IBX Stop by Stop: NYC's proposed light rail to roll under hallowed ground in Middle Village

"Metropolitan Avenue is the next stop on the MTA's IBX (Interborough Express), a proposed light rail that would connect Queens to Brooklyn without going through Manhattan. The station will be located near the last stop of the existing M train line, which starts its run at 71st Street in Forest Hills, Queens and loops through Manhattan and Brooklyn. Located in Middle Village, Queens, the Metropolitan Avenue stop poses one of the biggest challenges for the light rail, which just entered its design phase this summer,"

"Surrounded by mostly residential streets, All Faiths Cemetery rests in the heart of Middle Village. It is also located above the planned tracks for the IBX. Christ the King High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Avenue, is centrally located next to the M station and near the cemeteries. A four-year Catholic high school with a college prep curriculum, the IBX would open many doors for students throughout the city."

"The MTA presented several options for building the IBX around the historic cemetery to the public. Crossing Metropolitan Avenue at street level was considered, though ultimately deemed impractical. Instead, builders will create a tunnel underneath the burial park. By going under the cemetery, the 14-mile light rail train, which will link Jackson Heights to Bay Ridge, would follow existing freight line tracks that are still lightly used."

Metropolitan Avenue will be a station on the proposed MTA IBX light rail linking Jackson Heights to Bay Ridge and connecting Queens to Brooklyn without passing through Manhattan. The station sits near the M train’s terminal and is surrounded by residential streets, with All Faiths Cemetery directly above the planned tracks. Christ the King High School is adjacent to the station area. Street-level crossing was deemed impractical, so planners intend to tunnel beneath the cemetery and utilize existing lightly used freight line alignments. Designers must determine tunnel depth under graves and may expand or add a freight tunnel.

Read at www.amny.com