LaGuardia AirTrain Project Receives Final FAA Approval
When landing or departing from LaGuardia airport in New York City, the main issue is the lack of public transportation. If Manhattan if your final destination, then you should get ready for a long ride.
But that could change soon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final approval for a monorail connecting trains from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport. The approval gives the go-ahead for the roughly $2 billion project to pursue federal funding.
The plan was first revealed back in 2015, but has faced pushback from surrounding communities and environmental advocates. Construction was first expected to start in 2020, but that never happened.
“The new LaGuardia Airport—the first new airport in the United States in over 25 years and the front door to New York—deserves a reliable, efficient, and affordable transit connector worthy of its destination,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “With the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval today of the LaGuardia AirTrain, that’s exactly what New Yorkers will get.”
The Airtrain will connect LaGuardia to the No. 7 train and the Long Island Rail Road at Mets-Willets Point. The route is not ideal, but it is apparently the best available. Travelers from Manhattan and most of New York City will have to travel east to get to Mets-Willets Point. They will then backtrack slightly northwest to arrive at LaGuardia airport.
The Port Authority has said the project won’t require the taking of any public property, NBC reports. It has projected ridership at 17,000 people per day in 2026 and slightly over 18,000 by 2031. The FAA on the other hand has estimated daily ridership at 13,000 people by 2026 and 14,000 by 2031.
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It’s a huge waste. There needs to be endpoint to endpoint transportation on an Airtrain from Manhattan to the airport. Relying on public transportation for part of the trip destroys any benefit. Not only is riding public transportation increasingly dangerous in NYC, there isn’t the reliability or ease of travel with suitcases that would be found on end to end travel on airtrain.
The original airtrain to JFK accomplished nothing and proved to be a waste. Of course we will continue to take taxis or Uber to the airports.
They should add an airport express line on the LIRR tracks to JFK – Jamaica and LGA – Willets Point, instead of forcing travelers on crowded commuter trains that are not luggage friendly.
this route is absolute insanity and the fact that cuomo was able to force it through is an indictment of the horrendous state of politics in NY. both AOC and the NY post came out against it – it is *that* bad. there’s a common sense option, which is extending the N train to LGA, and that was ignored.
I really doubt it will be “under 30 minutes” from Manhattan to LGA. It will probably be about the same time as now, but you won’t have to get on a bus.
an express busway with street separation would be superior to this. it really is a horrible option.
You guys know the routes better than I do although I lived in Oceanside growing up. Clearly whatever the end date is for this project, tack on a few more years and alot more costs.