8 Questions — and Answers — About the BQX Streetcar

Three de Blasio administration officials —Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and Maria Torres-Springer, president of the Economic Development Corporation — held a briefing with reporters Friday about the proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector. Here are the highlights: 

1. If the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront is doing so well, why does it need a $2.5 billion streetcar line?

Basically, to make the area do even better. Trottenberg acknowledged that residents of other areas of the city also need more transit — like the North Shore of Staten Island — but that in order to make sure the project is successful, people need to want to live and work there. Glen added that no other area of the city was growing faster in percentage terms. They both said that if this streetcar line works, they could bring the idea to other parts of the city. 

2. Won't the streetcar line divert tax revenues from other city priorities?  

The de Blasio administration says it won't. They surveyed 75 other cities and determined that transit improvements increase property values by 2 to 4 percent, conservatively. They said that would be enough money to pay for the project over 30 to 40 years. (Basically, the  city will borrow that $2.5 billion and then pay it back.) A similar scheme for Hudson Yards and the No. 7 extension hasn't worked out that well, however. Torres said the city will work to avoid a repeat. 

3. Why not build a very fast bus line for a tenth of the cost of light rail? 

Because buses aren't sexy. De Blasio's aides didn't use that term, but that's essentially what they said. Transit aficionados have been knocking the mayor's streetcar plan because it is glitzy. City officials say that's exactly why their plan will work: light rail will generate enough added value to pay for itself, whether it's because the rails embedded in the road bed connote permanence, or streetcars provide a roomier and more pleasant ride. But bus rapid transit hardly does anything at all in terms of tax revenue, according to their analysis. Who gets up in the morning excited to take a bus?     

4. Will there be free transfers from the streetcar to buses and subways? 

Yes, assuming the city can work out details with the MTA. The full fare will be the same as the subway's (currently $2.75), but the city's revenue projections are based on an average $1.33 a ride, which means the city has baked in free transfers, and discounts for students, seniors and the disabled.

5. Isn't this whole thing a giveaway to real estate developers? 

Yes. But again, de Blasio's aides were unapologetic about this. Glen said any new improvement by the city boosts property values. And whoever ends up buying condos from those developers will have to pay real estate taxes, which will be higher because of the streetcar. It is worth noting, however, that London imposed an extra 2 percent surcharge on top of property taxes to pay for its new Crossrail line, and suburban Washington, D.C., tacked on a similar percentage for the Silver Line.    

6. What about other transit priorities like the Utica Avenue subway?  

They said the mayor is still committed to other projects — since the streetcar is supposed to be self-financed, it won't hurt them. But Glen added that there are advantages to projects that can be done outside the parameters of the MTA: the city can push forward on the streetcar as fast as it wants, rather than having to negotiate with what is largely a state entity. 

7. How far will the streetcar stop from subway stations?

Up to a quarter mile, Glen said. That could make for long and inconvenient transfers: about a five minute walk for a healthy grown up, longer for elderly riders and children. 

8. When is it going to be finished?

Sometime in 2024, if all goes well.