"A better way to LGA" is further crystalizing with a nod from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Yesterday, the FAA released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a document supporting the AirTrain LGA, a $2 billion, 1.5-mile transit link that would connect LaGuardia Airport with public transit. As the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) sums it up: "The proposed AirTrain will create an environmentally-friendly, predictable, and efficient 30-minute rail connection between LaGuardia Airport and midtown Manhattan."
LaGuardia Redevelopment Plan
The connection is, in fact, not quite as direct as the PANYNJ's statement suggests, but rather a somewhat roundabout circulation requiring transfers to Queens' Willets Point station. Passengers embarking from midtown Manhattan would be able to reach Willets Point in 16 minutes via the Long Island Railroad, with direct, non-stop service from Penn Station and Grand Central Station. From Willets Point, it would take six minutes to reach the airport. An existing link to the 7 subway line would provide another connection for those who are east of those major transit hubs.
While many had called for a true subway line extension serving the airport, among other ideas, in the EIS the FAA reaffirmed its endorsement of the PANYNJ’s standing AirTrain plan as its "preferred alternative." Prior to the backing, nearly 50 other proposals were considered and quashed, including a gondola or helicopter service.
The AirTrain LGA is anticipated to create 3,000 construction jobs and $500 million in contracting opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses, as well as contracting opportunities for local, Queens-based businesses. The project also includes a more than $50 million investment for the Flushing Bay Promenade and other local parks.
The FAA is expected to release a “Record of Decision” later this spring, at which point construction on the AirTrain can begin. The initial stages of construction, including on-airport utility work and foundations for the AirTrain guideway and station, are slated to start in June 2021.
