The QueensWay

New York City | New York

What We’re Doing
Partnering with the community to imagine and create a walkable, bikeable linear park that connects numerous communities and millions of people to the outdoors while generating economic, health, and climate benefits.

Our Goal
Repurpose a long-abandoned stretch of rail line to provide a safe, carbon-free transportation route for millions of New Yorkers.

Support Our Work in New York

An artist's rendering of what a portion of the future QueensWay linear park could look like.

The QueensWay by the Numbers

3.5

miles of trail

acres of greenway

adjacent schools

245K

residents within 1 mile

The QueensWay Vision: As Ambitious as They Come

In New York’s famed Queens borough, there’s a 3.5-mile stretch of abandoned railway that once ferried people across Jamaica Bay to the Rockaway Beach peninsula. Rather than letting it sit idle—as it has for nearly 60 years—we have the opportunity to revive this 47-acre area into a thriving green corridor called the QueensWay. This space is packed with potential and thanks to Mayor Eric Adams’s $35 million investment, we can now begin the process of turning these tracks into a flourishing greenway. It is poised to become an active transportation route for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, many of them kids who will enjoy a safer, greener route to and from school.

“When the QueensWay is completed, neighborhoods will be re-connected, air quality will be improved, and local businesses will get a much-needed boost,” says Friends of the QueensWay’s Travis Terry. “Rails-to-trails projects work and residents will finally have a safe and beautiful place to bike, jog, or take a stroll.”

We’re working with Friends of the QueensWay, community members, New York State, and New York City to bring this greenway to life. The pedestrian and bicycle pathway will connect the communities of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Richmond Hill, Glendale, Woodhaven, and Ozone Park. This would bring much-needed public green space, recreation areas, and opportunities for safe alternative commuting—all while providing community spaces to celebrate the cultural diversity of Queens.

“One of the benefits of the QueensWay is that it gives you the ability to go north or south, to school or from school, without having to cross a busy road. That’s something that any parent would want,” says Doug McPherson, a resident of South Ozone Park.

The threat of climate change means we need to tackle transportation emissions by supporting zero-carbon walking and biking transportation options. The QueensWay will allow people to connect to seven subway lines, a commuter rail station, and the Woodhaven bus rapid transit line. And it will be an important north-south link in the greenway network in Queens, connecting currently separated bike and pedestrian corridors throughout the city.

You can help support the QueensWay by signing our petition.

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About the Project

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Friends of the QueensWay

Friends of the QueensWay (FQW) is a grassroots community organization—consisting mainly of Central and South Queens residents—this is advocating for the conversion of the long-abandoned, 3.5-mile, 47-acre Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road into a family-friendly public park that can be enjoyed by bikers, walkers, joggers, visitors, tourists, workers, and residents in Queens. It is FQW’s intention to plan the reuse of this property in a way that not only creates an iconic park but also sparks economic and cultural development, improves quality of life and the environment, and provides greater access to all that Central Queens has to offer, including a direct, fast, and safe link to Forest Park.
March 13, 2024: Statement from Trust for Public Land on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Announcement of $117 Million Funding For the Next Phase of the QueenWay Project

September 16, 2022: New York City Budget Plan Includes $35 million for the Met Hub, Phase 1 of the QueensWay
Learn How the QueensWay Helped Ruben Ramales Cope with the Pandemic

When Ruben Ramales goes for walks with his pit bull, Lily, they head for the network of trails that winds through the eastern end of Forest Park.

Forest Park—165 acres of tulip trees, scarlet oaks, shagbark hickories, and black cherry trees—is one of the largest open spaces in Queens. Considering he can walk there in about 15 minutes from his home in the borough’s bustling Woodhaven neighborhood, Ramales says the forest is surprisingly wild … a place where Lily can sniff and explore and where Ramales can escape the hubbub and step out of his newly circumscribed life of Zoom meetings.

“What I love about Forest Park is that it does have a lot of untouched space, meaning you actually have real nature,” said Ramales, who’s executive director of the Queens chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

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Walking the Lines of America's Rail Trails

You might not know it, but TPL is the second-most prolific rails-to-trails organization in the country after the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. We’re not focused on one place or one type of trail; rather, we look for opportunities to bring more trails to communities, which often means repurposing existing rail lines.

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A Buck Doesn’t Go as Far as It Used To. Except At TPL...Where It Goes Further.

These days, everywhere you look, the value of a dollar seems to be going down. So when it comes to charitable donations, it’s more important than ever that your contributions make a meaningful impact. That’s why starting this week, we’re matching every dollar you donate to ensure critical projects, just like the ones below, get the funding they need.

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Sign the Petition

You can help support the QueensWay by signing our petition.

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Get in Touch with Our New York Team

Support Our Work in New York

New York Office

632 Broadway
Suite 902
New York, NY, 10012
(212) 677-7171
newyork@tpl.org

Tamar Renaud

Associate Vice President, New York State Director

332.245.2817
tamar.renaud@tpl.org