AirTrain LaGuardia: Difference between revisions

AirTrain LaGuardia
AirTrain LaGuardia
	Rendering of AirTrain LaGuardia
Overview
Status	Canceled
Owner	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Locale	Queens, New York City
Termini	Mets–Willets Point stations (LIRR and subway); LaGuardia Airport;
Stations	3
Service
Type	People mover
Operator(s)	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Technical
Line length	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Character	Elevated
Proposed route
Proposed route
	Legend

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AirTrain LaGuardia was a proposed 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) people mover system and elevated railway in New York City, United States, that would provide service to LaGuardia Airport in Queens. It would have connected with the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in Willets Point, similar to how the existing AirTrain JFK system connects John F. Kennedy International Airport's five terminals to the LIRR in southern Queens at Jamaica station and to the subway at both Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station and Howard Beach–JFK Airport station; and how the existing AirTrain Newark station connects Newark Liberty International Airport's three terminals to NJ Transit Rail Operations and Amtrak at a dedicated station.

The system was to have been constructed and operated under contract to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which operates the airport, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In 2015, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to build a people mover similar to the AirTrain JFK, and in 2018, the New York State Legislature approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. Construction was to begin in 2021, with a projected opening in 2024; however, the project was indefinitely postponed in late 2021. In March 2023, the project was officially abandoned after the estimated cost reached $2.4 billion, five times the initial estimate.

The AirTrain project had been highly controversial. Advocates said that it would improve access to the airport from the subway and LIRR, alleviate traffic congestion, and reduce air pollution in and around East Elmhurst. The project was opposed by residents of nearby communities, as well as some transit advocates who objected to its indirect route to Midtown Manhattan, high cost estimate, and potential to prevent further rail transit connections to LaGuardia.

Context

LaGuardia Airport had no rail service when the AirTrain was proposed in 2014. The only public transportation is by bus via the Q47, Q48, Q70 SBS, Q72 and M60 SBS routes, all of which connect to the subway. The Q70 also connects to the LIRR at Woodside station, while the M60 SBS runs to Manhattan, connecting with the Metro-North Railroad at Harlem–125th Street station as well as with several subway routes.^[1]^[2] In 2014, 8% of LaGuardia's 27 million passengers took the bus, compared to the 12% of the 53 million passengers using John F. Kennedy International Airport who took AirTrain JFK.^[3] Similarly, in 2008, 75% of LaGuardia's passengers took a taxi or car service, but only 16% rode a bus or van.^[4]

The New York metropolitan area's other two major airports have rail connections. AirTrain Newark, the monorail at Newark Liberty International Airport, opened in 1996, has connected that airport to commuter trains since 2000.^[5] AirTrain JFK, the people mover at JFK Airport, opened in 2003.^[6] AirTrain LaGuardia was proposed to be a people mover like the one at JFK.^[7]

Description

As planned, the AirTrain LaGuardia would have run from LaGuardia Airport with two stops within the airport, before running over the Grand Central Parkway for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) before terminating in Willets Point near Citi Field and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and would have connected there with the New York City Subway's 7 and <7> trains at the Mets–Willets Point station and with the Long Island Rail Road's Mets–Willets Point station.^[8]^[9]^[10] The AirTrain trip would have taken 6 minutes, and the LIRR ride to Manhattan would have taken another 20 minutes.^[11]

The Mets-Willets Point subway stop would have been rebuilt, and $50 million had been allocated toward planning and designing this work in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program. Also as part of that Capital Program, the LIRR stop was to have been rebuilt for $75 million. The subway station and the LIRR station were to have been integrated with nearby buses as part of the overhaul for greater intermodal connectivity.^[12]^{: 4, 8, 37, 56, 118, 140} The station was planned to potentially hold ancillary airport functions, employee parking, and a Consolidated Rent-a-Car facility.^[13]^: 30–31 To allow the construction of the Willets Point AirTrain station, the Casey Stengel Bus Depot was to have been relocated. $50 million was allocated in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program to acquire property for a replacement depot.^[12]^{: 6, 37, 45}

History

Earlier proposals

A rail link to LaGuardia Airport had been proposed since 1943, when the city Board of Transportation proposed an extension of the New York City Subway's BMT Astoria Line (currently served by the N and W trains) from its terminus at Ditmars Boulevard.^[14] This was the first of 20 proposals for direct links to New York-area airports, all of which were canceled.^[15]

In 1990, the MTA proposed the New York City airport rail link to LaGuardia and JFK airports, which would be funded jointly by agencies in the federal, state, and city government.^[16] The rail line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan, crossing the East River via the Queensboro Bridge's lower-level outer roadways, which had been formerly used by trolley cars.^[17] It would stop at Queens Plaza, then use the right-of-way of the Sunnyside Yards and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to access LaGuardia Airport.^[18] After stopping at LaGuardia, the line would continue parallel to the Grand Central Parkway with an intermediate stop near Shea Stadium in Willets Point, with a connection to the 7 and <7> trains at Willets Point Boulevard.^[16]^[18] Continuing down the parkway, the line would have another intermediate stop in Jamaica, connecting to the LIRR at Jamaica Station, and then proceed nonstop down the Van Wyck Expressway to JFK Airport.^[16]^[18] The Port Authority seriously considered the proposal,^[19] commissioning an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the rail link.^[18] However, due to rising costs, the Port Authority canceled the direct rail link between LaGuardia/JFK and Manhattan in May 1995.^[20]^[21]^[22]

Prior to the construction of AirTrain JFK in 1997, Mayor Rudy Giuliani opposed the AirTrain at JFK because of a monetary dispute between the state, city, and Port Authority.^[23] Giuliani wanted the Port Authority to study the possibility of extending the BMT Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport, among other things.^[24] Later that year, Giuliani agreed to the AirTrain JFK plan, and the Port Authority agreed to conduct a feasibility study on a similar LaGuardia rail link.^[25] In 2003, $645 million was budgeted to extend the Astoria Line to the airport, but the extension was never built due to community opposition in Queens.^[26]^[27]

Planning and construction

Plans

On January 20, 2015, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to build a people mover similar to AirTrain JFK.^[7] It would follow the Grand Central Parkway for one and a half miles, similar to how the AirTrain JFK runs along the median of the Van Wyck Expressway between Jamaica and JFK. The line would terminate in Willets Point near Citi Field and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and would connect there with the New York City Subway's 7 and <7> trains at the Mets–Willets Point station and, via an existing passenger bridge, with the Long Island Rail Road's Mets–Willets Point station on the Port Washington Branch.^[8]^[9]^[10] The governor's office estimated the cost for the project to be $450 million, which later increased to $1.5 billion.^[28]^[13] Unlike the other proposed AirTrain routings, the Willets Point route was to be located on government-owned land and would not require capture of private property.^[29]

The first contracts for the AirTrain itself were awarded in May 2016. A pair of contracts, totaling $7.5 million, were awarded for preliminary engineering work at the two Willets Point stations and expected to be completed in 2017.^[7] One contract, costing $4.6 million and awarded to STV Inc, was for studies of the LIRR station's platform lengthening and an ADA-accessibility retrofit. The other, a $2.9 million contract given to HDR Architecture and Engineering PC, was for studies regarding the subway station's complete renovation and ADA-accessibility.^[7] The airport renovation as a whole started construction on June 14, 2016.^[30] $1.5 billion was allocated for the construction of the rail link as part of the introduced 10-year $29.5 billion plan for the Port Authority. New York Commissioner Kenneth Lipper tried to have the plan amended with all funding for the AirTrain removed, citing concerns that the project would leave the agency in financial difficulty.^[31]

In January 2017, the PANYNJ released its 10-year capital plan that included AirTrain LaGuardia funding. Construction is projected to start in 2019, with passenger service in 2023.^[13]^: 35 On February 6, 2017, the PANYNJ announced that it had opened a four-week-long request for proposals. The firm that is awarded the RFP would design three AirTrain stations—two inside the airport's new terminals and one at Willets Point—as well as plan the right of way from Willets Point to the airport.^[32] In May 2017, WSP USA was hired to design the AirTrain.^[33] The PANYNJ awarded another $55 million to the project in November 2017, bringing the total funds allocated for planning to $75 million.^[34]^[35] In April 2018, the Port Authority ruled out the possibility of routing the AirTrain along Grand Central Parkway, after consultation with residents of nearby East Elmhurst who opposed such a routing. The other options for routing the AirTrain included either placing it on a promenade adjacent to Flushing Bay, or over the bay itself.^[36]

Environmental impact statement

In June 2018, the New York State Legislature approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. This allowed the PANYNJ to start acquiring public land for the AirTrain's route, as well as for environmental impact studies to be conducted.^[37]^[38] Under the original plan, the AirTrain would start construction in 2020 and be complete by 2022.^[39]^[11] The Port Authority subsequently began environmental studies for three possible routings of the AirTrain to Willets Point, as well as the no-build alternative.^[40] Some residents and environmental groups opposed the project and requested results from the EIS upon its completion.^[41] Environmental groups worried that the AirTrain's construction would pollute Flushing Bay, which had just been cleaned at that point.^[42] A subsequent proposal to route the AirTrain over the waterfront was also met with opposition.^[43] Cuomo announced in May 2019 that the MTA would partially pay for the AirTrain's construction.^[44] By late 2019, the Port Authority was planning to award contracts for the AirTrain in 2021, with the line opening in 2024.^[45]^[46]

The Federal Aviation Administration released a draft EIS and opened public comments for the project in August 2020.^[47] In March 2021, the FAA released their final EIS on the project; at the time, work was supposed to commence in June 2021 and the AirTrain LGA would be opened by 2026.^[48]^[49] In June, the project was set for further review by the FAA after complaints that other options were not properly explored.^[50] The public provided 4,200 comments on the proposed Airtrain LGA before the FAA approved the project in July 2021.^[51]^[52] Several environmental lawsuits sued the FAA in September 2021,^[53]^[54] prompting the FAA to consider delaying the project.^[55]

Postponement and cancellation

When Kathy Hochul succeeded Cuomo as governor in late 2021, critics of the project called for her to cancel it.^[56] Hochul said in October 2021 that she had directed the PANYNJ to consider alternatives,^[57]^[58] and the authority presented 14 options in March 2022, including extending the BMT Astoria Line to provide service to the airport.^[59]^[60] Meanwhile, Hochul announced that, starting on May 1, 2022, the Q70 bus would no longer charge fares as a temporary measure while the New York state government studied alternatives to the AirTrain plan.^[61]^[62]

The AirTrain LGA project was canceled in March 2023 after the project's budget had increased to $2.4 billion, over five times the original $450 million estimate.^[63]^[64] The decision came after a panel of three transportation experts recommended that the frequency of the Q70 bus be increased and that the PANYNJ operate a shuttle bus route from the airport to the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station. The panel also suggested turning a mile-long section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into a dedicated bus lane. According to Janette Sadik-Khan, one of the three panelists, the enhanced bus service would cost $500 million.^[64]^[65]

Reception

The proposal had been strongly criticized by transit advocates as being slower than existing transit modes and likely to increase loads on the 7 and <7> trains, which already operate at full capacity. This would have been alleviated somewhat by the automation of trains on the IRT Flushing Line, which would have allowed more 7 and <7> trains to run every hour.^[66]^[67] However, the proposed AirTrain transfer at Willets Point would have been 20 stations away from the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station, the western terminus of the 7 and <7> trains (10 stations away via the rush-hour peak-direction express).^[66] It was estimated that transferring from the subway to the AirTrain would have taken longer than transferring from the subway to the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus at 61st Street–Woodside, which is eight local stops closer to Manhattan than the Willets Point station is. The AirTrain would also not have benefited many LIRR riders; the Port Washington Branch is the only LIRR route that does not go through Jamaica station, so riders from the rest of Long Island would have had to transfer at the Woodside station to access the Port Washington Branch.^[68]^[35]

