It’s still in the early stages, but the MTA — and Queens and Brooklyn residents — are eager to see the Interborough Express, or IBX, happen.

The 14-mile proposed light-rail line would run between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights, using the old Long Island Rail Road Bay Ridge line and current CSX freight line. The MTA held its first in-person town hall on the Interborough Express Wednesday.

“I don’t have any concerns. I love the idea,” Flatbush resident Lisa Derrick said.

What You Need To Know

  • The MTA held its first in-person town hall on the Interborough Express Wednesday

  • The 14-mile proposed light-rail line would run between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights, using the old Long Island Rail Road Bay Ridge line and current CSX freight line

  • The agency is still working on its next five-year capital plan — so there are a lot of questions on whether the IBX will happen

  • The MTA will continue to take feedback online and at two more town halls this month

The line hasn’t carried passenger trains since 1924, but the MTA estimates weekday ridership of up to 115,000. It would connect 20 neighborhoods to 17 subway lines and the LIRR, also serving transit deserts like Flatlands, where Devin LaPierre lives.

“Right now I live in a two-fare zone, so I have to take a bus to get to the subway, and I work on the Upper East Side, so it would be great to have the IBX take me directly to the Q train and have a straight commute,” LaPierre said.

Potential riders came to give input on issues like where stations should be, and others got to address their concerns about noise.

“Right now, we have a freight train coming along once a day, usually at two or three in the morning. You don’t hear it too much. Now you’re going to have these trains running all day and all night. You know, there has to be some kind of consideration for the residents,” East Flatbush resident Abraham Ades said.

Construction is years away, with the two-year environmental review expected to start early next year. Even when that’s done, it’s not a done deal.

“It’s a very exciting thing to be talking about a new project. I mean, the turnout tonight is a sign of the enthusiasm people have. But it only makes sense to invest in a new line if we’re able to take care of our existing infrastructure for our existing subways, railroads and buses,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, deputy chief of staff for MTA construction and development.

The MTA recently released an extensive 20-year needs assessment, which is not yet funded. The agency is still working on its next five-year capital plan — so there are a lot of questions on whether the IBX will happen.

In the meantime, the MTA will continue to take feedback online and at two more town halls this month.