Cuomo Proposes Train Link to La Guardia Airport


Michael M. Grynbaum
3 Hours Ago
The New York Times

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday proposed the construction of an elevated AirTrain to La Guardia Airport, the first mass transit link to an airfield long lamented for its relatively isolated location in Queens.
The proposed train would connect with the No. 7 subway line and the Long Island Rail Road at an expanded terminal in Willets Point in Queens, alongside Citi Field and the U.S. Open tennis center.
The elevated train, similar to the AirTrains used to reach Kennedy Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, would cost about $450 million to build and run for 1.5 miles along the Grand Central Parkway, the governor's office said.
LaGuardia Airport, New York City
Mehdi Taarmallah | AFP | Getty Images
LaGuardia Airport, New York City
When the train would start operating, however, is uncertain. "I would not venture a guess to the timing," Mr. Cuomo said on Tuesday, shortly after unveiling the plan at a breakfast speech in Midtown Manhattan.
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The governor said his office needed "a couple of months to work up the design" of the train before a solid timetable could be established. Aides to the governor said later that the train could be operational within five years.
Air passengers must travel to La Guardia by car or bus, a rarity among airports in major global cities, which are commonly served by trains or other forms of mass transit. Mr. Cuomo described the current situation as "inexcusable."
Proposals for a train to La Guardia have been floated in transportation circles for years, if not decades. Other plans have included extending the N and R subway line from Astoria to the airport, or building a transit link from a station in Woodside, Queens.
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Mr. Cuomo's plan, although lacking some key details for implementation, received a warm reception on Tuesday.
"This is a breakthrough," said Mitchell L. Moss, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University. "They may need to rename La Guardia after Cuomo."
The governor said his office would also explore redesigning the terminals at La Guardia, which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. recently compared to the facilities at a third-world country. Mr. Cuomo called the airport a "bad use of space," and proposed, among other ideas, a high-speed ferry link from Manhattan and a new slate of departure-gate restaurants.
"I'm partial to Peter Luger," Mr. Cuomo said during his speech, referring to the famed Brooklyn steakhouse, whose logo appeared in a digital image of the proposed revamp projected on a screen by his side.
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"As governor," Mr. Cuomo added, "you get a few prerogatives."