According to one critic, even with a capacity increase, the route was not worth traveling due to its distance from most of the rest of the city, as "transit travel times from LaGuardia to destinations throughout New York City—from Grand Central in Midtown Manhattan to Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica in central Queens to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx—would be longer for passengers using the AirTrain than for passengers using existing transit services already offered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority."^[68] A writer from Slate called the project itself "dumb," saying that the project was a pet project for Cuomo and an "egregious misuse of money and initiative, in a city whose everyday transit functions are at capacity, to extend such a gift to airport travelers, of all people."^[69] The Village Voice called the project an "unmitigated disaster" for its convoluted, unwieldy route, and asked, "Why would [Cuomo] build [the AirTrain's] terminal at Willets Point, which is even further from the city than the airport itself?"^[70] One alternative suggestion involved the previously rejected proposal to extend the Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport rather than building the AirTrain to Willets Point.^[39] Another critic called the $2.05 billion estimated construction cost "exorbitant" and proposed dedicated busways as a more direct and cost-effective solution.^[71]

In January 2020, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst, wrote to the FAA asking why 46 alternatives were rejected and noting that over 60% of the 414 public comments collected by the FAA were in opposition to the proposed routing.^[72]^[73] Hiram Monserrate, the area's Democratic District Leader, also objected that the FAA's approval had bypassed a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure analysis, as would have been mandated for other large projects.^[73] The same month, residents and business owners along the AirTrain's proposed route protested against the construction of the AirTrain on that route.^[74]

Many government officials and advocates supported the plan. In 2017, the Newsday editorial board wrote a piece in support of the AirTrain LaGuardia project, saying that it would increase mass transit patronage to the airport. The board cited AirTrain JFK as an example, saying that "officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimate the AirTrain provides 7.5 million rides to air travelers annually", and arguing that LaGuardia Airport needed a similar mass-transit airport link.^[75] Rick Cotton, executive of the Port Authority, said in an opinion article in the New York Daily News: "Let's stop talking about the red herring of 'doubling back' and focus on choosing the best route based on real issues, including the impact on neighborhoods, disruptions to highways, rail and utilities, and passenger experience, as well as cost."^[76] In 2020, a group of former New York City transportation commissioners wrote an op-ed in the Daily News in which they strongly supported the final AirTrain LaGuardia proposal. The commissioners wrote that the final proposal was the only viable option, saying that "the envisioned one-seat ride was never really one-seat" and that LaGuardia Airport was the only major New York City area airport without a train connection.^[77]

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^ Harris, Connor (July 3, 2019). "The LaGuardia AirTrain project is a truly stupendous waste". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
^ Flamm, Matthew (January 13, 2020). "Ocasio-Cortez challenges Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain project". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Guse, Clayton (January 13, 2020). "AOC leads familiar fight over train to LaGuardia Airport". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
^ Acevedo, Angélica (January 13, 2020). "Queens protesters say they're getting 'third-world' treatment over LGA AirTrain". QNS.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
^ Newsday Editorial Board (November 25, 2017). "Editorial: Build a new train to the plane". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
^ Cotton, Rick (January 1, 2020). "The LaGuardia AirTrain makes sense: Gov. Cuomo's Port Authority man defends the embattled plan". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
^ Horodniceanu, Michael; Sandler, Ross; Schwartz, Sam; Soffian, Gerard (September 22, 2020). "Build this AirTrain to LaGuardia: It is the best option available". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.

External links

Governor Andrew Cuomo's Office's rendering via Flickr

[1] "mta.info | Services to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports". web.mta.info. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.

[2] "By Public Transit – LaGuardia Airport". LaGuardia Airport. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.

[3] Long Island News & PRs (February 12, 2015). "Governor Cuomo Announces AirTrain JFK Reaches Record High Ridership in 2014". LongIsland.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.

[4] Parry, Bill (July 28, 2016). "First contracts awarded for LaGuardia AirTrain project". TimesLedger. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.

[5] Sharkey, Joe (June 1, 1996). "NEW JERSEY DAILY BRIEFING;Monorail Opens With Spat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2016.

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[Durkin_2015-7] Durkin, Erin (January 20, 2015). "Andrew Cuomo Announces $450M Plan to Build AirTrain Connecting LaGuardia Airport to the Subway". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

[ny.gov-8] "Building A New New York" (PDF). ny.gov. Government of New York. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.

[Maps_of_proposed_Airtrain_LGA_route_at_ny-9] "Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[Grynbaum_2015-10] Grynbaum, Michael M. (January 20, 2015). "Cuomo Wants Elevated Train Link Built to Ill-Served La Guardia Airport". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.

[Rivoli_2018-11] Rivoli, Dan (June 25, 2018). "LaGuardia AirTrain moves forward after Cuomo signs bill". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

[mta.info_2017-12] "Amendment to the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[Port_Authority_of_New_York_and_New_Jersey_2017-13] "PANYNJ Proposed Capital Plan 2017-2026" (PDF). Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. January 11, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

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[Rauh_2016-30] Rauh, Grace (June 14, 2016). "Biden Joins Cuomo for Groundbreaking for Expansion of LaGuardia Airport". TWC News. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.

[31] Higgs, Larry (January 5, 2017). "Billions for PATH extension, bus terminal included in PA spending plan". NJ.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.

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[33] Rivoli, Dan (May 9, 2017). "NYC firm hired for $14.6M to develop LaGuardia AirTrain proposal". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.

[34] Rivoli, Dan (November 16, 2017). "LaGuardia AirTrain planning sees $55M boost from Port Authority". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.

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[36] O'Reilly, Anthony (April 26, 2018). "LaGuardia AirTrain won't be on the GCP". Queens Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.

[37] Warerkar, Tanay (June 25, 2018). "New looks at LaGuardia AirTrain, now one step closer to reality". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

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[40] Gannon, Michael (September 13, 2018). "LGA AirTrain: All sides prepping for the plan". Queens Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.

[41] Gannon, Michael (September 20, 2018). "LGA air train foes seeking PA studies". Queens Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.

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[43] Gannon, Michael (April 4, 2019). "LGA AirTrain plans shift to Promenade". Queens Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.

[44] Bredderman, Will (May 30, 2019). "Port Authority to subsidize MTA for LaGuardia AirTrain connection". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.

[45] Spivack, Caroline (October 25, 2019). "Port Authority approves billions for airport rail projects". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.

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[47] Acevedo, Angélica (August 22, 2020). "You can make your case for or against proposed LaGuardia Airport AirTrain". amNewYork. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.

[48] Carey, Liz (March 19, 2021). "FAA releases Environmental Impact Statement on LaGuardia AirTrain project". Transportation Today News. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.

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[54] Kaye, Jacob (September 21, 2021). "Environmental groups take AirTrain to court". Queens Daily Eagle. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[55] Mongelli, Lorena (October 3, 2021). "FAA considering pausing LaGuardia's AirTrain project after lawsuit filed". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

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[Nessen_2022-60] Nessen, Stephen (March 3, 2022). "After scrapping Cuomo's AirTrain, Port Authority releases 14 other options". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

[NBC_New_York_2022-61] "Q70 Bus to LaGuardia Is Free for All Starting May 1, Hochul Says". NBC New York. April 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.

[Izzo_2022-62] Izzo, Justin (April 27, 2022). "Q70 bus to LaGuardia to be free, Hochul says". Spectrum News NY1 New York City. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.

[Simko-Bednarski_2023-63] Simko-Bednarski, Evan (March 13, 2023). "AirTrain to LaGuardia canceled after Port Authority review". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

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[amny_201507-66] Harshbarger, Rebecca (July 30, 2015). "New AirTrain not worth the trip thanks to crowded 7 train: transit advocates". AM New York. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.

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[71] Harris, Connor (July 3, 2019). "The LaGuardia AirTrain project is a truly stupendous waste". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

