Queens' abandoned railway faces a future as park or transit revival

A long-abandoned railway in Queens could soon see new life as either a park or a restored transit line. The tracks, once part of the Long Island Rail Road’s Rockaway Beach Branch, have been unused since a fire in the 1960s. Two competing visions—QueensWay and QueensLink—are now vying for the space’s future. The QueensWay project aims to turn the 3.5-mile stretch of disused railway into an elevated park. It would include recreational areas, bike paths, and climate-resilient features. Its first phase, the Metropolitan Hub, is fully funded and set to begin construction later this year. The park would run north-south, crossing multiple school zones from Rego Park to Ozone Park.

QueensLink, a grassroots transit proposal, wants to reactivate the tracks for rail service. It would extend the M train from Queens Center Mall to the Rockaways via Forest Park. The group claims this would remove 4.7 million cars from the road annually and generate £8.9 billion in revenue. However, the MTA’s study found that restoring rail service would cost £5.9 billion, with benefits failing to justify the expense.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has backed QueensWay but stated its first phase would not block future rail options. QueensLink continues to challenge the MTA’s findings, insisting the economic and environmental gains make rail revival worthwhile. The debate centres on whether the space should become a park or a transit route. QueensWay’s first section is moving forward, while QueensLink pushes for rail reactivation. The outcome will shape transport and green space in Queens for decades.