We’ve covered The Differences Between the 3 New York City Area Airports (JFK, LGA, EWR), where currently both New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) have AirTrains, which connect the airports to trains/subways to allow for seamless access into midtown Manhattan. However, LaGuardia is another story, as public transportation means taking a bus which connects you to the subway.
LaGuardia to Midtown Manhattan in 26 Minutes with New AirTrain Plans
However, that’s all about to change with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to add an AirTrain to LaGuardia by 2022. It would allow for a 26 minute connection from LaGuardia to midtown Manhattan, however there are opponents against the $1.5 billion proposal.
Per CBS,
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is touting his proposal for an elevated AirTrain to New York City’s traffic-clogged La Guardia Airport as paving the way toward a 30-minute commute from midtown Manhattan by 2022. But the plan’s complicated route is being questioned by transportation experts and drawing some derision on social media.
Part of a larger effort to upgrade La Guardia, which then-Vice President Joseph Biden in 2014 famously compared to an airport “in a third-world country,” Cuomo is looking to break ground on the La Guardia AirTrain in the next two years, with the project expected to cost more than $1.5 billion.
“AirTrain LGA will set an example of comprehensive transit infrastructure for the rest of the nation, and will pay dividends for decades by connecting riders to transit hubs across the metropolitan area, boosting passenger growth across all airlines, and providing a more efficient means of travel,” Cuomo said in a statement, using the three-letter symbol for LaGuardia.
As someone who flies out of New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) and uses the AirTrain now, I think adding an AirTrain option at LaGuardia is the right decision to connect travelers via public transportation to the city, which could help alleviate traffic as well.
Bottom Line
What are your thoughts on the proposal? Feel free to share your feedback in the comments below.Â
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The Air Train heads East instead of West. Typical bone head decision by NY. A much simper, faster and cheaper solution is to go directly from the LGA to Astoria. NY never considers anything cheaper and simpler because they have an unlimited ability to spend other peoples money.
and by the way – it’s NOT going to cost $1.5 billion. More like $3.5 billion. Its New York, after all.
they also had that grand vision for JFK’s terminal configs, but until construction actually commences, I definitely won’t be holding my breath
@Captain Obvious : AirTrain JFK and AirTrain EWR both work cuz they’re connected to rail networks that head both directions … your solution for AirTrain LGA to Astoria barely benefits those heading into Manhattan and nearly useless for anyone for the rest of Queens or Long Island
The Willets Point currently chosen is probably the easiest to secure land to build the infrastructure. The longer but much better connected point of Roosevelt-74 Street (Jackson Heights) is pretty much impossible to build any above ground infrastructure without NIMBY lawsuits dragging it out for years.
If you think it’s so easy to do, just remember that Heathrow is still waiting for Runway # 3.