[72] Flamm, Matthew (January 13, 2020). "Ocasio-Cortez challenges Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain project". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|Proposed people mover system at LaGuardia Airport in New York City}}
+{{Short description|Unbuilt people mover system in New York City}}
-{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
 {{Use American English|date=December 2021}}
 {{Infobox rail line
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 | image_width                     =
 | image_alt                       =
-| caption                         = Rendering of future AirTrain LaGuardia
+| caption                         = Rendering of AirTrain LaGuardia
 | type                            = [[People mover]]
 | system                          =
-| status                          = Abandoned
+| status                          = Canceled
 | locale                          = [[Queens]], [[New York City]]
 | start                           = Mets–Willets Point stations ([[Mets–Willets Point station (LIRR)|LIRR]] and [[Mets–Willets Point station (IRT Flushing Line)|subway]])
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 | daily_ridership                 =
 | ridership2                      =
-| planopen                        = {{start date|2024}}
+| planopen                        =
 | open                            = <!--{{start date|YYYY|MM|DD}}-->
 | yearcommenced                   = <!--{{start date|YYYY|MM|DD}}-->
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 uexhSTR\
 uhCONTgq\uxhKRZho\BLa!~uhACCq\uhCONTfq~~ ~~ ~~[[Mets–Willets Point station (IRT Flushing Line)|Subway station]]
-uexhSTRle\BL!~uexKACCeq~~ ~~Mets—Willets Point
+uexhSTRle\BL!~uexKACCeq~~ ~~Mets–Willets Point
 CONTgq\STRq\BLe!~HSTq\CONTfq~~ ~~ ~~[[Mets–Willets Point station (LIRR)|Long Island Rail Road station]]
 }}
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 }}
-'''AirTrain LaGuardia''' was a proposed {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[people mover]] system and [[elevated railway]] in [[New York City]], [[United States]], that would provide service to [[LaGuardia Airport]] in [[Queens]]. It would connect with the [[New York City Subway]] and [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]], similar to how the existing [[AirTrain JFK]] system connects [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]’s six terminals to the LIRR in southern Queens at [[Jamaica station]] and to the subway at both [[Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station]] and [[Howard Beach-JFK Airport station]]; and how the existing [[AirTrain Newark]] station connects [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]’s three terminals to [[NJ Transit Rail Operations]] and [[Amtrak]] at [[Newark Liberty International Airport Station|a dedicated station]].
+'''AirTrain LaGuardia''' was a proposed {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[people mover]] system and [[elevated railway]] in [[New York City]], [[United States]], that would provide service to [[LaGuardia Airport]] in [[Queens]]. It would have connected with the [[New York City Subway]] and [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]], similar to how the existing [[AirTrain JFK]] system connects [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]'s five terminals to the LIRR in southern Queens at [[Jamaica station]] and to the subway at both [[Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station]] and [[Howard Beach–JFK Airport station]]; and how the existing [[AirTrain Newark]] station connects [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]'s three terminals to [[NJ Transit Rail Operations]] and [[Amtrak]] at [[Newark Liberty International Airport Station|a dedicated station]].
-If it had been built, the system would be constructed and operated under contract to the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]], the operator of the airport, and the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA). In 2015, former New York Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] announced a plan to build a people mover similar to the AirTrain JFK, and in 2018, the [[New York State Legislature]] approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. Construction was to begin in 2021, with a projected opening in 2024; however, the project was indefinitely postponed in late 2021. In March 2023, the project was officially abandoned after the project’s estimated cost reached $2.4 billion, five times the initial estimate.
+The system was to have been constructed and operated under contract to the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] (PANYNJ), which operates the airport, and the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA). In 2015, New York Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] announced a plan to build a people mover similar to the AirTrain JFK, and in 2018, the [[New York State Legislature]] approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. Construction was to begin in 2021, with a projected opening in 2024; however, the project was indefinitely postponed in late 2021. In March 2023, the project was officially abandoned after the estimated cost reached $2.4 billion, five times the initial estimate.
-The AirTrain project had been highly controversial. Project advocates say that it would improve access to the airport by subway and LIRR, alleviate traffic congestion, and alleviate air pollution in and around East Elmhurst. However, the construction of the AirTrain has been opposed by residents of nearby communities, as well as some transit advocates who have objected to its indirect route to Midtown Manhattan, high cost estimate, and potential to prevent further rail transit connections to LaGuardia.
+The AirTrain project had been highly controversial. Advocates said that it would improve access to the airport from the subway and LIRR, alleviate traffic congestion, and reduce air pollution in and around East Elmhurst. The project was opposed by residents of nearby communities, as well as some transit advocates who objected to its indirect route to Midtown Manhattan, high cost estimate, and potential to prevent further rail transit connections to LaGuardia.
 ==Context==
-LaGuardia Airport had no rail service when the AirTrain was proposed in 2014. The only public transportation is by bus via the {{NYC bus link|Q47|Q48|Q70 SBS|Q72|M60 SBS|prose=y}} routes, all of which connect to the subway. The Q70 also connects to the LIRR at [[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside station]], while the M60 SBS runs to Manhattan, connecting with the [[Metro-North Railroad]] at [[Harlem–125th Street station]] as well as with several subway routes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/airport.htm|title=mta.info {{!}} Services to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports|website=web.mta.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110075552/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/airport.htm|archive-date=November 10, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://laguardiaairport.com/getting-to-from/by-public-transit/|title=By Public Transit – LaGuardia Airport|website=LaGuardia Airport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029232555/http://laguardiaairport.com/getting-to-from/by-public-transit/|archive-date=October 29, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> In 2014, 8% of LaGuardia's 27 million passengers took the bus, compared to the 12% of the 53 million passengers using [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] who took [[AirTrain JFK]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Long Island News & PRs|url=http://www.longisland.com/news/02-12-15/airtrain-jfk-reaches-record-high-ridership-in-2014.html|title=Governor Cuomo Announces AirTrain JFK Reaches Record High Ridership in 2014|work=LongIsland.com|date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> Similarly, in 2008, 75% of LaGuardia's passengers took a taxi or car service, but only 16% rode a bus or van.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/30/airtrain_2016_06_10_q.html|title=First contracts awarded for LaGuardia AirTrain project|last=Parry|first=Bill|date=July 28, 2016|newspaper=TimesLedger|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref>
+LaGuardia Airport had no rail service when the AirTrain was proposed in 2014. The only public transportation is by bus via the {{NYC bus link|Q47|Q48|Q70 SBS|Q72|M60 SBS|prose=y}} routes, all of which connect to the subway. The Q70 also connects to the LIRR at [[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside station]], while the M60 SBS runs to Manhattan, connecting with the [[Metro-North Railroad]] at [[Harlem–125th Street station]] as well as with several subway routes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/airport.htm|title=mta.info {{!}} Services to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports|website=web.mta.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110075552/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/airport.htm|archive-date=November 10, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://laguardiaairport.com/getting-to-from/by-public-transit/|title=By Public Transit – LaGuardia Airport|website=LaGuardia Airport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029232555/http://laguardiaairport.com/getting-to-from/by-public-transit/|archive-date=October 29, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> In 2014, 8% of LaGuardia's 27 million passengers took the bus, compared to the 12% of the 53 million passengers using [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] who took [[AirTrain JFK]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Long Island News & PRs|url=http://www.longisland.com/news/02-12-15/airtrain-jfk-reaches-record-high-ridership-in-2014.html|title=Governor Cuomo Announces AirTrain JFK Reaches Record High Ridership in 2014|work=LongIsland.com|date=February 12, 2015|access-date=February 13, 2015|archive-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213191902/http://www.longisland.com/news/02-12-15/airtrain-jfk-reaches-record-high-ridership-in-2014.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, in 2008, 75% of LaGuardia's passengers took a taxi or car service, but only 16% rode a bus or van.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/30/airtrain_2016_06_10_q.html|title=First contracts awarded for LaGuardia AirTrain project|last=Parry|first=Bill|date=July 28, 2016|newspaper=TimesLedger|access-date=December 21, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221234831/http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/30/airtrain_2016_06_10_q.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The New York metropolitan area's other two major airports have rail connections. [[AirTrain Newark]], the [[monorail]] at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]], opened in 1996, has connected that airport to commuter trains since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/01/nyregion/new-jersey-daily-briefing-monorail-opens-with-spat.html|title=NEW JERSEY DAILY BRIEFING;Monorail Opens With Spat|last=Sharkey|first=Joe|date=June 1, 1996|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> AirTrain JFK, the [[people mover]] at JFK Airport, opened in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/travel/travel-advisory-a-train-to-the-plane-at-long-last.html|title=TRAVEL ADVISORY; A Train to the Plane, At Long Last|last=Stellin|first=Susan|date=December 14, 2003|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> AirTrain LaGuardia is proposed to be a people mover like the one at JFK.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-announces-plan-building-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.2085807|title=Andrew Cuomo Announces $450M Plan to Build AirTrain Connecting LaGuardia Airport to the Subway|last=Durkin|first=Erin|date=January 20, 2015|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=January 21, 2015}}</ref>
+The New York metropolitan area's other two major airports have rail connections. [[AirTrain Newark]], the [[monorail]] at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]], opened in 1996, has connected that airport to commuter trains since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/01/nyregion/new-jersey-daily-briefing-monorail-opens-with-spat.html|title=NEW JERSEY DAILY BRIEFING;Monorail Opens With Spat|last=Sharkey|first=Joe|date=June 1, 1996|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 21, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319080433/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/01/nyregion/new-jersey-daily-briefing-monorail-opens-with-spat.html|url-status=live}}</ref> AirTrain JFK, the [[people mover]] at JFK Airport, opened in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/travel/travel-advisory-a-train-to-the-plane-at-long-last.html|title=TRAVEL ADVISORY; A Train to the Plane, At Long Last|last=Stellin|first=Susan|date=December 14, 2003|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 21, 2016|archive-date=December 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222002141/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/travel/travel-advisory-a-train-to-the-plane-at-long-last.html|url-status=live}}</ref> AirTrain LaGuardia was proposed to be a people mover like the one at JFK.<ref name="Durkin 2015">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-announces-plan-building-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.2085807|title=Andrew Cuomo Announces $450M Plan to Build AirTrain Connecting LaGuardia Airport to the Subway|last=Durkin|first=Erin|date=January 20, 2015|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=January 21, 2015|archive-date=January 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121082819/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-announces-plan-building-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.2085807|url-status=live}}</ref>
 == Description ==
-As planned, the AirTrain LaGuardia would have run from LaGuardia Airport with two stops within the airport, before running over the Grand Central Parkway for {{Convert|1.5|miles|km}} before terminating in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]] near [[Citi Field]] and [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], and would have connected there with the [[New York City Subway]]'s {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at the [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets–Willets Point]] station and with the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Mets–Willets Point (LIRR station)|Mets–Willets Point]] station.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The AirTrain trip would have taken 6 minutes, and the LIRR ride to Manhattan would have taken another 20 minutes.<ref name=":9">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-laguardia-airport-airtrain-cuomo-20180625-story.html|title=LaGuardia AirTrain moves forward after Cuomo signs bill|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=June 25, 2018|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>
+As planned, the AirTrain LaGuardia would have run from LaGuardia Airport with two stops within the airport, before running over the Grand Central Parkway for {{Convert|1.5|miles|km}} before terminating in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]] near [[Citi Field]] and [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], and would have connected there with the [[New York City Subway]]'s {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at the [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets–Willets Point]] station and with the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Mets–Willets Point (LIRR station)|Mets–Willets Point]] station.<ref name="ny.gov" /><ref name="Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny" /><ref name="Grynbaum 2015" /> The AirTrain trip would have taken 6 minutes, and the LIRR ride to Manhattan would have taken another 20 minutes.<ref name="Rivoli 2018">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-laguardia-airport-airtrain-cuomo-20180625-story.html|title=LaGuardia AirTrain moves forward after Cuomo signs bill|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=June 25, 2018|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=June 26, 2018|archive-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625234604/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-laguardia-airport-airtrain-cuomo-20180625-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The Mets-Willets Point subway stop would have been rebuilt, and $50 million had been allocated toward planning and designing this work in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program. Also as part of that Capital Program, the LIRR stop was to have been rebuilt for $75 million. The subway station and the LIRR station were to have been integrated with nearby buses as part of the overhaul for greater intermodal connectivity.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/WEB2015-2019Program_reduced.pdf|title=Amendment to the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan|date=May 2017|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref>{{Rp|4, 8, 37, 56, 118, 140}} The station was planned to potentially hold ancillary airport functions, employee parking, and a Consolidated Rent-a-Car facility.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|30–31}}  To allow the construction of the Willets Point AirTrain station, the [[Casey Stengel Bus Depot]] was relocated. $50 million was allocated in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program to acquire property for a replacement depot.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|6, 37, 45}}
+The Mets-Willets Point subway stop would have been rebuilt, and $50 million had been allocated toward planning and designing this work in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program. Also as part of that Capital Program, the LIRR stop was to have been rebuilt for $75 million. The subway station and the LIRR station were to have been integrated with nearby buses as part of the overhaul for greater intermodal connectivity.<ref name="mta.info 2017">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/WEB2015-2019Program_reduced.pdf|title=Amendment to the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan|date=May 2017|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=June 11, 2017|archive-date=April 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402222007/http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/WEB2015-2019Program_reduced.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|4, 8, 37, 56, 118, 140}} The station was planned to potentially hold ancillary airport functions, employee parking, and a Consolidated Rent-a-Car facility.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2017" />{{Rp|30–31}}  To allow the construction of the Willets Point AirTrain station, the [[Casey Stengel Bus Depot]] was to have been relocated. $50 million was allocated in the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program to acquire property for a replacement depot.<ref name="mta.info 2017" />{{Rp|6, 37, 45}}
 ==History==
 === Earlier proposals ===
+{{See also|LaGuardia Airport subway extension}}
-A rail link to LaGuardia Airport had been proposed since 1943, when the city [[New York City Board of Transportation|Board of Transportation]] proposed an extension of the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[BMT Astoria Line]] (currently served by the {{NYCS trains|Astoria}}) from its terminus at [[Astoria – Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Ditmars Boulevard]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Post-War Plans List 2 Subway Links for Boro|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/52647686/?terms=|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|newspaper=[[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]|access-date=July 19, 2015|date=August 8, 1943}}</ref> This was the first of 20 proposals for direct links to New York-area airports, all of which were canceled.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/02/nyregion/officials-agree-on-modest-plan-for-a-rail-link-to-one-airport.html|title=Officials Agree On Modest Plan For a Rail Link To One Airport|last=Newman|first=Andy|date=October 2, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
