Not to nitpick but you would be surprised how many people I have seen (pre covid) take buses to LGA. M60, SBS70 and to some extent #72 (but that’s mainly airport employees). I agree there needs to be direct train service but this current plan will mainly benefit Flushing and a small portion of Long Island. When I used to fly I would always take express buses from Grand Central.
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So is it just Hochul reviewing projects and WSJ putting their “spin on it”? Because that’s what I got from the short, roughly two paragraphs they gave us, and I have no intention of paying to see all of it.
It’s WSJ spin. No new news.
There’s zero reason to think that a NY governor would reject billions in federally approved funding for a transit project that NY and NJ (via the PA) have been working on for years. That would be pretty crazy.
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I’ve taken the bus to LGA plenty of times. It’s good, and usually quite crowded. They’re very popular routes. Subway-to-bus is currently the best way to get there for most people in the city.
The thing about this AirTrain project is that the PA’s own studies show that the train will save ZERO time compared to the existing bus for most people. I love trains (a lot!), but $2 billion for this specific project with almost no benefit is just an obscene misuse of my tax money.
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What’s crazy is spending $2 billion of taxpayer money on a project with almost no benefit for most airport users. And if they go ahead with this, it almost certainly rules out a sensible rail line to LGA in our lifetimes. This thing was a Cuomo pet project to benefit his developer buddies. It’s absolutely correct to re-examine it now, before construction actually starts. And they have a case. The EIS was rigged to not seriously consider alternatives.
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Would love to see a full train or subway connection to LaGuardia if they change plans
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It just seems like NY doesn’t go big and ambitious with transit projects anymore and when we do it takes decades to complete e.g. Eastside subway line and GCT Eastside access. There is currently no other concrete plans to expand the subway, we just have to settle for patch work maintenance and flood proofing what we have.
I think everyone’s in agreement that the extension of the subway into the airport would be the best option. Unfortunately in today’s world it ain’t gonna happen in our lifetime.
Extending the subway to the airport would probably not be a smart use of money. Commuter rail is much more efficient for airport travelers and employees, given luggage needs for travelers and long commutes for airport employees. Most cities around the world now build commuter rail to airports, not subways. Thankfully, the Airtrain will give riders both options.
There are plenty of higher priority subway projects. Obviously the Second Avenue Subway expansion is the top priority and second phase is partially funded. The Utica Ave. subway is also a top priority for the NY congressional delegation. Those two projects should be the focus in the next few years.
Sure, something like Heathrow Express is the ideal. But good luck building that here. (One can dream, but…)
If I’m hauling luggage, I care more about having a one-seat ride, or at least staying within one system. You know how I get to EWR? Subway to NJT to the crappy EWR AirTrain. That’s two transfers and three separate systems. If I could do that trip with fewer transfers, I wouldn’t care what kind of train it was. If people could just take the subway directly to LGA, I think most people would consider that very convenient.
But I don’t agree with the premise, either, that commuter railroads are necessarily more luggage-friendly. I’ve hauled my luggage on the A train to JFK plenty of times, and on NJT to EWR. You know what? I’d pick the A train over NJT any day of the week. The A train is actually much roomier with more room for luggage, I find. The luggage racks on most commuter trains are designed for briefcases, not suitcases, so my suitcase gets wedged between seats and takes up an extra seat that someone could be sitting in.
Besides, people aren’t flying to Paris from LGA. If you’re hauling three huge suitcases, you’re probably flying out of JFK, not LGA.
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This is great. Stop the worthless air train. M extension (underground) to LGA has always been the way to go.
Double the price, 10X the value.
There is no M extension to LGA. No such thing existing or planned, or within the realm of possibility.
And why on earth would it be “great” to have no rail access to LGA? Bizarre.
This was the idea I considered the most optimal.
People from NYC outside Queens are not going to want to go all to Flushing for the air train. It might work for Long Island people and maybe that’s who its aimed at.
To me it looks like a boondoggle not because its impractical: I understand it can basically be built now.
My point is it doesn’t ‘do enough’ to justify the cost, ie offer a realistic substitute to get to the airport for people in the city and will likely have embarrassingly low usage statistics.
The subway extension would do that and add stops along the way in a transit-less stretch of North-central Queens. I understand cost is likely more than $4B (2X) price, but it would serve many time the number of riders. It would also encourage development and raise real estate values along the route.
I get that this option would also take longer and that the Port Authority can’t in any way subsidize the subway (a New York only endeavor) unless there was some amendment to their charter, but to deny the subway expansion is an overall superior option is, to me to defy logic.
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That’s not a proposal, or plan, or anything. It’s just some random dude’s sketch.
And that person has no clue about the most basic aspects of regional transit. For one, this is a Port Authority project. The MTA has no jurisdiction over anything related to LGA.
The MTA isn’t buying the airports. They aren’t going to be building terminal connectors. They don’t have a penny budgeted for any of this, and no mention of any of this in their long-term plans or studies.
And subway and bus riders aren’t going to be subsidizing the airports, which is what would happen if you told the Port Authority to reject $2 billion in federal and passenger funding, and asked the MTA to take over.
Also, the dude’s map forgot like half the purpose of the Airtrain - provide a free, in-airport rail connection for airport passengers traveling between terminals, just as with the JFK and Newark Airtrains. Oops.
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I don’t understand why y’all keep bringing up the subway as if the port authority will fund that. I guess a M extension is theoretically possible however considering the costs of any land acquisition +tunnel boring/cut and cover that just isn’t going to happen with the current short falls the mta has on an annual basis. Not to mention there are more important lines to build out if and when subways are extended (triborough x for example, a 2/5 or 3 extension down to kings plaza, finally finishing the 2 ave line)
Also looking at that map, this would have to exclusively be dug under homes and residential buildings. That is a potential nightmare. There is a reason why lines run under roads.
The FAA recently changed its rules to allow airport money to go toward rail projects that serve more than just the airport.
The Port Authority and MTA have collaborated in the past and should be encouraged to collaborate on joint projects when it makes sense.
Saying we shouldn’t choose the best option because our bureaucracies are structured a certain way shows a real lack of ambition. I’m really sick of NY “exceptionalism” meaning we get the shittiest possible infrastructure compared to the rest of the world.
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I don’t believe that’s accurate. Not for LGA and not for the other airports.
Airlines generally try to situate themselves so that most connections are within the same terminal. When they do have a partnership that spans terminals, they usually provide a shuttle bus that runs behind security between those terminals. Very few people connect from an American flight to a Delta flight, for example, because they are not partners. But JetBlue is now partners with American, which is why JetBlue is moving into terminal B at LGA so they can share a terminal with American. At JFK, they just started a behind-security shuttle bus between the JetBlue and American terminals.
No one wants to exit and go through security again if it can be avoided, which is why the AirTrains are not primarily (or even “like half”) for passenger trips between terminals.
The M isn’t happening now or anytime soon. Move on.