NEW YORK, Feb 5 — New York City yesterday unveiled plans for a streetcar line along the East River that would link the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, connecting neighbourhoods that are poorly served by the subway system.

Dubbed the BQX, or Brooklyn Queens Connector, construction for the estimated US$2.5 billion (RM10.3 billion) project could begin in three years with completion expected around 2025.

Plans call for a 16 mile (25.7 kilometres) line, with the streetcar traveling at an average speed of 11.3 miles per hour (18 kilometres per hour) in a dedicated lane.

“It’s something I think is going to make a huge impact for hundreds of thousands of people,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told Hot 97 radio before the formal announcement of the plan at his state of the city speech yesterday night.

“This connects the two biggest boroughs and just makes people have a lot more ability to get around, a lot more opportunity. And I think it’s going to increase the quality of life in those neighbourhoods,” he said.

The areas served by the proposed streetcar line are growing in population and currently include nearly 50,000 public housing residents, de Blasio said.

If the project goes ahead, work could begin in 2019-2020, lasting about five years, according to the mayor.

The city estimates the streetcar would have an initial weekday ridership of 24,500, growing to 48,900 by 2035. — AFP-Relaxnews