+A rail link to LaGuardia Airport had been proposed since 1943, when the city [[New York City Board of Transportation|Board of Transportation]] proposed an extension of the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[BMT Astoria Line]] (currently served by the {{NYCS trains|Astoria}}) from its terminus at [[Astoria – Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Ditmars Boulevard]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Post-War Plans List 2 Subway Links for Boro|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/52647686/?terms=|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|newspaper=[[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]|access-date=July 19, 2015|date=August 8, 1943|archive-date=December 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230044711/https://www.newspapers.com/image/52647686/?terms=|url-status=live}}</ref> This was the first of 20 proposals for direct links to New York-area airports, all of which were canceled.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/02/nyregion/officials-agree-on-modest-plan-for-a-rail-link-to-one-airport.html|title=Officials Agree On Modest Plan For a Rail Link To One Airport|last=Newman|first=Andy|date=October 2, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902010206/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/02/nyregion/officials-agree-on-modest-plan-for-a-rail-link-to-one-airport.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-In 1990, the MTA proposed the [[New York City airport rail link]] to LaGuardia and JFK airports, which would be funded jointly by agencies in the federal, state, and city government.<ref name=":8a">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/18/nyregion/mta-proposes-rail-line-to-link-major-airports.html|title=M.T.A. Proposes Rail Line to Link Major Airports|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=March 18, 1990|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 24, 2016|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The rail line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan, crossing the [[East River]] via the [[Queensboro Bridge]]'s lower-level outer roadways, which had been formerly used by trolley cars.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/01/nyregion/port-authority-may-scale-back-airport-rail-line.html|title=Port Authority May Scale Back Airport Rail Line|last=Levy|first=Clifford J.|date=February 1, 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It would stop at [[Queens Plaza (Queens)|Queens Plaza]], then use the right-of-way of the [[Sunnyside Yards]] and [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]] to access LaGuardia Airport.<ref name="Firestone 1994">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/31/nyregion/push-for-link-airports-port-authority-confident-rail-plan-despite-opposition.html|title=The Push Is On for Link to Airports;Port Authority Confident of Rail Plan Despite Opposition|last=Firestone|first=David|date=July 31, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After stopping at LaGuardia, the line would continue parallel to the [[Grand Central Parkway]] an intermediate stop near [[Shea Stadium]] in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]], with a connection to the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Willets Point Boulevard]].<ref name=":8a" /><ref name="Firestone 1994"/> Continuing down the parkway, the line would have another intermediate stop in [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], connecting to the LIRR at [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica Station]], and then proceed nonstop down the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] to JFK Airport.<ref name=":8a" /><ref name="Firestone 1994"/> The Port Authority seriously considered the proposal,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/21/nyregion/dream-train-to-airports-takes-step-nearer-reality.html|title=Dream Train to Airports Takes Step Nearer Reality|last=Dao|first=James|date=December 21, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> commissioning an [[environmental impact statement]] (EIS) for the rail link.<ref name="Firestone 1994"/> However, due to rising costs, the Port Authority canceled the direct rail link between LaGuardia/JFK and Manhattan in May 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/20/nyregion/neighborhood-report-howard-beach-rethinking-plans-for-those-trains-to-the-planes.html|title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: HOWARD BEACH; Rethinking Plans For Those Trains To the Planes|last=Herszenhorn|first=David M.|date=August 20, 1995|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/jfk-light-rail-moves-article-1.701283|title=JFK LIGHT RAIL MOVES FORWARD|last=Donohue|first=Pete|date=August 2, 1995|work=NY Daily News|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/nyregion/a-monorail-for-kennedy-is-granted-key-approval.html|title=A Monorail For Kennedy Is Granted Key Approval|last=Levy|first=Clifford J.|date=August 2, 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
+In 1990, the MTA proposed the [[New York City airport rail link]] to LaGuardia and JFK airports, which would be funded jointly by agencies in the federal, state, and city government.<ref name=":8a">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/18/nyregion/mta-proposes-rail-line-to-link-major-airports.html|title=M.T.A. Proposes Rail Line to Link Major Airports|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=March 18, 1990|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 24, 2016|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309040906/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/18/nyregion/mta-proposes-rail-line-to-link-major-airports.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The rail line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan, crossing the [[East River]] via the [[Queensboro Bridge]]'s lower-level outer roadways, which had been formerly used by trolley cars.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/01/nyregion/port-authority-may-scale-back-airport-rail-line.html|title=Port Authority May Scale Back Airport Rail Line|last=Levy|first=Clifford J.|date=February 1, 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901210405/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/01/nyregion/port-authority-may-scale-back-airport-rail-line.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It would stop at [[Queens Plaza (Queens)|Queens Plaza]], then use the right-of-way of the [[Sunnyside Yards]] and [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]] to access LaGuardia Airport.<ref name="Firestone 1994">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/31/nyregion/push-for-link-airports-port-authority-confident-rail-plan-despite-opposition.html|title=The Push Is On for Link to Airports;Port Authority Confident of Rail Plan Despite Opposition|last=Firestone|first=David|date=July 31, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902003242/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/31/nyregion/push-for-link-airports-port-authority-confident-rail-plan-despite-opposition.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After stopping at LaGuardia, the line would continue parallel to the [[Grand Central Parkway]] with an intermediate stop near [[Shea Stadium]] in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]], with a connection to the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Willets Point Boulevard]].<ref name=":8a" /><ref name="Firestone 1994"/> Continuing down the parkway, the line would have another intermediate stop in [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], connecting to the LIRR at [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica Station]], and then proceed nonstop down the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] to JFK Airport.<ref name=":8a" /><ref name="Firestone 1994"/> The Port Authority seriously considered the proposal,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/21/nyregion/dream-train-to-airports-takes-step-nearer-reality.html|title=Dream Train to Airports Takes Step Nearer Reality|last=Dao|first=James|date=December 21, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902013011/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/21/nyregion/dream-train-to-airports-takes-step-nearer-reality.html|url-status=live}}</ref> commissioning an [[environmental impact statement]] (EIS) for the rail link.<ref name="Firestone 1994"/> However, due to rising costs, the Port Authority canceled the direct rail link between LaGuardia/JFK and Manhattan in May 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/20/nyregion/neighborhood-report-howard-beach-rethinking-plans-for-those-trains-to-the-planes.html|title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: HOWARD BEACH; Rethinking Plans For Those Trains To the Planes|last=Herszenhorn|first=David M.|date=August 20, 1995|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 24, 2016|archive-date=September 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929230430/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/20/nyregion/neighborhood-report-howard-beach-rethinking-plans-for-those-trains-to-the-planes.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/jfk-light-rail-moves-article-1.701283|title=JFK LIGHT RAIL MOVES FORWARD|last=Donohue|first=Pete|date=August 2, 1995|work=NY Daily News|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/nyregion/a-monorail-for-kennedy-is-granted-key-approval.html|title=A Monorail For Kennedy Is Granted Key Approval|last=Levy|first=Clifford J.|date=August 2, 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901210509/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/nyregion/a-monorail-for-kennedy-is-granted-key-approval.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-Prior to the construction of [[AirTrain JFK]] in 1997, Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] opposed the AirTrain at JFK because of a monetary dispute between the state, city, and Port Authority.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/14/nyregion/disagreement-over-rent-stalls-airport-rail-project.html|title=Disagreement Over Rent Stalls Airport Rail Project|last=Macfarquhar|first=Neil|date=June 14, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Giuliani wanted the Port Authority to study the possibility of extending the BMT Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport, among other things.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/13/nyregion/agency-says-jfk-rail-plan-is-ready-but-mayor-balks.html|title=Agency Says J.F.K. Rail Plan Is Ready, but Mayor Balks|last=Macfarquhar|first=Neil|date=March 13, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Later that year, Giuliani agreed to the AirTrain JFK plan, and the Port Authority agreed to conduct a feasibility study on a similar LaGuardia rail link.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/jfk-rail-plan-rudy-article-1.779302|title=JFK-RAIL PLAN TO GET RUDY'S OK|last=Feiden|first=Douglas|date=October 1, 1997|work=NY Daily News|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2003, $645 million was budgeted to extend the Astoria Line to the airport, but the extension was never built due to [[NIMBY|community opposition]] in Queens.<ref>{{cite news|first=Christopher|last=Robbins|url=http://gothamist.com/2014/02/06/dream_direct_rail_service_to_la_gua.php|title=Here's Why You Can't Get to Laguardia Airport by Train|work=Gothamist|date=February 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404184320/http://gothamist.com/2014/02/06/dream_direct_rail_service_to_la_gua.php|archive-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=June 27, 2007|title=Flashback To 1999 - Onorato Opposes LaGuardia Rail Link|website=Queens Gazette|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/Features/Flashback_To_1999_001.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322134801/http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/features/flashback_to_1999_001.html|archive-date=March 22, 2016|access-date=March 25, 2014}}</ref>
+Prior to the construction of [[AirTrain JFK]] in 1997, Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] opposed the AirTrain at JFK because of a monetary dispute between the state, city, and Port Authority.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/14/nyregion/disagreement-over-rent-stalls-airport-rail-project.html|title=Disagreement Over Rent Stalls Airport Rail Project|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|date=June 14, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902012933/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/14/nyregion/disagreement-over-rent-stalls-airport-rail-project.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Giuliani wanted the Port Authority to study the possibility of extending the BMT Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport, among other things.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/13/nyregion/agency-says-jfk-rail-plan-is-ready-but-mayor-balks.html|title=Agency Says J.F.K. Rail Plan Is Ready, but Mayor Balks|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|date=March 13, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902012634/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/13/nyregion/agency-says-jfk-rail-plan-is-ready-but-mayor-balks.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, Giuliani agreed to the AirTrain JFK plan, and the Port Authority agreed to conduct a feasibility study on a similar LaGuardia rail link.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/jfk-rail-plan-rudy-article-1.779302|title=JFK-RAIL PLAN TO GET RUDY'S OK|last=Feiden|first=Douglas|date=October 1, 1997|work=NY Daily News|access-date=September 1, 2017|language=en|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902003743/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/jfk-rail-plan-rudy-article-1.779302|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2003, $645 million was budgeted to extend the Astoria Line to the airport, but the extension was never built due to [[NIMBY|community opposition]] in Queens.<ref>{{cite news|first=Christopher|last=Robbins|url=http://gothamist.com/2014/02/06/dream_direct_rail_service_to_la_gua.php|title=Here's Why You Can't Get to Laguardia Airport by Train|work=Gothamist|date=February 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404184320/http://gothamist.com/2014/02/06/dream_direct_rail_service_to_la_gua.php|archive-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=June 27, 2007|title=Flashback To 1999 - Onorato Opposes LaGuardia Rail Link|website=Queens Gazette|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/Features/Flashback_To_1999_001.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322134801/http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/features/flashback_to_1999_001.html|archive-date=March 22, 2016|access-date=March 25, 2014}}</ref>
 === Planning and construction ===
@@ Line 92: / Line 93: @@
 ====Plans====
-On January 20, 2015, New York Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] announced a plan to build a people mover similar to AirTrain JFK.<ref name=":0" /> It would follow the [[Grand Central Parkway]] for one and a half miles, similar to how the AirTrain JFK runs along the median of the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] between Jamaica and JFK. The line would terminate in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]] near [[Citi Field]] and [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], and would connect there with the [[New York City Subway]]'s {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at the [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets–Willets Point]] station and, via an existing passenger bridge, with the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Mets–Willets Point (LIRR station)|Mets–Willets Point]] station on the [[Port Washington Branch]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf|title=Building A New New York|website=ny.gov|publisher=[[Government of New York (state)|Government of New York]]|access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":2">[https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov]</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web|last1=Grynbaum|first1=Michael M.|title=Cuomo Wants Elevated Train Link Built to Ill-Served La Guardia Airport|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/nyregion/cuomo-proposes-train-link-to-la-guardia-airport.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 9, 2015|date=January 20, 2015}}</ref> The governor's office estimated the cost for the project to be $450 million, which later increased to $1.5 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Honan|first=Katie|date=January 20, 2015|title=Cuomo Announces AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport from Subway, LIRR|url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150120/east-elmhurst/cuomo-announces-airtrain-laguardia-airport-from-subway-lirr|work=DNAinfo|access-date=January 20, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120233716/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150120/east-elmhurst/cuomo-announces-airtrain-laguardia-airport-from-subway-lirr|archive-date=January 20, 2015}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Unlike the other proposed AirTrain routings, the Willets Point route was to be located on government-owned land and would not require [[eminent domain|capture of private property]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 25, 2018|title=Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation Advancing Laguardia Airtrain Project|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-legislation-advancing-laguardia-airtrain-project|access-date=October 7, 2020|website=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo|language=en|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010001255/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-legislation-advancing-laguardia-airtrain-project|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+On January 20, 2015, New York Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] announced a plan to build a people mover similar to AirTrain JFK.<ref name="Durkin 2015" /> It would follow the [[Grand Central Parkway]] for one and a half miles, similar to how the AirTrain JFK runs along the median of the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] between Jamaica and JFK. The line would terminate in [[Willets Point, Queens|Willets Point]] near [[Citi Field]] and [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], and would connect there with the [[New York City Subway]]'s {{NYCS trains|Flushing}} at the [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets–Willets Point]] station and, via an existing passenger bridge, with the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Mets–Willets Point (LIRR station)|Mets–Willets Point]] station on the [[Port Washington Branch]].<ref name="ny.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf|title=Building A New New York|website=ny.gov|publisher=[[Government of New York (state)|Government of New York]]|access-date=December 21, 2016|archive-date=December 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222182122/https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf |title=Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov |access-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419043543/https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Grynbaum 2015">{{cite web|last1=Grynbaum|first1=Michael M.|title=Cuomo Wants Elevated Train Link Built to Ill-Served La Guardia Airport|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/nyregion/cuomo-proposes-train-link-to-la-guardia-airport.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 9, 2015|date=January 20, 2015|archive-date=July 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723012402/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/nyregion/cuomo-proposes-train-link-to-la-guardia-airport.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> The governor's office estimated the cost for the project to be $450 million, which later increased to $1.5 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Honan|first=Katie|date=January 20, 2015|title=Cuomo Announces AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport from Subway, LIRR|url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150120/east-elmhurst/cuomo-announces-airtrain-laguardia-airport-from-subway-lirr|work=DNAinfo|access-date=January 20, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120233716/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150120/east-elmhurst/cuomo-announces-airtrain-laguardia-airport-from-subway-lirr|archive-date=January 20, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2017" /> Unlike the other proposed AirTrain routings, the Willets Point route was to be located on government-owned land and would not require [[eminent domain|capture of private property]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 25, 2018|title=Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation Advancing Laguardia Airtrain Project|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-legislation-advancing-laguardia-airtrain-project|access-date=October 7, 2020|website=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo|language=en|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010001255/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-legislation-advancing-laguardia-airtrain-project|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-The first contracts for the AirTrain itself were awarded in May 2016. A pair of contracts, totaling $7.5 million, were awarded for preliminary engineering work at the two Willets Point stations and expected to be completed in 2017.<ref name=":0" /> One contract, costing $4.6 million and awarded to STV Inc, was for studies of the LIRR station's platform lengthening and an [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|ADA-accessibility]] retrofit. The other, a $2.9 million contract given to HDR Architecture and Engineering PC, was for studies regarding the subway station's complete renovation and ADA-accessibility.<ref name=":0" /> The airport renovation as a whole started construction on June 14, 2016.<ref name="Rauh 2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2016/06/14/lga-airtrain-groundbreaking-.html|title=Biden Joins Cuomo for Groundbreaking for Expansion of LaGuardia Airport|last=Rauh|first=Grace|date=June 14, 2016|website=TWC News|access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref> $1.5 billion was allocated for the construction of the rail link as part of the introduced 10-year $29.5 billion plan for the Port Authority. New York Commissioner Kenneth Lipper tried to have the plan amended with all funding for the AirTrain removed, citing concerns that the project would leave the agency in financial difficulty.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/01/billions_for_path_extension_bus_terminal_included_in_pa_spending_plan.html|title=Billions for PATH extension, bus terminal included in PA spending plan|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date=January 5, 2017|newspaper=NJ.com|access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref>
