Out of the blue last Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to construct a new AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport. Traveling to the region’s domestic airport in northern Queens has long been a hassle (though it has gotten better in recent years), and the Governor’s plans will involve constructing a new, automated people mover system (similar to the system currently in place at JFK Airport) from the main airport terminals along the Grand Central Parkway to a new station in Willets Point, located between the existing Mets-Willets Point NYCT Flushing Line stop, which is presently served by 7 local trains 24-hours a day and express trains during rush hours to Manhattan in the Morning, and to Flushing in the afternoon and evening, as well as the Mets-Willets Point LIRR station, which is currently served by Port Washington Branch trains on event days.
The new plan is not more than a few days old, but there is no shortage of criticism on the Governor’s plan. Among the many issues cited with the proposed plan, one of the first things people point out with the plan is the fact that Willets Point is east of LaGuardia Airport, and Manhattan is west of the airport. As a result, those wanting to go from the airport to someplace in Manhattan will first have to travel east to Willets Point before doubling back west to get to Manhattan.
And this doubling back is not the most efficient way to get from point A to B. Based on preliminary, unofficial travel time estimates, using the proposed AirTrain to go from Manhattan to the airport will take roughly the same amount of time, if not take longer, than the existing surface transit options. In recent years, improvements in bus service to LaGuardia airport has seen tremendous improvements. In September 2013, the Q70 Limited began service. This route receives passengers at the Woodside LIRR station (where passengers can connect to LIRR services to New York Penn, or to 122 other LIRR stations, in addition to the 7 local and express), then the Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue station on the Queens Boulevard Line (where passengers can connect to or from the E, F, M, R, and 7 local trains). After those two stops, the bus heads directly to the airport terminals on the BQE, arriving there roughly 10 to 12 minutes later, where it loops around the airport and comes back to those two stops.
Additionally, a few months ago, service was inaugurated on the M60 SBS, a new and improved version of the slow M60 across 125ths Street in Manhattan. Dedicated bus lanes, off-board payment, and traffic light preemption, as common with most SBS routes, has sped up the trips (or at least made the trip slightly more reliable) for those coming to the airport from upper Manhattan or the Hudson Valley and Connecticut via Metro-North. The M60 also connects to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, B, C, and D trains across 125th Street (and, eventually, the Second Avenue Subway), which can get you to a decent chunk of the system without requiring any additional transfers.
Many others (like here, here, or here) have listed off, in depth, some of the potential issues with the Governor’s AirTrain plan. Some of the leading complaints include how NYCT’s Flushing Line is often fairly crowded, both during rush hours and during off-peak times. Additionally, the narrower IRT subway cars, in conjunction with more people being crammed in those cars, is not the most conducive to those travelling with luggage. However, the Flushing Line is currently undergoing extensive work to install CBTC which will allow NYCT to operate more trains per hour, hopefully relieving some of the crowding on that line.
The proposed AirTrain would also land nearby to the Mets-Willets Point LIRR station. As those who have taken the LIRR to or from Mets games or other events at Shea Stadium or Citi Field in the past, the staircases down to the LIRR platforms are a bit of a distance from the 7 train station and the stadium exit. That length of boardwalk separating the LIRR tracks from the subway and the stadium works to everyone’s advantage following events at the stadium, but the over 800 foot walk from the NYCT station (and where the AirTrain station is shown to be close to in the initial renderings), can be a bit of a walk for those travelling with luggage or small children, and may be a deterrent for those looking to connect to the LIRR onward from Willets Point.
And if passengers decide to hike it down that boardwalk, which I’ve traversed many times myself (often disappointed) following Mets games, they may not be too excited about how long they may have to wait for a train once they get there. Presently, the LIRR only operates half-hourly service during off-peak times, and there can be some larger gaps in service during the reverse-peak period. Considering that it’s not always easy to precisely time connections when you’re coming from an airport, chances lots of passengers will be spending a decent amount of time at Mets-Willets Point waiting for trains. During rush hours, trains on the Port Washington Branch are often crowded, and service isn’t always terribly frequent on the inner portions of the branch (since ridership at the four stations in Nassau County, Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome, and Port Washington, tends to easily dwarf the ridership at the stations in Queens).
Many supporters of the project have quickly arrived at the assumption over the past several weeks that the LIRR will be eager to add lots of more trains from Mets-Willets Point to support the AirTrain to Willets Point. While there is no clear presumption that they intend on doing just that at this point in the game, we can assume that there will (hopefully) be a nontrivial increase in the number of trains on the Port Washington Branch once East Side Access is open and in service, especially since the branch lacks a convenient transfer station, like Jamaica, for riders to switch to a train going to a different station (Woodside comes close, but the up-and-over transfers at Woodside are not the most pleasant, especially if travelling with luggage). However, there is still a notable chance that off-peak Port Washington Branch service is kept at two trains per hour, and there will only be one train to New York Penn and one train to Grand Central Terminal each hour during off-peak times. And this also assumes that East Side Access will be up and ready with all of its kinks worked out by time this project is completed, which may not be the case. In a joint statement that sounded very painful to write from the leaders of the MTA and the Port Authority released after the announcement, the agencies said that they could get the project done within five years of obtaining all necessary approvals. East Side Access is still at least seven years off, and with no firm end date in sight, the chance of that date getting pushed back further is more likely to happen than not. There’s a decent chance that if all goes somewhat closely to plan, the AirTrain to LGA could be up and running for some time before East Side Access is up and running, and before all of its kinks are worked out.
