AirTrain LGA (A New LGA)
Nov. 7, 2019 By Allie Griffin
Six out of 10 people who recently commuted to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) said they would have used the AirTrain LGA to get there if it had already been built, according to a survey.
The online survey of 409 recent commuters to LaGuardia Airport found that there was even greater interest, 74 percent, in the AirTrain among commuters coming from Midtown and other areas in Manhattan.
The AirTrain, which the Port Authority aims to start constructing next year, will go from the airport to Willets Point. Commuters will be able get to Willets Point via the 7 Train and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).
A majority of LGA employees also hope to see the 1.5-mile AirTrain come to fruition, the survey released by the advocacy group A Better Way to LGA revealed. About 64 percent of airport workers who responded to the October survey said they would have used the AirTrain to get to and from work if it were in operation.
Proposed AirTrain LGA Map (A Better Way to LGA)
“These findings make clear what we in Queens have been saying for some time: an AirTrain at LaGuardia Airport will benefit travelers and our environment,” said Thomas Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of A Better Way to LGA. “The high numbers for demand for AirTrain will increase even further as the project comes to fruition.”
Most travelers get to LaGuardia Airport by car, with 70 percent of respondents reporting that they got there by personal car, Uber or another car service.
Furthermore, nearly two-thirds, or 64 percent, of respondents described their travel to or from LGA as “frustrating.” Of those, 37 percent described it as “very frustrating.”
The Port Authority estimates that a trip on the AirTrain from Midtown to LGA would take approximately 30 minutes, significantly faster than by car.
Commuters could take the 7 train or LIRR from either Grand Central Station or Penn Station then transfer to the AirTrain at Willets Point Station.
LaGuardia Airport is the only major airport on the East Coast without a rail connection. The Port Authority estimates that AirTrain would carry approximately 6.6 to 10 million riders per year by 2025.
The Port Authority aims to complete the AirTrain by 2022.
Despite the survey findings, many have criticized the AirTrain and its projected cost, which has swelled to $2 billion from its original $450 million price tag.
The results from a series of public forums on the AirTrain proposal revealed that many oppose it. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that 255 area residents gave feedback from May through June 2019 in opposition to the AirTrain for a variety of reasons, while just 55 supported it.
Many said that the 7 subway line is already overcrowded and can’t support additional riders, particularly those with luggage. More than 100 commenters suggested extending the N, W subway line as an alternative.
Critics also expressed concern that construction of the AirTrain would disrupt residential neighborhoods with constant noise and vibration from machines and that the railway would cut off the community from green space like Flushing Bay, the Flushing Bay Promenade and the World’s Fair Marina.
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5 Comments
I dont need this ill have my brother drive me. Its free.
How much would a ride cost? Kennedy AirTrain is going up to $7.75.
Did they ask those 6 out of 10 if they know about the Q70 bus from Jackson Heights? There is no way the AirTrain will be a shorter total trip, and that’s from pretty much regardless of your starting point. Plus, if you’re on, say, the Upper East Side, you’d have to first go to Penn Station (out of the way in both directions — downtown & west!) to get AirTrain. From many neighborhoods of Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens, you could ride ONE subway line, like the E or R or F, to Jackson Heights. And that bus ride generally takes no more than 10 minutes. (It doesn’t stop anywhere bw Jack Hts and LGA.) With the AirTrain, you may have to take a subway to Penn Station, then train to Flushing (which is overshooting LGA), then another train. This AirTrain is the stupidest thing ever, enormous waste of money. Just spread the word about the 70 bus!
Nobody with luggage wants to transfer from the subway to get a bus. This new air train will be far more convenient.
I would take the AirTrain if and only if it’s free. Otherwise I would save $7.75+ by taking the LGA bus from 61st Woodside, or the 74th Street Station (direct stop and free).