+The first contracts for the AirTrain itself were awarded in May 2016. A pair of contracts, totaling $7.5 million, were awarded for preliminary engineering work at the two Willets Point stations and expected to be completed in 2017.<ref name="Durkin 2015" /> One contract, costing $4.6 million and awarded to STV Inc, was for studies of the LIRR station's platform lengthening and an [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|ADA-accessibility]] retrofit. The other, a $2.9 million contract given to HDR Architecture and Engineering PC, was for studies regarding the subway station's complete renovation and ADA-accessibility.<ref name="Durkin 2015" /> The airport renovation as a whole started construction on June 14, 2016.<ref name="Rauh 2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2016/06/14/lga-airtrain-groundbreaking-.html|title=Biden Joins Cuomo for Groundbreaking for Expansion of LaGuardia Airport|last=Rauh|first=Grace|date=June 14, 2016|website=TWC News|access-date=August 20, 2016|archive-date=August 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819180031/http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2016/06/14/lga-airtrain-groundbreaking-.html?|url-status=live}}</ref> $1.5 billion was allocated for the construction of the rail link as part of the introduced 10-year $29.5 billion plan for the Port Authority. New York Commissioner Kenneth Lipper tried to have the plan amended with all funding for the AirTrain removed, citing concerns that the project would leave the agency in financial difficulty.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/01/billions_for_path_extension_bus_terminal_included_in_pa_spending_plan.html|title=Billions for PATH extension, bus terminal included in PA spending plan|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date=January 5, 2017|newspaper=NJ.com|access-date=January 5, 2017|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902013816/http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/01/billions_for_path_extension_bus_terminal_included_in_pa_spending_plan.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-In January 2017, the PANYNJ released its 10-year capital plan that included AirTrain LaGuardia funding. Construction is projected to start in 2019, with passenger service in 2023.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=http://corpinfo.panynj.gov/files/uploads/documents/financial-information/budget-capital-plan/Proposed_Capital_Plan_2017-2026_HZ1oF7A.pdf#page=35|title=PANYNJ Proposed Capital Plan 2017-2026|date=January 11, 2017|publisher=[[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]|access-date=February 7, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044205/http://corpinfo.panynj.gov/files/uploads/documents/financial-information/budget-capital-plan/Proposed_Capital_Plan_2017-2026_HZ1oF7A.pdf#page=35|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Rp|35}} On February 6, 2017, the PANYNJ announced that it had opened a four-week-long [[request for proposal]]s. The firm that is awarded the RFP would design three AirTrain stations—two inside the airport's new terminals and one at Willets Point—as well as plan the [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right of way]] from Willets Point to the airport.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airtrain-planning-begins-with-request-for-proposals-1.13072720|title=PA takes major step in planning for LaGuardia AirTrain|last=Barone|first=Vincent|date=February 6, 2017|newspaper=am New York|access-date=February 7, 2017|language=en}}</ref> In May 2017, [[WSP USA]] was hired to design the AirTrain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-firm-hired-design-14-6m-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.3148361|title=NYC firm hired for $14.6M to develop LaGuardia AirTrain proposal|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=May 9, 2017|work=NY Daily News|access-date=May 9, 2017|language=en}}</ref> The PANYNJ awarded another $55 million to the project in November 2017, bringing the total funds allocated for planning to $75 million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/laguardia-airtrain-planning-sees-55m-boost-port-authority-article-1.3638417|title=LaGuardia AirTrain planning sees $55M boost from Port Authority|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=November 16, 2017|work=NY Daily News|access-date=November 19, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15004542|title=LaGuardia Airport's AirTrain plan continues to roll forward|last=Barone|first=Vincent|date=November 17, 2017|work=am New York|access-date=November 19, 2017|language=en}}</ref> In April 2018, the Port Authority ruled out the possibility of routing the AirTrain along Grand Central Parkway, after consultation with residents of nearby [[East Elmhurst, Queens|East Elmhurst]] who opposed such a routing. The other options for routing the AirTrain included either placing it on a promenade adjacent to [[Flushing Bay]], or over the bay itself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/laguardia-airtrain-won-t-be-on-the-gcp/article_a39bebc3-1037-58e1-bc14-8e85bcb01e25.html|title=LaGuardia AirTrain won't be on the GCP|date=April 26, 2018|last=O'Reilly|first=Anthony|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref>
+In January 2017, the PANYNJ released its 10-year capital plan that included AirTrain LaGuardia funding. Construction is projected to start in 2019, with passenger service in 2023.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2017">{{cite web|url=http://corpinfo.panynj.gov/files/uploads/documents/financial-information/budget-capital-plan/Proposed_Capital_Plan_2017-2026_HZ1oF7A.pdf#page=35|title=PANYNJ Proposed Capital Plan 2017-2026|date=January 11, 2017|publisher=[[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]|access-date=February 7, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044205/http://corpinfo.panynj.gov/files/uploads/documents/financial-information/budget-capital-plan/Proposed_Capital_Plan_2017-2026_HZ1oF7A.pdf#page=35|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Rp|35}} On February 6, 2017, the PANYNJ announced that it had opened a four-week-long [[request for proposal]]s. The firm that is awarded the RFP would design three AirTrain stations—two inside the airport's new terminals and one at Willets Point—as well as plan the [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right of way]] from Willets Point to the airport.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airtrain-planning-begins-with-request-for-proposals-1.13072720|title=PA takes major step in planning for LaGuardia AirTrain|last=Barone|first=Vincent|date=February 6, 2017|newspaper=am New York|access-date=February 7, 2017|language=en|archive-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207020352/http://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airtrain-planning-begins-with-request-for-proposals-1.13072720|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2017, [[WSP USA]] was hired to design the AirTrain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-firm-hired-design-14-6m-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.3148361|title=NYC firm hired for $14.6M to develop LaGuardia AirTrain proposal|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=May 9, 2017|work=NY Daily News|access-date=May 9, 2017|language=en|archive-date=May 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512021940/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-firm-hired-design-14-6m-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.3148361|url-status=live}}</ref> The PANYNJ awarded another $55 million to the project in November 2017, bringing the total funds allocated for planning to $75 million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/laguardia-airtrain-planning-sees-55m-boost-port-authority-article-1.3638417|title=LaGuardia AirTrain planning sees $55M boost from Port Authority|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=November 16, 2017|work=NY Daily News|access-date=November 19, 2017|language=en|archive-date=November 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117022403/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/laguardia-airtrain-planning-sees-55m-boost-port-authority-article-1.3638417|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Barone 2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15004542|title=LaGuardia Airport's AirTrain plan continues to roll forward|last=Barone|first=Vincent|date=November 17, 2017|work=am New York|access-date=November 19, 2017|language=en|archive-date=November 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119060757/https://www.amny.com/transit/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15004542|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2018, the Port Authority ruled out the possibility of routing the AirTrain along Grand Central Parkway, after consultation with residents of nearby [[East Elmhurst, Queens|East Elmhurst]] who opposed such a routing. The other options for routing the AirTrain included either placing it on a promenade adjacent to [[Flushing Bay]], or over the bay itself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/laguardia-airtrain-won-t-be-on-the-gcp/article_a39bebc3-1037-58e1-bc14-8e85bcb01e25.html|title=LaGuardia AirTrain won't be on the GCP|date=April 26, 2018|last=O'Reilly|first=Anthony|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830070501/http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/laguardia-airtrain-won-t-be-on-the-gcp/article_a39bebc3-1037-58e1-bc14-8e85bcb01e25.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 ====Environmental impact statement====
-In June 2018, the [[New York State Legislature]] approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. This allowed the PANYNJ to start acquiring public land for the AirTrain's route, as well as for environmental impact studies to be conducted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/6/25/17502336/laguardia-airtrain-legislation-governor-cuomo-airport|title=New looks at LaGuardia AirTrain, now one step closer to reality|last=Warerkar|first=Tanay|date=June 25, 2018|website=Curbed NY|access-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-lawmakers-press-for-laguardia-airport-rail-link-1529338332|title=New York Lawmakers Press for LaGuardia Airport Rail Link|last1=Honan|first1=Katie|last2=Berger|first2=Paul|date=June 18, 2018|website=WSJ|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> Under the original plan, the AirTrain would start construction in 2020 and be complete by 2022.<ref name=":8">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/nyregion/airtrain-la-guardia-manhattan-cuomo.html|title=Plans for AirTrain to La Guardia Airport Move Ahead Amid Criticism|date=June 25, 2018|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|website=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":9" /> The Port Authority subsequently began environmental studies for three possible routings of the AirTrain to Willets Point, as well as the no-build alternative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-all-sides-prepping-for-the-plan/article_cb2274fa-a0ea-52b6-a9eb-06aeead91266.html|title=LGA AirTrain: All sides prepping for the plan|date=September 13, 2018|last=Gannon|first=Michael|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> Some residents and environmental groups opposed the project and requested results from the EIS upon its completion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-air-train-foes-seeking-pa-studies/article_7907cd27-c723-5e0e-a3b0-5d9709a8774e.html|title=LGA air train foes seeking PA studies|date=September 20, 2018|last=Gannon|first=Michael|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> Environmental groups worried that the AirTrain's construction would pollute Flushing Bay, which had just been cleaned at that point.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/flushing-bay-laguardia-airtrain-1.21330599|title=LaGuardia AirTrain threatens Flushing Bay: Advocates|date=October 1, 2018|last=Colangelo|first=Lisa L.|website=am New York|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> A subsequent proposal to route the AirTrain over the waterfront was also met with opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gannon|first=Michael|date=April 4, 2019|url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-plans-shift-to-promenade/article_fe143c87-70bb-54fd-9ea9-f82da415b78a.html|title=LGA AirTrain plans shift to Promenade|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=June 4, 2019}}</ref> Cuomo announced in May 2019 that the MTA would partially pay for the AirTrain's construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/port-authority-subsidize-mta-laguardia-airtrain-connection|title=Port Authority to subsidize MTA for LaGuardia AirTrain connection|date=May 30, 2019|last=Bredderman|first=Will|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en|access-date=June 4, 2019}}</ref> By late 2019, the Port Authority was planning to award contracts for the AirTrain in 2021, with the line opening in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|last=Spivack|first=Caroline|title=Port Authority approves billions for airport rail projects|website=Curbed NY|date=October 25, 2019|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/10/25/20931282/port-authority-approves-billions-airport-airtrain-projects|access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Why the LaGuardia AirTrain plan has hit turbulence|website=Crain's New York Business|date=January 27, 2020|last=Flamm|first=Matthew|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/instant-expert/why-laguardia-airtrain-has-hit-turbulence|access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref>
+In June 2018, the [[New York State Legislature]] approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. This allowed the PANYNJ to start acquiring public land for the AirTrain's route, as well as for environmental impact studies to be conducted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/6/25/17502336/laguardia-airtrain-legislation-governor-cuomo-airport|title=New looks at LaGuardia AirTrain, now one step closer to reality|last=Warerkar|first=Tanay|date=June 25, 2018|website=Curbed NY|access-date=June 26, 2018|archive-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625235608/https://ny.curbed.com/2018/6/25/17502336/laguardia-airtrain-legislation-governor-cuomo-airport|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-lawmakers-press-for-laguardia-airport-rail-link-1529338332|title=New York Lawmakers Press for LaGuardia Airport Rail Link|last1=Honan|first1=Katie|last2=Berger|first2=Paul|date=June 18, 2018|website=WSJ|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=August 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831230519/https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-lawmakers-press-for-laguardia-airport-rail-link-1529338332|url-status=live}}</ref> Under the original plan, the AirTrain would start construction in 2020 and be complete by 2022.<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/nyregion/airtrain-la-guardia-manhattan-cuomo.html|title=Plans for AirTrain to La Guardia Airport Move Ahead Amid Criticism|date=June 25, 2018|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|website=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2018|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001251/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/nyregion/airtrain-la-guardia-manhattan-cuomo.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Rivoli 2018" /> The Port Authority subsequently began environmental studies for three possible routings of the AirTrain to Willets Point, as well as the no-build alternative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-all-sides-prepping-for-the-plan/article_cb2274fa-a0ea-52b6-a9eb-06aeead91266.html|title=LGA AirTrain: All sides prepping for the plan|date=September 13, 2018|last=Gannon|first=Michael|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913210649/http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-all-sides-prepping-for-the-plan/article_cb2274fa-a0ea-52b6-a9eb-06aeead91266.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Some residents and environmental groups opposed the project and requested results from the EIS upon its completion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-air-train-foes-seeking-pa-studies/article_7907cd27-c723-5e0e-a3b0-5d9709a8774e.html|title=LGA air train foes seeking PA studies|date=September 20, 2018|last=Gannon|first=Michael|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926211233/http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-air-train-foes-seeking-pa-studies/article_7907cd27-c723-5e0e-a3b0-5d9709a8774e.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Environmental groups worried that the AirTrain's construction would pollute Flushing Bay, which had just been cleaned at that point.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/flushing-bay-laguardia-airtrain-1.21330599|title=LaGuardia AirTrain threatens Flushing Bay: Advocates|date=October 1, 2018|last=Colangelo|first=Lisa L.