FAA Is Asking For Public Input On LaGuardia AirTrain Plan

EAST ELMHURST, QUEENS — The Federal Aviation Administration is collecting public feedback on a controversial plan to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

The $1.5 billion AirTrain would run between the airport and Mets-Willets Point, where travelers could transfer between to and from the LIRR or 7 train. It is intended to reduce traffic congestion and shorten trips from Manhattan to the airport.

The public comment period is part of a yearlong study of the AirTrain's proposed routes on the Grand Central Parkway's median or along Flushing Bay.

During that process, the public can share what issues or alternatives they want studied for the review, which assesses the AirTrain's environmental impact and is required by federal law.

The AirTrain route cannot be finalized until its environmental review is done, because the FAA, which oversees the review, is required to assess all alternatives.

Construction would start in 2020, according to Cuomo's office. The AirTrain would open in 2022.

"Today, LaGuardia Airport is the only major airport on the east coast without a mass transit rail link," Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement.

"It is simply indefensible not to be planning to improve access to LGA at a time of severe increases in road congestion, travel times and the impacts of climate change."

The New York City metro area's two other major airports, Newark and J.F.K., each have AirTrain equivalents. But some critics say the LaGuardia AirTrain wouldn't save travelers time.

"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.

The current public comment period closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 17, though there will be future opportunities for the public to weigh in on the plan.

How to submit comments:

Submit comments online here or mail comments to comments@lgaaccesseis.com.

Comments can also be sent by mail to the following address:

Mr. Andrew Brooks
Environmental Program Manager - Airports Division
Federal Aviation Administration
Eastern Regional Office, AEA-610
1 Aviation Plaza
Jamaica, New York 11434