AirTrain JFK

AirTrain JFK is a 13 km (8.1 mile) (largely elevated) rapid transit system in Queens, New York City, connecting the terminals and parking areas at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with each other and with railroad and subway lines at Jamaica and Howard Beach. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also operates the airport and AirTrain Newark.

Routes and stations

The system consists of three overlapping routes:

Howard Beach route
Jamaica Station route
Airline Terminal route

The Howard Beach route starts at station for and then stops at Lefferts Blvd. The Jamaica route starts at the Jamaica Station on the Long Island Rail Road, next to the stops for and .

Federal Circle is the stop for car rental companies and shuttle buses to hotels and the air cargo area.
Lefferts Blvd is the stop for shuttle buses to long term parking lots A and B and to employee parking.

Both routes then meet, stopping at Federal Circle and the following stations in a counterclockwise loop before returning to Federal Circle and their respective terminals:

Terminal 1
Terminals 2/3
Terminal 4
Terminals 5/6
Terminal 7
Terminals 8/9

The Airline Terminal route serves the six terminal stations, but operates in the opposite direction, making a clockwise loop. The Airline Terminal route uses the inside track of the double-tracked loop.

Using AirTrain

Generally speaking, people traveling between JFK and lower Manhattan should use the Howard Beach Station and take the subway. Travelers to east midtown Manhattan should use Jamaica Station and the subway. Travelers to west midtown Manhattan or making Amtrak or New Jersey Transit connections should use Jamaica Station and take the to Penn Station. Travelers to Long Island or Brooklyn can make LIRR connections at Jamaica Station; subway trains from both terminals also serve Brooklyn. Dozens of local bus lines serving Queens and Brooklyn stop at or near Jamaica Station as well.

There are flight status displays in many AirTrain stations, including Jamaica. All station stops are announced via recorded messages. The announcements were recorded by former New York City traffic reporter, Bernie Wagenblast.

Connecting services

At Kennedy Airport:

All Terminals: Q10 and Q10A buses (note: Q10A buses run southbound ONLY, the return north as regular Q10)
Terminal 4 only: Q3, B15

At Lefferts Blvd: B15

At Howard Beach: A subway service; Q11 bus

At Jamaica: LIRR; E, J, Z subway service; Q6 Q8 Q9 Q20A Q20B Q25/Q34 Q30 Q31 Q40 Q43 Q44 Q60 Q65

Accessibility

AirTrain JFK is wheelchair accessible, as are the Subway and LIRR stations it connects with. See New York City Subway accessibility and Long Island Rail Road accessibility for connection information.

History

Early plans took the line not only to JFK but north from Jamaica to La Guardia Airport, linking to the IRT Flushing Line. Construction began in 1998 for completion in 2002, but was delayed by the derailment of a test train on September 27, 2002, killing 23-year-old operator Kelvin DeBorgh, Jr. The system finally opened after over a year's delay on December 17, 2003.

The AirTrain project was financed using federal Passenger Facility Charge revenue (collected as a $3 fee on each outbound flight ticket), which can only be used for airport-related improvements. Several airlines challenged the use of the PFC funds for this project, but lost in court. The State of New York paid for major renovations at Jamaica Station, in part to facilitate Airtrain connections. The project does not receive subsidies from the state or city for its operating costs, which is one of the reasons cited for its relatively high fare.

AirTrain JFK uses the same Advanced Rapid Transit (formerly Intermediate Capacity Transit System) technology from Bombardier as the SkyTrain in Vancouver, Canada and the Putra LRT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It draws power from a third rail, and a linear induction motor pushes magnetically against an aluminum strip in the center of the track.

The Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project would use the LIRR Atlantic Avenue Branch to downtown Brooklyn, and a new tunnel to lower Manhattan. This would provide faster service to the airport via a one-seat ride, as well as LIRR service to lower Manhattan via a transfer at Jamaica. Baggage could be checked in Manhattan and transferred directly to planes. Hybrid vehicles that can run on the AirTrain, Subway and LIRR tracks might be required. This proposal might gain some momentum with the passing of the Transportation Bond Act.

External links

Port Authority's official AirTrain JFK web pages
Lower Manhattan-Jamaica-JFK Transportation Project website
JFK Airtrain: Good News, Bad News, Good News and Bad News: A Usenet poster's review of using AirTrain, the Subway and the LIRR on Google Groups

References

M.T.A. Proposes Rail Line to Link Major Airports, New York Times March 18, 1990 page 28

Aviation in New York City | Transportation in New York City | Rapid transit in the United States | Airport rail links