|website=am New York|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=October 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001132741/https://www.amny.com/transit/flushing-bay-laguardia-airtrain-1.21330599|url-status=live}}</ref> A subsequent proposal to route the AirTrain over the waterfront was also met with opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gannon|first=Michael|date=April 4, 2019|url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-plans-shift-to-promenade/article_fe143c87-70bb-54fd-9ea9-f82da415b78a.html|title=LGA AirTrain plans shift to Promenade|website=Queens Chronicle|access-date=June 4, 2019|archive-date=June 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606004209/https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/lga-airtrain-plans-shift-to-promenade/article_fe143c87-70bb-54fd-9ea9-f82da415b78a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cuomo announced in May 2019 that the MTA would partially pay for the AirTrain's construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/port-authority-subsidize-mta-laguardia-airtrain-connection|title=Port Authority to subsidize MTA for LaGuardia AirTrain connection|date=May 30, 2019|last=Bredderman|first=Will|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en|access-date=June 4, 2019|archive-date=June 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606022859/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/port-authority-subsidize-mta-laguardia-airtrain-connection|url-status=live}}</ref> By late 2019, the Port Authority was planning to award contracts for the AirTrain in 2021, with the line opening in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|last=Spivack|first=Caroline|title=Port Authority approves billions for airport rail projects|website=Curbed NY|date=October 25, 2019|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/10/25/20931282/port-authority-approves-billions-airport-airtrain-projects|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612233535/https://ny.curbed.com/2019/10/25/20931282/port-authority-approves-billions-airport-airtrain-projects|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Why the LaGuardia AirTrain plan has hit turbulence|website=Crain's New York Business|date=January 27, 2020|last=Flamm|first=Matthew|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/instant-expert/why-laguardia-airtrain-has-hit-turbulence|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=May 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501191000/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/instant-expert/why-laguardia-airtrain-has-hit-turbulence|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The [[Federal Aviation Administration]] released a draft EIS and opened public comments for the project in August 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Acevedo|first=Angélica|date=August 22, 2020|title=You can make your case for or against proposed LaGuardia Airport AirTrain|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/you-can-make-your-case-for-or-against-proposed-laguardia-airport-airtrain/|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=amNewYork|language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2021, the FAA released their final EIS on the project; at the time, work was supposed to commence in June 2021 and the AirTrain LGA would be opened by 2026.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carey|first=Liz|date=March 19, 2021|title=FAA releases Environmental Impact Statement on LaGuardia AirTrain project|url=https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/21887-faa-releases-environmental-impact-statement-on-laguardia-airtrain-project/|work=Transportation Today News|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Parry|first=Bill|title=LaGuardia AirTrain project moves forward following federal review|work=Queens Chronicle|date=March 16, 2021|url=https://qns.com/2021/03/laguardia-airtrain-project-moves-forward-following-federal-review/|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> In June, the project was set for further review by the FAA after complaints that other options were not properly explored.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Berger|first=Paul|date=June 17, 2021|title=FAA Delays Start of LaGuardia Airport AirTrain|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-delays-start-of-laguardia-airport-airtrain-11623961982|access-date=June 18, 2021|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The public provided 4,200 comments on the proposed Airtrain LGA before the FAA approved the project in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McGeehan|first=Patrick|date=2021-07-20|title=$2.1 Billion AirTrain to La Guardia Gets Green Light from U.S.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/nyregion/laguardia-airport-train.html|access-date=2021-07-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cook|first1=Lauren|last2=Mocker|first2=Greg|date=2021-07-20|title=Full steam ahead: FAA approves controversial LaGuardia AirTrain|url=https://pix11.com/news/local-news/laguardia-airtrain-gets-faa-approval-paving-way-for-divisive-project/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=PIX11|language=en-US}}</ref> Several environmental lawsuits sued the FAA in September 2021,<ref>{{cite web | last=Young | first=Celia | title=Environmental Groups Sue to Block LaGuardia AirTrain | website=Commercial Observer | date=September 21, 2021 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/09/environmental-groups-sue-to-block-laguardia-airtrain/ | access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kaye | first=Jacob | title=Environmental groups take AirTrain to court | website=Queens Daily Eagle | date=September 21, 2021 | url=https://queenseagle.com/all/environmental-groups-take-airtrain-to-court | access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref> prompting the FAA to consider delaying the project.<ref>{{cite web | title=FAA considering pausing LaGuardia's AirTrain project after lawsuit filed |first=Lorena |last=Mongelli |date=October 3, 2021 | website=Newsday | url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/airtrain-laguardia-faa-lawsuit-1.50379216 | access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref>
+The [[Federal Aviation Administration]] released a draft EIS and opened public comments for the project in August 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Acevedo|first=Angélica|date=August 22, 2020|title=You can make your case for or against proposed LaGuardia Airport AirTrain|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/you-can-make-your-case-for-or-against-proposed-laguardia-airport-airtrain/|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=amNewYork|language=en-US|archive-date=October 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001232807/https://www.amny.com/transit/you-can-make-your-case-for-or-against-proposed-laguardia-airport-airtrain/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2021, the FAA released their final EIS on the project; at the time, work was supposed to commence in June 2021 and the AirTrain LGA would be opened by 2026.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carey|first=Liz|date=March 19, 2021|title=FAA releases Environmental Impact Statement on LaGuardia AirTrain project|url=https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/21887-faa-releases-environmental-impact-statement-on-laguardia-airtrain-project/|work=Transportation Today News|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200120/https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/21887-faa-releases-environmental-impact-statement-on-laguardia-airtrain-project/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Parry|first=Bill|title=LaGuardia AirTrain project moves forward following federal review|work=Queens Chronicle|date=March 16, 2021|url=https://qns.com/2021/03/laguardia-airtrain-project-moves-forward-following-federal-review/|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202559/https://qns.com/2021/03/laguardia-airtrain-project-moves-forward-following-federal-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> In June, the project was set for further review by the FAA after complaints that other options were not properly explored.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Berger|first=Paul|date=June 17, 2021|title=FAA Delays Start of LaGuardia Airport AirTrain|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-delays-start-of-laguardia-airport-airtrain-11623961982|access-date=June 18, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=June 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617211040/https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-delays-start-of-laguardia-airport-airtrain-11623961982|url-status=live}}</ref> The public provided 4,200 comments on the proposed Airtrain LGA before the FAA approved the project in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McGeehan|first=Patrick|date=July 20, 2021|title=$2.1 Billion AirTrain to La Guardia Gets Green Light from U.S.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/nyregion/laguardia-airport-train.html|access-date=July 21, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721163743/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/nyregion/laguardia-airport-train.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cook|first1=Lauren|last2=Mocker|first2=Greg|date=July 20, 2021|title=Full steam ahead: FAA approves controversial LaGuardia AirTrain|url=https://pix11.com/news/local-news/laguardia-airtrain-gets-faa-approval-paving-way-for-divisive-project/|access-date=July 21, 2021|website=PIX11|language=en-US|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721163744/https://pix11.com/news/local-news/laguardia-airtrain-gets-faa-approval-paving-way-for-divisive-project/|url-status=live}}</ref> Several environmental lawsuits sued the FAA in September 2021,<ref>{{cite web | last=Young | first=Celia | title=Environmental Groups Sue to Block LaGuardia AirTrain | website=Commercial Observer | date=September 21, 2021 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/09/environmental-groups-sue-to-block-laguardia-airtrain/ | access-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004230750/https://commercialobserver.com/2021/09/environmental-groups-sue-to-block-laguardia-airtrain/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kaye | first=Jacob | title=Environmental groups take AirTrain to court | website=Queens Daily Eagle | date=September 21, 2021 | url=https://queenseagle.com/all/environmental-groups-take-airtrain-to-court | access-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004230750/https://queenseagle.com/all/environmental-groups-take-airtrain-to-court | url-status=live }}</ref> prompting the FAA to consider delaying the project.<ref>{{cite web | title=FAA considering pausing LaGuardia's AirTrain project after lawsuit filed | first=Lorena | last=Mongelli | date=October 3, 2021 | website=Newsday | url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/airtrain-laguardia-faa-lawsuit-1.50379216 | access-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004231831/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/airtrain-laguardia-faa-lawsuit-1.50379216 | url-status=live }}</ref>
 ===Postponement and cancellation===
-[[Kathy Hochul]] succeeded Cuomo as governor in late 2021, and opponents had called for Hochul to cancel the project.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Jimmy |last=Vielkind|date=2021-09-23|title=Plans for AirTrain to LaGuardia, Other New York Projects in Doubt With Andrew Cuomo Departure|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/plans-for-airtrain-to-laguardia-other-new-york-projects-in-doubt-with-andrew-cuomo-departure-11632398492|access-date=2021-10-04|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In October 2021, Hochul said she had directed the PANYNJ to consider alternatives for the project.<ref>{{cite web | last=Duggan | first=Kevin | title=Hochul seeks 'alternatives' to LaGuardia AirTrain | website=amNewYork | date=October 4, 2021 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/hochul-seeking-alternatives-to-laguardia-airtrain/ | access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Secrist | first=Clare | title=NYC's proposed LaGuardia rail service sparked lawsuits. Now Hochul is supporting alternatives | website=WSHU | date=October 4, 2021 | url=https://www.wshu.org/post/nycs-proposed-laguardia-rail-service-sparked-lawsuits-now-hochul-supporting-alternatives | access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref> The PANYNJ presented 14 alternatives in March 2022, including [[BMT Astoria Line#Extension proposals|extending the BMT Astoria Line]] to provide service to the airport.<ref>{{cite web|last=Duggan|first=Kevin|title=Port Authority reveals possible alternatives to LaGuardia AirTrain|url=https://www.amny.com/politics/port-authority-alternatives-laguardia-airtrain/|work=AM New York|date=March 2, 2022|access-date=August 17, 2022|archive-date=June 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610073802/https://www.amny.com/politics/port-authority-alternatives-laguardia-airtrain/}}</ref><ref name="Nessen 2022">{{cite web | last=Nessen | first=Stephen | title=After scrapping Cuomo’s AirTrain, Port Authority releases 14 other options | website=Gothamist | date=March 3, 2022 | url=https://gothamist.com/news/after-scraping-cuomos-airtrain-port-authority-releases-14-other-options | access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> Meanwhile, Hochul announced that the Q70 bus would no longer charge fares starting on May 1, 2022, as a temporary measure while the New York state government studied alternatives to the planned AirTrain LaGuardia.<ref name="NBC New York 2022">{{cite web | title=Q70 Bus to LaGuardia Is Free for All Starting May 1, Hochul Says | website=NBC New York | date=April 27, 2022 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/q70-bus-to-laguardia-airport-free-for-all-starting-may-1-hochul-announces/3666084/ | access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Izzo 2022">{{cite web | last=Izzo | first=Justin | title=Q70 bus to LaGuardia to be free, Hochul says | website=Spectrum News NY1 New York City | date=April 27, 2022 | url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2022/04/27/q70-bus-to-laguardia-to-be-free-while-other-transit-options-studied--hochul-says | access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref>
+When [[Kathy Hochul]] succeeded Cuomo as governor in late 2021, critics of the project called for her to cancel it.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Jimmy|last=Vielkind|date=September 23, 2021|title=Plans for AirTrain to LaGuardia, Other New York Projects in Doubt With Andrew Cuomo Departure|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/plans-for-airtrain-to-laguardia-other-new-york-projects-in-doubt-with-andrew-cuomo-departure-11632398492|access-date=October 4, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=October 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004230750/https://www.wsj.com/articles/plans-for-airtrain-to-laguardia-other-new-york-projects-in-doubt-with-andrew-cuomo-departure-11632398492|url-status=live}}</ref> Hochul said in October 2021 that she had directed the PANYNJ to consider alternatives,<ref>{{cite web | last=Duggan | first=Kevin | title=Hochul seeks 'alternatives' to LaGuardia AirTrain | website=amNewYork | date=October 4, 2021 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/hochul-seeking-alternatives-to-laguardia-airtrain/ | access-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004182818/https://www.amny.com/transit/hochul-seeking-alternatives-to-laguardia-airtrain/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Secrist | first=Clare | title=NYC's proposed LaGuardia rail service sparked lawsuits. Now Hochul is supporting alternatives | website=WSHU | date=October 4, 2021 | url=https://www.wshu.org/post/nycs-proposed-laguardia-rail-service-sparked-lawsuits-now-hochul-supporting-alternatives | access-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-date=October 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004230805/https://www.wshu.org/post/nycs-proposed-laguardia-rail-service-sparked-lawsuits-now-hochul-supporting-alternatives | url-status=live }}</ref> and the authority presented 14 options in March 2022, including [[BMT Astoria Line#Extension proposals|extending the BMT Astoria Line]] to provide service to the airport.<ref>{{cite web|last=Duggan|first=Kevin|title=Port Authority reveals possible alternatives to LaGuardia AirTrain|url=https://www.amny.com/politics/port-authority-alternatives-laguardia-airtrain/|work=AM New York|date=March 2, 2022|access-date=August 17, 2022|archive-date=June 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610073802/https://www.amny.com/politics/port-authority-alternatives-laguardia-airtrain/}}</ref><ref name="Nessen 2022">{{cite web | last=Nessen | first=Stephen | title=After scrapping Cuomo's AirTrain, Port Authority releases 14 other options | website=Gothamist | date=March 3, 2022 | url=https://gothamist.com/news/after-scraping-cuomos-airtrain-port-authority-releases-14-other-options | access-date=August 17, 2022 | archive-date=August 17, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817184930/https://gothamist.com/news/after-scraping-cuomos-airtrain-port-authority-releases-14-other-options | url-status=live }}</ref> Meanwhile, Hochul announced that, starting on May 1, 2022, the Q70 bus would no longer charge fares as a temporary measure while the New York state government studied alternatives to the AirTrain plan.<ref name="NBC New York 2022">{{cite web | title=Q70 Bus to LaGuardia Is Free for All Starting May 1, Hochul Says | website=NBC New York | date=April 27, 2022 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/q70-bus-to-laguardia-airport-free-for-all-starting-may-1-hochul-announces/3666084/ | access-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-date=June 11, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611080228/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/q70-bus-to-laguardia-airport-free-for-all-starting-may-1-hochul-announces/3666084/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Izzo 2022">{{cite web | last=Izzo | first=Justin | title=Q70 bus to LaGuardia to be free, Hochul says | website=Spectrum News NY1 New York City | date=April 27, 2022 | url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2022/04/27/q70-bus-to-laguardia-to-be-free-while-other-transit-options-studied--hochul-says | access-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-date=August 7, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807172630/https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2022/04/27/q70-bus-to-laguardia-to-be-free-while-other-transit-options-studied--hochul-says | url-status=live }}</ref>
-Hochul canceled the AirTrain LGA project in March 2023 after finding that the project's budget had increased to $2.4 billion, over five times the original $450 million estimate. The decision came after a panel of three transportation experts recommended that the frequency of the Q70 bus be increased and that the PANYNJ operate a shuttle bus route from the airport to the [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station]]. According to [[Janette Sadik-Khan]], one of the three panelists, the enhanced bus service would cost $500 million.<ref name=nyt-2023-03-13>{{Cite news|last=McGeehan|first=Patrick|date=2023-03-13|title=Plans to Build AirTrain to La Guardia Are Officially Scrapped|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/nyregion/laguardia-lga-airtrain.html|access-date=2023-03-13|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
+The AirTrain LGA project was canceled in March 2023 after the project's budget had increased to $2.4 billion, over five times the original $450 million estimate.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2023">{{cite web | last=Simko-Bednarski | first=Evan | title=AirTrain to LaGuardia canceled after Port Authority review | website=New York Daily News | date=March 13, 2023 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-no-airtrain-to-laguardia-after-port-authority-review-20230313-uhaa6jwskza6vckbuhihsv462y-story.html | access-date=March 14, 2023 | archive-date=March 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313211205/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-no-airtrain-to-laguardia-after-port-authority-review-20230313-uhaa6jwskza6vckbuhihsv462y-story.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=nyt-2023-03-13/> The decision came after a panel of three transportation experts recommended that the frequency of the Q70 bus be increased and that the PANYNJ operate a shuttle bus route from the airport to the [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station]]. The panel also suggested turning a mile-long section of the [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]] into a dedicated [[bus lane]]. According to [[Janette Sadik-Khan]], one of the three panelists, the enhanced bus service would cost $500 million.<ref name=nyt-2023-03-13>{{Cite news|last=McGeehan|first=Patrick|date=March 13, 2023|title=Plans to Build AirTrain to La Guardia Are Officially Scrapped|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/nyregion/laguardia-lga-airtrain.html|access-date=March 13, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314064737/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/nyregion/laguardia-lga-airtrain.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ABC7 New York 2023">{{cite web | title=LaGuardia AirTrain NYC: Hochul scraps plan and MTA, Port Authority improve bus service | website=ABC7 New York | date=March 13, 2023 | url=https://abc7ny.com/laguardia-airtrain-mta-port-authority/12949695/ | access-date=March 14, 2023 | archive-date=March 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313204902/https://abc7ny.com/laguardia-airtrain-mta-port-authority/12949695/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
 ==Reception==
