By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
As the Port Authority’s controversial LaGuardia AirTrain project continues to be considered, other options are starting to garner support. As reported by Crain’s NY, of the 14 alternatives, an expanded light rail service is gaining speed with stakeholders.
The original plan for the LaGuardia AirTrain, which is still an option, is an elevated rail line at Queens’s Willets Point, connecting LaGuardia to the subway and Long Island Rail Road. It has support from big hitters including the Real Estate Board of New York, the Queens Chamber of Commerce and the NY Building Congress. Since October, however, the plan has been on hold, with Gov. Kathy Hochul asking the Port Authority to stop and review other options to connect the airport to Midtown.
As of November, a three-member independent panel for the Port Authority has been looking into viable alternatives. Last week, they released 14 mass transit options, opening up new debate. “They’re doing the right thing, putting ideas out there, asking people if they’re missing anything and getting comments,” said Tom Wright, CEO of the Regional Plan Association, a regional infrastructure nonprofit. “At the same time, the devil is in the details,” Wright added. “All these options have different costs, feasibility, and ridership projections and we haven’t seen anything yet with that.”
As per Crain’s, though the new options don’t have the full details ready yet, already five or more of the light rail options have grabbed backing from the AirTran’s most loyal supporters. “If it’s light rail, and engineers support it, then terrific. I just want to make sure it has interoperability,” said Tom Grech, CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “The rail connection to me is critically important.”
Community feedback sessions are slated to begin this week, with the other options being considered instead of the AirTrain. Five of the options, suggest that instead of building any multi-billion-dollar rail, a new dedicated or rapid transit bus route should be established from various location options. Those plans, however, have critics who point to traffic and bus reliability issues. “The first five bus solutions aren’t solutions. Buses are not the way to go,” said Grech. “You’re going to put buses on already crowded streets? It doesn’t make any sense.”
The light rail alternative, is a cheaper old-fashioned public transportation system like the one in place in San Francisco. Proposed light rail routes would connect the airport to different subway stations, including Willets Point and the JFK AirTrain terminal in Jamaica, Queens.
Other options include extending the MTA subway lines, or an expansion of ferry service.
