LaGuardia Airport, in the north of New York city, is transited by over 28 million passengers being the main airport for domestic flights. According to estimates, by 2030, the number of passengers will increase by 6 million per year. To meet the future mobility demand, local authorities and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey are implementing the airport redevelopment project aimed to transform the airport. The project includes the AirTrain project to provide rail connection to and from the airport and to encourage the increase of public transport share, since 86% of the passengers that transit the airport and its 12,000 employees use personal vehicles.
The volume of vehicles travelling to LaGuardia creates a significant congestion on the main arteries to the airport (Queens roadways) and it is impossible for passengers to estimate the travel time from Manhattan to the airport. It usually ranges between 35 minutes to over an hour. Today, public transport services are provided by buses which, in turn, are connected to the public rail transport network.
LaGuardia Airport redevelopment project aims to transform the airport into a seamless airport with one main terminal, to create new access points and to develop the railway project and the taxi system. The construction of the seamless terminal – Terminal B – will require investments of USD 4 billion. Delta Air Lines will redevelop the existing terminals to create a seamless airport system.
The AirTrain system will be included in the redevelopment project to provide direct connection between the airport and the metro system and the railway commuter transport system (Long Island Rail Road-LIRR). The system will be built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and MTA metropolitan transport authority, through a USD 450 million investment. The new B terminal will include the future AirTrain terminal.
“We are transforming LaGuardia into a world-class transport gateway, and an essential piece of the puzzle is ensuring rail mass transit access to the airport. With this action, we’re taking the next major step toward making this a reality,” NY Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
The project consists in the construction of a 2.4-km railway from the airport crossing Grand Central Parkway with Mets-Willets Point Station as destination located on metro line 7 and LIRR line.
The project was proposed in 2015, and in 2017, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the launch of calls for proposals for preliminary engineering and other planning works for the AirTrain connection to LaGuardia Airport. The selected consultant will be responsible for preliminary engineering works regarding three project components: the construction of over two new stations and terminal buildings (from the airport), the construction of Willets Point station and the construction of the train “right-of-way”, from the airport to Willets Point. The metropolitan transport authority has already initiated preliminary works for the construction of a new LIRR station and a brand-new station, Willets Point”, on metro line 7 so that passengers could have direct connections to the railway network.
The new link will provide a 6-minute journey from the airport to Willets Point and the total travel time to Midtown Manhattan will be less than 30 minutes.
by Pamela Luica
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