-The proposal had been strongly criticized by transit advocates as being slower than existing transit modes and likely to increase loads on the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}}, which already operate at full capacity. This would have been alleviated somewhat by the [[Signaling of the New York City Subway#Automation|automation]] of trains on the [[IRT Flushing Line]], which would have allowed more {{NYCS trains|Flushing|time=nolink}} to run every hour.<ref name="amny 201507">{{cite news|last1=Harshbarger|first1=Rebecca|title=New AirTrain not worth the trip thanks to crowded 7 train: transit advocates|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/450m-airtrain-not-worth-the-trip-thanks-to-crowded-7-train-say-transit-advocates-1.10689345|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=AM New York|date=July 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rivoli|first1=Dan|title=Congestion on the chronically crowded 7 train a worry should it link up to LaGuardia Airport|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/congestion-7-train-worry-link-lga-article-1.2310084|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=New York Daily News|date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> However, the proposed AirTrain transfer at Willets Point would have been 20 stations away from the [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line)|34th Street–Hudson Yards]] station, the western terminus of the {{NYCS trains|Flushing|time=nolink}} (10 stations away via the rush-hour peak-direction express).<ref name="amny 201507" /> It was estimated that transferring from the subway to the AirTrain would have taken longer than transferring from the subway to the [[Q70 (New York City bus)|Q70 LaGuardia Link]] bus at [[61st Street–Woodside (IRT Flushing Line)|61st Street–Woodside]], which is eight local stops closer to Manhattan than the Willets Point station is. The AirTrain would also not have benefited many LIRR riders; the Port Washington Branch is the only LIRR route that does not go through [[Jamaica station]], so riders from the rest of Long Island would have had to transfer at the [[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside station]] to access the Port Washington Branch.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":6" />
+The proposal had been strongly criticized by transit advocates as being slower than existing transit modes and likely to increase loads on the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}}, which already operate at full capacity. This would have been alleviated somewhat by the [[Signaling of the New York City Subway#Automation|automation]] of trains on the [[IRT Flushing Line]], which would have allowed more {{NYCS trains|Flushing|time=nolink}} to run every hour.<ref name="amny 201507">{{cite news|last1=Harshbarger|first1=Rebecca|title=New AirTrain not worth the trip thanks to crowded 7 train: transit advocates|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/450m-airtrain-not-worth-the-trip-thanks-to-crowded-7-train-say-transit-advocates-1.10689345|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=AM New York|date=July 30, 2015|archive-date=July 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731053613/http://www.amny.com/transit/450m-airtrain-not-worth-the-trip-thanks-to-crowded-7-train-say-transit-advocates-1.10689345|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rivoli|first1=Dan|title=Congestion on the chronically crowded 7 train a worry should it link up to LaGuardia Airport|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/congestion-7-train-worry-link-lga-article-1.2310084|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=New York Daily News|date=July 30, 2015|archive-date=August 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801055728/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/congestion-7-train-worry-link-lga-article-1.2310084|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the proposed AirTrain transfer at Willets Point would have been 20 stations away from the [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line)|34th Street–Hudson Yards]] station, the western terminus of the {{NYCS trains|Flushing|time=nolink}} (10 stations away via the rush-hour peak-direction express).<ref name="amny 201507" /> It was estimated that transferring from the subway to the AirTrain would have taken longer than transferring from the subway to the [[Q70 (New York City bus)|Q70 LaGuardia Link]] bus at [[61st Street–Woodside (IRT Flushing Line)|61st Street–Woodside]], which is eight local stops closer to Manhattan than the Willets Point station is. The AirTrain would also not have benefited many LIRR riders; the Port Washington Branch is the only LIRR route that does not go through [[Jamaica station]], so riders from the rest of Long Island would have had to transfer at the [[Woodside station (LIRR)|Woodside station]] to access the Port Washington Branch.<ref name="Freemark 2015" /><ref name="Barone 2017" />
-According to one critic, even with a capacity increase, the route was not worth traveling due to its distance from most of the rest of the city, as "transit travel times from LaGuardia to destinations throughout New York City—from [[Grand Central Terminal|Grand Central]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] to [[Brooklyn Borough Hall|Borough Hall]] in [[downtown Brooklyn]] to [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] in central Queens to [[Yankee Stadium]] in [[the Bronx]]—would be longer for passengers using the AirTrain than for passengers using existing transit services already offered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority."<ref name=":7">{{cite news|last1=Freemark|first1=Yonah|title=For LaGuardia, an AirTrain that will save almost no one any time|url=http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2015/01/21/for-laguardia-an-airtrain-that-will-save-almost-no-one-any-time/|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=The Transport Politic|date=January 21, 2015}}</ref> A writer from ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called the project itself "dumb," saying that the project was a [[:wikt:pet project|pet project]] for Cuomo and an "egregious misuse of money and initiative, in a city whose everyday transit functions are at capacity, to extend such a gift to airport travelers, of all people."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/06/14/laguardia_airport_renovation_still_includes_that_dumb_air_train_why.html|title=Andrew Cuomo Keeps Pushing Ahead With One of the Worst Transit Ideas in America|last=Grabar|first=Henry|date=June 14, 2016|newspaper=Slate|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339|access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'' called the project an "unmitigated disaster" for its convoluted, unwieldy route, and asked, "Why would [Cuomo] build [the AirTrain's] terminal at Willets Point, which is even further from the city than the airport itself?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/07/cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-possibly-nys-worst-transit-idea-is-actually-happening/|title=Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain, Possibly NY's Worst Transit Idea, Is Actually Happening|last=Rivlin-Nadler|first=Max|date=February 7, 2017|website=Village Voice|access-date=September 1, 2017}}</ref> One alternative suggestion involved the previously rejected proposal to extend the [[BMT Astoria Line|Astoria Line]] to LaGuardia Airport rather than building the AirTrain to Willets Point.<ref name=":8" /> Another critic called the $2.05 billion estimated construction cost "exorbitant" and proposed dedicated busways as a more direct and cost-effective solution.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Connor|date=July 3, 2019|title=The LaGuardia AirTrain project is a truly stupendous waste|url=https://nypost.com/2019/07/02/the-laguardia-airtrain-project-is-a-truly-stupendous-waste/|access-date=October 7, 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref>
+According to one critic, even with a capacity increase, the route was not worth traveling due to its distance from most of the rest of the city, as "transit travel times from LaGuardia to destinations throughout New York City—from [[Grand Central Terminal|Grand Central]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] to [[Brooklyn Borough Hall|Borough Hall]] in [[downtown Brooklyn]] to [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] in central Queens to [[Yankee Stadium]] in [[the Bronx]]—would be longer for passengers using the AirTrain than for passengers using existing transit services already offered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority."<ref name="Freemark 2015">{{cite news|last1=Freemark|first1=Yonah|title=For LaGuardia, an AirTrain that will save almost no one any time|url=http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2015/01/21/for-laguardia-an-airtrain-that-will-save-almost-no-one-any-time/|access-date=July 31, 2015|work=The Transport Politic|date=January 21, 2015|archive-date=August 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821095428/http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2015/01/21/for-laguardia-an-airtrain-that-will-save-almost-no-one-any-time/|url-status=live}}</ref> A writer from ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called the project itself "dumb," saying that the project was a [[:wikt:pet project|pet project]] for Cuomo and an "egregious misuse of money and initiative, in a city whose everyday transit functions are at capacity, to extend such a gift to airport travelers, of all people."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/06/14/laguardia_airport_renovation_still_includes_that_dumb_air_train_why.html|title=Andrew Cuomo Keeps Pushing Ahead With One of the Worst Transit Ideas in America|last=Grabar|first=Henry|date=June 14, 2016|newspaper=Slate|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339|access-date=August 20, 2016|archive-date=August 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818213916/http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/06/14/laguardia_airport_renovation_still_includes_that_dumb_air_train_why.html?|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'' called the project an "unmitigated disaster" for its convoluted, unwieldy route, and asked, "Why would [Cuomo] build [the AirTrain's] terminal at Willets Point, which is even further from the city than the airport itself?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/07/cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-possibly-nys-worst-transit-idea-is-actually-happening/|title=Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain, Possibly NY's Worst Transit Idea, Is Actually Happening|last=Rivlin-Nadler|first=Max|date=February 7, 2017|website=Village Voice|access-date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902004912/https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/07/cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-possibly-nys-worst-transit-idea-is-actually-happening/|url-status=live}}</ref> One alternative suggestion involved the previously rejected proposal to extend the [[BMT Astoria Line|Astoria Line]] to LaGuardia Airport rather than building the AirTrain to Willets Point.<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2018" /> Another critic called the $2.05 billion estimated construction cost "exorbitant" and proposed dedicated busways as a more direct and cost-effective solution.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Connor|date=July 3, 2019|title=The LaGuardia AirTrain project is a truly stupendous waste|url=https://nypost.com/2019/07/02/the-laguardia-airtrain-project-is-a-truly-stupendous-waste/|access-date=October 7, 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-date=October 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014172042/https://nypost.com/2019/07/02/the-laguardia-airtrain-project-is-a-truly-stupendous-waste/|url-status=live}}</ref>
-In January 2020, U.S. Representative [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], who represents Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst, wrote to the FAA asking why 46 alternatives were rejected and noting that over 60% of the 414 public comments collected by the FAA were in opposition to the proposed routing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/ocasio-cortez-challenges-cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-project|title=Ocasio-Cortez challenges Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain project|date=January 13, 2020|last=Flamm|first=Matthew|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en|access-date=January 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Guse 2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-lga-airtrain-pushback-queens-residents-20200113-urcar56curelxpebvwl4kup2t4-story.html|title=AOC leads familiar fight over train to LaGuardia Airport|last=Guse|first=Clayton|date=January 13, 2020|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=January 14, 2020}}</ref> [[Hiram Monserrate]], the area's Democratic District Leader, also objected that the FAA's approval had bypassed a [[Uniform Land Use Review Procedure]] analysis, as would have been mandated for other large projects.<ref name="Guse 2020"/> The same month, residents and business owners along the AirTrain's proposed route protested against the construction of the AirTrain on that route.<ref name="Acevedo 2020">{{cite web|url=https://qns.com/story/2020/01/13/queens-protesters-say-theyre-getting-third-world-treatment-over-lga-airtrain/|title=Queens protesters say they're getting 'third-world' treatment over LGA AirTrain|last=Acevedo|first=Angélica|date=January 13, 2020|website=QNS.com|access-date=January 14, 2020}}</ref>
+In January 2020, U.S. Representative [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], who represents Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst, wrote to the FAA asking why 46 alternatives were rejected and noting that over 60% of the 414 public comments collected by the FAA were in opposition to the proposed routing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/ocasio-cortez-challenges-cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-project|title=Ocasio-Cortez challenges Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain project|date=January 13, 2020|last=Flamm|first=Matthew|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114135236/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/ocasio-cortez-challenges-cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-project|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guse 2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-lga-airtrain-pushback-queens-residents-20200113-urcar56curelxpebvwl4kup2t4-story.html|title=AOC leads familiar fight over train to LaGuardia Airport|last=Guse|first=Clayton|date=January 13, 2020|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114012725/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-lga-airtrain-pushback-queens-residents-20200113-urcar56curelxpebvwl4kup2t4-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hiram Monserrate]], the area's Democratic District Leader, also objected that the FAA's approval had bypassed a [[Uniform Land Use Review Procedure]] analysis, as would have been mandated for other large projects.<ref name="Guse 2020"/> The same month, residents and business owners along the AirTrain's proposed route protested against the construction of the AirTrain on that route.<ref name="Acevedo 2020">{{cite web|url=https://qns.com/story/2020/01/13/queens-protesters-say-theyre-getting-third-world-treatment-over-lga-airtrain/|title=Queens protesters say they're getting 'third-world' treatment over LGA AirTrain|last=Acevedo|first=Angélica|date=January 13, 2020|website=QNS.com|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114135237/https://qns.com/story/2020/01/13/queens-protesters-say-theyre-getting-third-world-treatment-over-lga-airtrain/|url-status=live}}</ref>
-Many government officials and advocates supported the plan. In 2017, the ''Newsday'' editorial board wrote a piece in support of the AirTrain LaGuardia project, saying that it would increase mass transit patronage to the airport. The board cited AirTrain JFK as an example, saying that "officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimate the AirTrain provides 7.5 million rides to air travelers annually", and arguing that LaGuardia Airport needed a similar mass-transit airport link.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15104000|title=Editorial: Build a new train to the plane|last=Newsday Editorial Board|date=November 25, 2017|work=Newsday|access-date=November 27, 2017|language=en}}</ref> [[Rick Cotton]], executive of the Port Authority, said in an opinion article in the ''New York Daily News'': "Let's stop talking about the red herring of 'doubling back' and focus on choosing the best route based on real issues, including the impact on neighborhoods, disruptions to highways, rail and utilities, and passenger experience, as well as cost."<ref>{{cite web|last=Cotton|first=Rick|title=The LaGuardia AirTrain makes sense: Gov. Cuomo's Port Authority man defends the embattled plan|website=New York Daily News|date=January 1, 2020|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-laguardia-airtrain-makes-sense-20200201-5q25hrcrtfca5oivxuebuw56iq-story.html|access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref> In 2020, a group of former New York City transportation commissioners wrote an [[op-ed]] in the ''Daily News'' in which they strongly supported the final AirTrain LaGuardia proposal. The commissioners wrote that the final proposal was the only viable option, saying that "the envisioned one-seat ride was never really one-seat" and that LaGuardia Airport was the only major New York City area airport without a train connection.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Michael|last1=Horodniceanu|first2=Ross|last2=Sandler|first3=Sam|last3=Schwartz|first4=Gerard|last4=Soffian|date=September 22, 2020|title=Build this AirTrain to LaGuardia: It is the best option available|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-build-this-airtrain-to-laguardia-20200922-foaurble3ff5dglgpz7xaku5ry-story.html|access-date=September 23, 2020|website=New York Daily News}}</ref>
+Many government officials and advocates supported the plan. In 2017, the ''Newsday'' editorial board wrote a piece in support of the AirTrain LaGuardia project, saying that it would increase mass transit patronage to the airport. The board cited AirTrain JFK as an example, saying that "officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimate the AirTrain provides 7.5 million rides to air travelers annually", and arguing that LaGuardia Airport needed a similar mass-transit airport link.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15104000|title=Editorial: Build a new train to the plane|last=Newsday Editorial Board|date=November 25, 2017|work=Newsday|access-date=November 27, 2017|language=en|archive-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125134442/https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/laguardia-airport-airtrain-1.15104000|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rick Cotton]], executive of the Port Authority, said in an opinion article in the ''New York Daily News'': "Let's stop talking about the red herring of 'doubling back' and focus on choosing the best route based on real issues, including the impact on neighborhoods, disruptions to highways, rail and utilities, and passenger experience, as well as cost."<ref>{{cite web|last=Cotton|first=Rick|title=The LaGuardia AirTrain makes sense: Gov. Cuomo's Port Authority man defends the embattled plan|website=New York Daily News|date=January 1, 2020|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-laguardia-airtrain-makes-sense-20200201-5q25hrcrtfca5oivxuebuw56iq-story.html|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617144857/https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-laguardia-airtrain-makes-sense-20200201-5q25hrcrtfca5oivxuebuw56iq-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, a group of former New York City transportation commissioners wrote an [[op-ed]] in the ''Daily News'' in which they strongly supported the final AirTrain LaGuardia proposal. The commissioners wrote that the final proposal was the only viable option, saying that "the envisioned one-seat ride was never really one-seat" and that LaGuardia Airport was the only major New York City area airport without a train connection.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Michael|last1=Horodniceanu|first2=Ross|last2=Sandler|first3=Sam|last3=Schwartz|first4=Gerard|last4=Soffian|date=September 22, 2020|title=Build this AirTrain to LaGuardia: It is the best option available|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-build-this-airtrain-to-laguardia-20200922-foaurble3ff5dglgpz7xaku5ry-story.html|access-date=September 23, 2020|website=New York Daily News|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923065333/https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-build-this-airtrain-to-laguardia-20200922-foaurble3ff5dglgpz7xaku5ry-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 ==See also==

