The MTA is moving one step closer to creating a direct transit link between Brooklyn and Queens with its proposed Interborough Express (IBX) project.

The light rail line would run 14 miles from Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights, aiming to connect 19 stations with 17 subway lines and over 50 bus routes.

On Tuesday, the MTA launched an RFP for design and environmental review.

Design plans include a tunnel under All Faiths Cemetery at Metropolitan Avenue. The MTA also plans to locate the East New York station near Broadway Junction, north of Atlantic Avenue.

Despite the project’s momentum, advocacy groups remain cautious. Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at Riders Alliance, called for greater investment in New York’s public transit infrastructure.

“While this is good news, Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to fund the project, or the essential upgrades she indefinitely stopped in June,” Pearlstein said. “New Yorkers need reliable trains and accessible stations more than our leaders deserve flashy groundbreakings and shiny ribbon cuttings.”

The MTA’s timeline includes two years for design and environmental review, which will run concurrently, and a $15 million federal RAISE grant will help support these early stages.