Report Urges MTA to Build Interborough Express as Fully Automated Line

The Effective Transit Alliance released a report Tuesday urging the MTA to commit to full automation for the planned Interborough Express, a $5.5 billion light rail line connecting Brooklyn and Queens. The advocacy group argues automation would allow more frequent service at lower cost by eliminating the need for staffed train operators and conductors. The report notes that 73 percent of newly built metro lines worldwide are now fully automated, pointing to the JFK AirTrain as a local precedent. A key driver is ridership: IBX projections have jumped 82 percent, from 87,000 to 160,000 daily riders, since the initial 2022 feasibility study. The ETA says automation would allow shorter platforms, smaller trains, and higher frequency without major additional capital cost. The MTA is expected to release a draft environmental impact statement later in 2026, and the ETA argues the agency must commit to automation technology during this planning window to avoid costly retrofits later. The Transport Workers Union Local 100 is strongly opposed: it recently pushed legislation through both state chambers — awaiting the governor's signature — to ban one-person train operation on NYC Transit lines.