v t e People mover systems at airports in North America
Current	Atlanta Plane Train SkyTrain Chicago–O'Hare Cincinnati Dallas–Fort Worth Denver Detroit Houston–Bush Skyway Subway Las Vegas Maui Mexico City Miami e Train Skytrain Mover Minneapolis–St. Paul New York JFK Newark Oakland Orlando Phoenix Pittsburgh Sacramento San Francisco Seattle–Tacoma Tampa Toronto–Pearson Washington–Dulles
Future	Los Angeles
Defunct	Dallas–Fort Worth Vought Airtrans Dallas Love Field Hartford–Bradley Tampa (Long-Term Parking Monorail)
Proposed	Albuquerque Boston Charlotte Denver (Landside APM) Fort Lauderdale Philadelphia San Jose
Cancelled	New York (LaGuardia)

v t e Aviation in the New York metropolitan area
See also: List of airports in New York
Major commercial airports	John F. Kennedy LaGuardia Newark Liberty
Secondary commercial airports	Long Island MacArthur Stewart Trenton–Mercer Westchester County
General aviation airports	Bayport Brookhaven Danbury East Hampton Essex County Gabreski Hudson Valley Linden Lufker Mattituck Monmouth Montauk Morristown Old Bridge Randall Republic Sands Point Sikorsky Teterboro
Heliports	Downtown East 34th Street Haverstraw Southampton West 30th Street
Transportation	AirTrain JFK AirTrain Newark AirTrain LaGuardia (cancelled)
Agency	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey