Disputed LaGuardia AirTrain Plan Gets Federal Approval

EAST ELMHURST, QUEENS — Governor Andrew Cuomo's controversial plan to build an AirTrain from Willetts Point to LaGuardia Airport is one step closer to becoming a reality after receiving federal approval on Tuesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the proposed project plan on Tuesday, giving the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — which runs the airport and already approved $2 billion in funding for the project last year — the go-ahead to start construction.

Governor Cuomo, who announced in April that the project is in the state's 2022 budget, has consistently said that the AirTrain will "cut down travel time" despite opposing claims from transit experts, as well as pushback from local residents and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Cuomo first proposed the AirTrain in 2015 as part of his $8 billion effort to redevelop LaGuardia Airport, which is still underway.

Last September, the FAA held public workshops and hearings on the project's draft environmental review. In November, despite hundreds of comments in opposition to the project and dozens of project alternatives, the FAA concluded that the only "feasible" alternative to Cuomo's plan was to do nothing at all.

In response to the FAA's conclusion, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked agency officials to explain why they eliminated alternative plans that would extend existing transportation options to the airport.

"This decision will have a lasting impact on thousands of people in our community," Ocasio-Cortez said. "It's imperative that we understand why further investment and improvement of other transit options have been ruled out."

In addition to pushback from community members, some transit experts have long maligned the project, arguing that the Air Train could worsen congestion and traffic — despite its efforts to do the oposite.

"Compared to existing transit services, most riders using the AirTrain would spend more time traveling to LaGuardia than they do now," transit expert Yonah Freemark wrote in 2015, when Cuomo announced the plan.

Benjamin Kabak, editor of the transportation website Second Ave. Sagas, called the AirTrain "a $2 billion boondoggle with few transit benefits being driven solely by the governor's whims" in a Streetsblog op-ed.

Cuomo, and others within his administration, believe otherwise.

"For too long, LaGuardia Airport has had the dubious distinction of being the only major East Coast airport without a rail link, and that is unacceptable," Rick Cotton, the Port Authority director and a Cuomo appointee, said in June 2018.

Following Tuesday's decision by the FAA, Cuomo issued a statement saying that the AirTrain will serve as a "reliable, efficient, and affordable transit connector ."

"As we come out of the COVID crisis, our state and our country have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in a resilient, transformative, and interconnected future, and today's announcement is a testament to our 'all aboard' commitment to seizing it," he said.

The Queens Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement in support of the project, citing the "3,000 construction jobs" and "$500 million in contracting opportunities" that it will offer.

“This investment in LaGuardia Airport will catalyze economic activity that supports local businesses and local communities, and comes at a time when many small businesses in Queens are struggling to survive after a difficult year," the organization wrote.

In its own approval statement, the FAA described the project as a "reliable transit option for air travelers and employees at LGA."

In addition to connecting the airport to the 7 line and the Long Island Rail Road at Mets-Willets Point, the project includes passenger walkways, a parking garage connector, public transportation, and ground transportation facilities, according to the FAA.