The MTA is one step ahead of the governor in a way with regard to the Mets-Willets Point station itself. As part of the MTA’s 2005-2009 Capital Program (two capital programs ago now), the Mets-Willets Point station will get some improvements that include track and signal improvements to facilitate operations at the center platform , new elevators to make the station accessible, platform and canopy extensions, new pre-fabricated platform shelters, and some drainage improvements at track level. Some of this work has already begun, with Shea Yard being used on weekdays to accommodate some trains that were displaced due to work on the Hudson Yards overbuild at West Side Yard, but there’s still some work to be done (and hopefully it’ll get done before this current capital program is finished!). Rehabilitating the center platform would afford the LIRR the opportunity to run trains to Mets-Willets Point and turn them there, but such short trips can be fairly inefficient and expensive once you have to try and find a way to make them fit in with the existing trains (since the LIRR seems very stubborn when it comes to adjusting their schedules to make things run together better).
But work on the station itself or any amount of additional trains on the Port Washington Branch still won’t change the fact that Mets-Willets Point is out on the Port Washington Branch and not directly connected to the rest of the system. Most passengers coming from Long Island do not live along the Port Washington Branch, and as a result, they will have to first travel to Woodside, then transfer to a Port Washington Branch train going east to Mets-Willets Point, before getting on the AirTrain heading back west when they’ll finally arrive at the airport (after making a huge zig-zag across Queens). It’s a problem that frequently causes headaches and longer travel times for passengers going to events at Mets-Willets Point, especially since the transfer at Woodside from Main Line to Port Washington Branch trains is not always the most convenient. Furthermore, since there are lots of trains from Long Island that do not stop at Woodside (including trains from all stations in diesel territory, Brooklyn trains, and the majority of trains during rush hours), a large number of travelers from Long Island will have to deal with one or more additional transfers at some point along their trip. Most passengers coming from stations on eastern Long Island will have to transfer at Jamaica, transfer again at Woodside, and then finally connect to the AirTrain at Mets-Willets Point. Passengers from the transfer-loving LIRR’s diesel branches or the West Hempstead Branch will likely have at least one additional transfer stuck in their trip as well. With all of the transfers and connections, taking the new AirTrain to LGA might actually take longer than the existing surface transit options (in particular, the Q70 Ltd.). One might wonder if the $450 million this project is expected to cost might be better spent on another project in the region that would be more beneficial to the region. There have been some other alternatives proposed over the years, and without going into the details of each, I’ve surmised the major pros and cons of three different AirTrain alignments (mapped here) in the following table. Personally, I like the Jackson Heights alignment the most, since it would offer the most transfer opportunities and has a decent chance of actually being faster than existing surface transit options for the majority of people coming from Long Island and the remainder of the region. The proposed Willets Point alignment is better than nothing—but only marginally so. If we are only going to have the money to build an AirTrain once, we ought to be really sure that we have it right before breaking ground. A $450 million AirTrain that is not really better than existing transit options and is subsequently at the risk of not being all that popular likely isn’t the wisest use of our limited transportation funds.
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(Abbreviations: LGA = LaGuardia Airport, WDD = Woodside, SSM = Mets-Willets Point, NYK = New York Penn Station)
Alignment |
Pros |
Cons |
Governor’s/ Willets Point Alignment |
Involves passing by very few residential properties, won’t face much political opposition, “path of least resistance”, shortest track-miles to construct, SSM station and yard currently undergoing improvements to support additional trains, would likely be able to utilize Passenger Facility Charges (PFC’s) to fund construction, CBTC work on NYCT Flushing Line will allow for more frequent service, ample parking facilities available at SSM, space available around SSM for yard facilities, conversion of SSM to a full time station may allow for additional travel opportunities for those communing from Long Island |
Takes passengers away from the CBD, fewer connecting transit options available at SSM, forces passengers onto the crowded NYCT Flushing Line, Port Washington Branch infrequent during the off-peak period or crowded during the peak period, forces an additional transfer if travelling uptown/downtown Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, requires a three-transfer trip for most passengers coming from Long Island (transferring at Jamaica, WDD, then again at SSM), presently no timed transfers at WDD for those traveling between SSM and stations on Long Island, peak Port Washington Branch trains are frequently crowded, narrow IRT cars not conducive to those travelling with luggage, no presumption of substantial additional service on Port Washington Branch following completion of East Side Access, not faster or more convenient for travelers coming from Long Island, the Hudson Valley, or Connecticut than existing surface transit options |
Jackson Heights Alignment |
Would offer passengers significantly more connecting transit options (LIRR Main Line trains at WDD, Queens Boulevard lines (E/F/M/R), would offer a two-seat ride to many locations in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island, more direct route from the CBD, would likely be able to utilize PFC’s to fund construction, connects to a number of additional local bus routes from Jackson Heights, does not require passengers to backtrack to SSM, CBTC work on Flushing Line will allow for more frequent service, East Side Access work may allow for increased travel options to NYK, GCT, and points on Eastern LI |
Longest in terms of construction miles, routing in vicinity of Jackson Heights may pose difficulties, little land space to place an AirTrain in Jackson Heights, crowding concerns on QBL lines during rush hours |
Astoria Alignment |
Direct ride to Manhattan, would allow one-seat ride to many locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, would allow for integration with the New York City Transit system, more direct route from Manhattan to the LGA, convenient transfers to most trunk lines in Manhattan for those travelling downtown |
Routing would face significant local opposition, N train has few convenient transfers in Queens, requiring almost all passengers to go into Manhattan before coming back out, may be difficult to secure the ability to utilize PFC’s, service to Astoria may be infrequent and crowded at certain times during the rush hour, would require passengers coming from Long Island to either backtrack form NYK or transfer at Queensboro Plaza |
