NEW YORK (PIX11) — Imagine getting from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens, on a light rail train in 39 minutes?

The MTA held a virtual Town Hall meeting Wednesday night on its plans to build the Interborough Express between Brooklyn and Queens.

Michael Shiffer, the Senior VP of MTA Regional Planning, said the light rail is the most cost-effective option over a conventional rail line like the LIRR or a rapid transit bus on its own roadway.

During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Shiffer addressed concerns by some members of the public that the train would stop in Queens instead of continuing to the Bronx. Shiffer noted the current Penn Access Project in the Bronx.

“IBX, because it will run trains up every five minutes, requires its own two tracks, and so in order to operate IBX in the Bronx, you would need to acquire a lot of private lands, which would bring up the cost substantially, and quite frankly, in some areas, you don’t have that option,” he explained.

The MTA said the light rail transit project will connect communities in Brooklyn and Queens to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road and significantly reduce travel times within and between the two boroughs.  

The project is still years away from being completed. The environmental review is still a few months away and is a two-year process.