have not seen the true investment in transportation that we deserve. QueensLink is the transportation project my community needs. To move this project forward is common sense and will put years of just talking behind us. Funding the EIS will put our community on track to a future in which transit equity is the norm and investments will be plentiful.”
“Mass transit is the artery that feeds the neighborhoods of this city, and for too long parts of New York have been prevented from free-flowing travel. The QueensLink and projects like it are forward thinking ways to grow the city with transit-oriented neighborhood planning. We can not let this opportunity to reactivate rail lines pass us by.”
“Common sense projects like QueensLink provide additional benefits to the opportunities created by an enhanced subway system. I’m very excited about QueensLink as it will provide motorists with a fast, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternative to having to drive on Woodhaven Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway. If we’re serious about reducing carbon emissions and making our local roads safer then we have to build the infrastructure to support it.``
“Since well before my time in office, I have been a strong supporter of the QueensLink project. As a lifelong resident of District 32, I am well aware of the transportation problems that we face in Southern Queens. To rectify those issues, I have supported this initiative both through funding as well as through political support, and I fully intend to continue this support in the future.
Most recently my office has been vocal in calling for an environmental impact study to be conducted, so that we can better understand the impact that the re-establishment of this rail line would have on the areas it will run through. I am certain that once this happens, we can then take the next concrete steps towards truly improving the infrastructure in our part of the borough ... We can keep pushing for a better, and we cannot stop until QueensLink is finally made a reality.”
“For true transit equity, my constituents need affordable, environmentally-friendly, and accessible public transportation. A north-south transit option such as the QueensLink would be an oasis of mobility in our transit desert, giving us solutions to reach our jobs, our friends and family, and our medical appointments without reliance on expensive motor vehicles. By funding an Environmental Impact Statement, our City and State can show their commitment to a sustainable and equitable future where public transit serves all New Yorkers.”
Gregory Meeks
United States Congress, 5th District
Jumaane Williams
Public Advocate
Brad Lander
New York City Comptroller
James Sanders, Jr.
New York State Senate, District 10
Jessica Ramos
New York State Senate, District 13
Joseph Addabbo, Jr.
New York State Senate, District 15
Julia Salazar
New York State Senate, District 18
Kristen Gonzalez
New York State Senate, District 59
Stacey Pheffer Amato
New York State Assembly, District 23
David Weprin
New York State Assembly, District 24
Andrew Hevisi
New York State Assembly, District 28
Khaleel Anderson
New York State Assembly, District 31
Jenifer Rajkumar
New York State Assembly, District 38
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
New York State Assembly, District 34
Donovan Richards
Queens Borough President
Nantasha Williams
New York City Council, District 27
Robert Holden
New York City Council, District 30
Selvena Brooks-Powers
New York City Council, District 31
Joann Ariola
New York City Council, District 32