About

In 2011, local Queens residents living along the long-abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch came together to advocate for its transformation into a vibrant public park. This grassroots effort led to the creation of Friends of the QueensWay (FQW), a community-driven organization supported by hundreds of individuals and groups through petitions, fundraisers, cleanups, tours, and events. Their shared vision: to reimagine this 3.5-mile stretch as a thriving greenway for walkers, joggers, cyclists, and visitors from Queens and beyond.

That same year, Friends of the QueensWay partnered with Trust for Public Land to engage the community, gather input, and develop a plan to transform these 47 acres into a green space that connects neighborhoods and drives economic and cultural growth. This corridor has remained unused since 1962, serving only as a hazardous, deteriorating dumping ground that runs through the heart of the neighborhood. With plans now in place, the QueensWay offers the opportunity to transform a forgotten space into a park that will connect hundreds of thousands of residents to better health, sustainable transportation, and climate resilience.

For more than 50 years, the old Rockaway Beach Branch line has been abandoned. During this time, trees have sprouted and matured along the former right of way, creating a dense canopy and a diverse habitat for birds and other wildlife. With little management and care, illegal dumping has become an increasing problem. Trash and remnants of drug and alcohol use litter the ground. Degraded soil and invasive vegetation of railway embankments allow stormwater to flood adjacent homes and backyards.

Many people are unaware of this hidden stretch of trees and dense undergrowth intermingling with the old rails, with viaduct bridges at road crossings providing the rare clue to the 3.5-mile path stretching from Rego Park to Ozone Park. However, over the last 10 years many residents have begun to view this land as a potential new amenity for the people of Queens, especially the adjacent neighborhoods of Forest Hills, Rego Park, Glendale, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. In 2011, an advocacy group called Friends of the QueensWay was formed to advance the conversion of the land into a 21st century linear park for the borough and the City.

Dig into more of the history of the QueensWay and the plans to transform it into a vibrant greenway.

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“Investing in parkland is critical to the quality of life in Queens. The QueensWay project is an ambitious plan that has the potential to be the new gem of open space in the borough. The plan would provide sprawling public parkland and would be a treasured resource for local families, children and seniors, as well a boon for the environment and the Queens economy. I look forward to further progress resulting from the study in the weeks and months ahead. I applaud Friends of the QueensWay and the Trust for Public Land for their work in engaging community members each step of the way, and I know that they will continue to do so as the project moves forward.” —U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, (D) Queens

“Parks are too often neglected and QueensWay would offer more access to open space and parkland. Parks provide an economic benefit to local business, retail establishments and restaurants and people of all ages would be able to enjoy the recreational opportunities which this new green space would provide.” —Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, (D) Central Queens

“Having grown up near the long-abandoned railway and recognizing the potential it has to be a meaningful and substantive community resource, it is great to finally see a realistic proposal to do just that. The QueensWay Plan will provide our communities with a tremendous opportunity for investment into our local economy by showcasing our distinct neighborhoods, traditions and communities, all interconnected through a single, transformative, safe, family-friendly park. I look forward to continuing to work with the Friends of the QueensWay, the community, and my colleagues in government to make this plan a reality.” —New York State Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi

“For over 50 years this abandoned railway has deteriorated into a rusting, garbage strewn repository of urban blight. I applaud the QueensWay Plan for its vision of transforming this urban scar into a “green” destination. I look forward to working with community members and the Friends of Queensway in the development of parkland that will be enjoyed by Queens residents for generations to come.” —Council Member Karen Koslowitz, 29th District

“New Yorkers for Parks strongly supports the concept plan developed by the Trust for Public Land and its community partners for “Queensway,” a new linear park that would provide vitally needed parkland and park connections in underserved Queens communities, improving park equity and safe biking and walking opportunities with connections to transit. Queens deserves the same chance to turn an abandoned rail right of way that has been derelict for 60 years into a true community asset and a building block in NYC’s recovery, driven by our essential parks.” —Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, Adam Gansler

“The Queensway project would create more greenspace and biking space, improve ecology and wildlife, and help advance resiliency efforts. It will also enhance street safety for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as slash air pollution in communities that are systematically overburdened by the effects of climate change. That’s why we continue to support this project. We thank the Trust for Public Land for their leadership” —President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, Julie Tighe

“Completion of the 3-mile Queensway project would serve some of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City and create badly needed pedestrian and bicycle connections to seven subway lines and a commuter rail line.” —President of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Ryan Chao

Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives Paul Steely White said: “The QueensWay will provide much-needed new open space for Queens residents. We thank the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay for getting us to this point. A key to making the QueensWay a success will be safe connections to it for bicyclists and pedestrians. We look forward to working with Queens residents to realize the continued development of a robust network to make biking and walking Queens safer and more enjoyable.” “Our city’s open spaces are treasures that play an integral part in ensuring New York’s future is greener and greater. We are happy to support the development of the QueensWay project and believe it will benefit the cultural and economic vitality of the neighborhoods it touches.” —Ed Skyler, Citi’s Executive Vice President for Global Public Affairs and a former New York City Deputy Mayor

“It’s tremendous to see such an innovative and forward-looking project come to Queens. The QueensWay has the potential to transform a borough that is badly lacking in open space. The project wonderfully re-imagines how to use the borough’s existing infrastructure.” —Executive Director of the Center for Urban Future Jonathan Bowles

“On behalf of the Friends of the Highline, I would like to congratulate the Friends of the QueensWay and the Trust for Public Land for today’s announcement of the very thoughtful plans for the QueensWay. The conversion of abandoned rail corridors into parks can unlock a number of extraordinary benefits to the communities in which they exist.  Completing a truly detailed plan driven by community interests such as the one announced today for the QueensWay is a major milestone on the path to success.” — Co-Founder of the Friends of the Highline Joshua David