LGA AirTrain design contract awarded

[RailRunRob]

'It could be' is a really poor metric on judging what is and isn't good to build. Spending billions of dollars have an opportunity cost; why spend it for the benefit of a couple of cheapskates who aren't even tourists, when it could benefit tens of thousands of commuters?

 

I'm saying its a crap idea because it doesn't benefit enough people.

 

If connecting Long Island was really the goal, the obvious solution would be to connect at Woodside and not LGA or Jamaica. If you're showing up for a flight, then you should already account for the, what, 15 additional minutes of travel time it takes to get to the airport?

 

The fact of the matter is, airports are not actually great as transit demand generators. Even the biggest airports in the world, and the most well connected ones, do not generate a lot of transit trips. The only reason we focus on them is because the powerful people use them, and powerful people love flashy toys.

True you have a point Woodside didn't immediately cross my mind ! I had to pass thru Jamaica via the Ronkonkoma today and when I fly out I do see decent ridership to JFK both via the LIRR and few times I've taken the subway. So you probably have a point. But even if 10-20% passengers take transit to our Airports but even 10-20% of 80 million it's still something NYC should have some type of transit decent options, after all, we love flashy toys as well. Would the cost justify the means? The numbers would tell all but at least look into it. 

[N6 Limited]

I have never really understood the logic of linking the two AirTrains. There is literally no scenario in which a significant amount of people would be traveling from LGA to JFK. Layovers don't work like that.

The reasoning is that it would allow an easier connection to LaGuardia in general. Most LIRR trains stop in Jamaica. If the Airtrain stopped in Jamaica and Willets Point it would cover the whole LIRR, and allow travelers from south east Queens to avoid the QBL. It would also allow riders from Penn Station to take any LIRR train (to either Willets Point or Jamaica).

 

Ideally, the Airtrain would continue west along the GCP to connect with the Astoria Blvd station (and the M60). Even more ideal would be for it to run along 125th Street to the . Then riders can transfer in Jamaica if they're going to JFK.

 

I don't even know why a JFK to LGA transfer would be an argument in this?

[bobtehpanda]

The reasoning is that it would allow an easier connection to LaGuardia in general. Most LIRR trains stop in Jamaica. If the Airtrain stopped in Jamaica and Willets Point it would cover the whole LIRR, and allow travelers from south east Queens to avoid the QBL. It would also allow riders from Penn Station to take any LIRR train (to either Willets Point or Jamaica).

 

Ideally, the Airtrain would continue west along the GCP to connect with the Astoria Blvd station (and the M60). Even more ideal would be for it to run along 125th Street to the . Then riders can transfer in Jamaica if they're going to JFK.

 

I don't even know why a JFK to LGA transfer would be an argument in this?

 

There are a couple of things to consider here

 

Are LGA riders a bigger priority than other riders, especially considering that there are less of them? How much money are you spending on every rider out of Jamaica?

Is building to Jamaica worth the additional billions over Woodside or Willets Point? How many dollars are you spending on every additional LGA rider gained by riding to Jamaica?

 

The airport would best be served by a busway serving the Q70 and M60 so that it can avoid the general LGA traffic.

[RailRunRob]

The airport would best be served by a busway serving the Q70 and M60 so that it can avoid the general LGA traffic.

Indeed well if that's the case why on God's green Earth are they building this Air-train instead of the busway? The busway makes sense to me.

 

 

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[bobtehpanda]

Indeed well if that's the case why on God's green Earth are they building this Air-train instead of the busway? The busway makes sense to me.

 

 

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LGA construction, as much as it is needed, is one of those Cuomo vanity projects.

 

AirTrain makes sense for JFK since everyone is coming from Jamaica or QBL anyways, and it's also the closest major transportation hub. AirTrain for LGA goes in the opposite direction of most demand and loads people onto an infrequent LIRR line or an overcrowded .

[Italianstallion]

 

 

 

 

 

Over the .

 

If they insist on building this, they should build the airport tracks as regular heavy rail, and loop them around from the site of the AirTrain station shown in the map to connect with the westbound LIRR tracks, and run direct LGA-Penn Station or GCT trains instead of forcing everyone to transfer at Willets Pt. Those wanting the subway could still transfer there to the 7.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

The airport would best be served by a busway serving the Q70 and M60 so that it can avoid the general LGA traffic.

 

But the Governor wants Willets Point, so it has to go to Willets Point.

[Deucey]

Why couldn't the Astoria Line be extended as a subway again?

 

And if TA built a World's Fair spur off the , why can't a new spur be built off the or the QBL to LGA?

[BreeddekalbL]

Why couldn't the Astoria Line be extended as a subway again?

The wall of vallone plain and simple

[Around the Horn]

Why couldn't the Astoria Line be extended as a subway again?

 

And if TA built a World's Fair spur off the , why can't a new spur be built off the or the QBL to LGA?

The World's Fair spur was the , and the Van Wyck sits on that ROW now.

[Italianstallion]

Why couldn't the Astoria Line be extended as a subway again?

 

And if TA built a World's Fair spur off the , why can't a new spur be built off the or the QBL to LGA?

 

Where would you put the Astoria portal?

[RES2773]

I know, late response, but if this becomes a reality the mets willets point LIRR station better become full time.

 

 

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[Lance]

But the Governor wants Willets Point, so it has to go to Willets Point.

The problem remains that the bulk of the riders will come from everywhere but Willets Point. We have yet another billion dollar boondoggle and we're charging full steam ahead without any justification for serving only a small portion of LGA airport travelers.

 

Where would you put the Astoria portal?

The easiest place, and I use that in the loosest terms possible, to create a portal for the Astoria line would be by recapturing part of the ConEd plant north of 20th Avenue and then dig east toward the airport. Of course, that's a terrible idea and should not be done. For starters, it would never gain any traction among the residents as it pretty much would bypass most of Astoria-Steinway by running along 20th Avenue. Any kind of extension of that magnitude needs to serve the neighborhood as well and not just operate as an airport line. Secondly, I'd imagine that land required for the potential portal and tunnel would be problematic given its proximity to the East River. Naturally, I could be wrong about that last part since my knowledge of geology is not that vast. It's still a terrible idea though.