The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified firms for the creation of a regional economic impact study, analyzing the economic inputs and outputs of the QueensLink project on the borough of Queens and the region as a whole. The study will evaluate the catalytic growth in direct, indirect, and induced impact on New York because of the development of the QueensLink project. Specifically, this project will measure the direct impact of spending to build the project and related germane costs, including payroll and employee compensation. Indirect costs are B2B, second-order effects that trickle down the supply chain. Induced effects are akin to household spending–what employees will then spend their payroll dollars on into the local economy. The output of this study will be a report documenting a suite of returns to the New York State economy in spending, jobs, and tax receipts that can then be reinvested into the community.

QueensLink’s goal is to reactivate the abandoned RBB as part of New York City’s subway network, bringing four new stations to critical transit deserts and struggling commercial corridors. The QueensLink vision will also provide bicycle trails, walking paths, and park space on the remaining 33 acres of land in the right-of-way. In addition to reconnecting north and south Queens with the M train, the QueensLink project includes bringing the G train back to Forest Hills. QueensLink is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new backbone for sustainable transportation and recreation within New York City. In early 2026, QueensLink released an Initial Business Case (IBC) study, authored by the Steer Group, solidifying the socioeconomic value the rail reactivation would bring to riders, nonriders, nearby community members, the MTA, and the State budget. The IBC should be used as a positioning document for future refinement and should keep the need for QueensLink urgent and relevant. Its findings demonstrated that the requisite ridership exists and will grow as the corridor develops and that the net benefit to the community means that New York State and the MTA should invest in this project over warehousing the investment dollars long-term.