Air Train Almost Up and Running

The Air Train that will connect from the LIRR and different subways to Kennedy Airport may be open by the end of the year. Originally scheduled to open last year, a fatal train crash during a test run in September 2002 delayed the project; the crash was apparently due to poor communication and excessive speeds. Over $2 billiion has been pumped into this project, which hopes to make traveling to JFK easier. NJ Transit's Newark Airport stop (take the train to the monorail) has been successful, from our informal survey of the number of people with luggage getting off or on at the stop.

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By Jen Chung in News on November 30, 2003 5:10 PM

Comments [rss]

Dan

What NY needs is a dedicated heavy rail line from grand central/penn station to JFK that is express - i.e., only makes two stops JFK and NY. The Air Train is really only a slight improvement on the existing system - it still takes at least 45 min to get there, and you have to switch trains at Jamaica. That's not easy with lots of luggage. I agree the terminal needs lots of work too, but that's going on now. Look to Tokyo's Narita Express, or the new train from Inchon to downtown Seoul for examples of really functional public transport to the airport. I think that the taxi lobby must really be pushing hard to stop real public transport improvements.

william

umm...air train? why not give JFK a "face lift"? JFK, our crumbling piece of shit airport we so love to use. I doubt the Heathrow express would look so cool if heathrow looks like JFK, no?