AirTrain JFK

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AirTrain JFK is a 13 km (8.1 mile) rapid transit system in New York City that connects John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to the city's subway and commuter trains. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also operates the airport and AirTrain Newark.

1 Routes and stations
2 Using AirTrain
- 2.1 Connecting transit services
- 2.2 Wheelchair accessibility
3 History
4 Ridership
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Routes and stations

AirTrain system and connections map

AirTrain connects the airport terminals and parking areas with Long Island Rail Road and New York City Subway lines at Jamaica and Howard Beach stations in Queens. The system consists of three overlapping routes:

Howard Beach route
Jamaica Station route
Airline Terminal route

The Howard Beach route ends at the Howard Beach-JFK subway station served by the IND Rockaway Line (A). It stops at Lefferts Boulevard for shuttle buses to long term parking lots A and B and to airport employee parking.

The Jamaica route ends at Jamaica Station on the Long Island Rail Road, adjacent to the Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue-JFK subway station served by the Archer Avenue Line (E J Z). Jamaica Station and the two-level subway station are connected by a central elevator bank, allowing passengers to transfer conveniently between them.

Before separating for their final destinations, both routes stop at Federal Circle for car rental companies and shuttle buses to hotels and the airport's air cargo area. Both routes make a counterclockwise loop through the airport and stop at each terminal.

The Airline Terminal route is an airport terminal circulator, which serves the six terminal stations (Terminal 1, Terminals 2/3, Terminal 4, Terminals 5/6, Terminal 7, and Terminals 8/9), but operates in the opposite direction, making a clockwise loop. See List of airport circulators for other examples of such systems.

[edit] Using AirTrain

AirTrain at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

AirTrain is free within the terminal area and to the hotel and car rental shuttle buses at Federal Circle. When entering or leaving AirTrain at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations the cost is $5.

The fare must be paid by MetroCard, which can be purchased with cash, a credit card or an ATM card. There are vending machines at Jamaica and Howard Beach stations where one can pay for the AirTrain and also pay subway and Long Island Rail Road fares. Discounts are available such as a $25 AirTrain-only MetroCard good for 10 trips, and a monthly $40 AirTrain-only MetroCard good for an unlimited number of rides.

There are flight status displays in many AirTrain stations, including Jamaica and Howard Beach. All station stops are announced via recorded messages.

The fastest trip time to Manhattan is via the Long Island Rail Road at the Jamaica AirTrain connection. From Jamaica to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan on the Long Island Rail Road takes 20 minutes. Taking the subway can double the travel time, but is less expensive and services the east side of Manhattan.

Travelers to Long Island or Brooklyn can use the Long Island Rail Road from Jamaica; subway trains from both Howard Beach and Jamaica also serve Brooklyn. Dozens of local bus lines serving Queens and Brooklyn stop at or near Jamaica as well.

[edit] Connecting transit services

At Kennedy Airport, Terminal 4 only: Q3, Q10, and B15 buses
At Lefferts Boulevard: B15 bus
At Howard Beach: A subway; Q11 bus
At Jamaica: Long Island Rail Road; E J Z subway; Q6, Q8, Q9, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q40, Q43, Q44, Q60, and Q65 buses.

The Long Island Rail Road serves Penn Station in midtown Manhattan, where connections to New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains are available. The completion of East Side Access, expected in 2012, will offer AirTrain passengers connecting to the LIRR a direct route to Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan.

[edit] Wheelchair accessibility

All AirTrain JFK stations are fully compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and are, therefore, wheelchair accessible, as well as having other features designed to assist passengers who have a visual or hearing impairment. The Howard Beach subway and Jamaica Long Island Rail Road stations it connects with are also ADA-compliant. See New York City Subway accessibility and Long Island Rail Road accessibility for connection information.

[edit] History

Arriving at Federal Circle at JFK Airport.

Two car AirTrain at Federal Circle.

An AirTrain at Federal Circle viewed from a car window.

Planners have long desired a rail connection to JFK airport, which suffers from traffic congestion on its access roads. Efforts to build a rail system moved in fits and starts over decades.

Early plans took the line not only to JFK but north from Jamaica to La Guardia Airport, linking to the IRT Flushing Line. The connection to La Guardia was never implemented, leaving that airport the only one of the Port Authority's commercial airports, serving scheduled airlines, which lacks rail service (the Port Authority also operates Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, which serves general aviation and charter flights).

Construction of the AirTrain system 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 $1.9 billion AirTrain has become a success that defied critics who feared the project could become a boondoggle because of some southeastern Queens residents' vocal complaints, the death of a worker during a test run, early problems with the doors and delays leading up to its December 2003 launch. The Port Authority responded to residents' concerns by imposing strict rules regarding disruptive or loud construction activity, such as pile driving, and by implementing a streamlined damage claim process which quickly compensated homeowners who who suffered damage to their homes, such as foundation cracks, as a result of construction.

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. The use of this funding required FAA approval. Several airlines challenged the use of the PFC funds for this project, and hired a consultant to organize opposition to the project. They also appealed the funding decision in court, along with a small number of residents of Ozone Park. The airlines subsequently withdrew from the lawsuit following negotiations with the Port Authority; the residents continued the legal battle but lost in court. The Port Authority also contributed $100 million toward the renovation of Jamaica Station, with the the State of New York paying for the rest of the $387 million project. The purpose of this renovation was, in part, to facilitate AirTrain connections. The state also spent $75 million to renovate the Howard Beach station, which brought it into ADA compliance and facilitated passengers transfers to and from AirTrain. AirTrain JFK, which is operated by Bombardier as a contractor to the Port Authority, 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 computerized trains are automated and operate without conductors or motormen.

The proposed Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project would use the Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Branch to downtown Brooklyn and a new tunnel to lower Manhattan. This would provide faster service to JFK via a one-seat ride, as well as Long Island Rail Road service to lower Manhattan via a transfer at Jamaica. Under this proposal baggage could be checked in Manhattan and transferred directly to planes at the airport. Trains with hybrid propulsion systems that can run on the AirTrain, subway and Long Island Rail Road tracks might be required. The proposal may gain some momentum with the passing of the Transportation Bond Act in 2005.

The East Side Access project, now under construction and projected to open in 2013, will provide direct service between Jamaica station and Grand Central Terminal, with connections to Metro-North Commuter Railroad.

The recorded announcements on AirTrain JFK are by former New York City traffic reporter, Bernie Wagenblast.

[edit] Ridership

Annual AirTrain ridership:^[1]
Average daily ridership since opening
Total: 8,584
Jamaica: 4,952
Howard Beach: 3,632

June 2006, daily average ridership
Total: 11,384
Jamaica: 7,131
Howard Beach: 4,254

Yearly arrivals and departures at JFK
2003 . . . 31.7 million
2004 . . . 37.5 million
2005 . . . 40.9 million
2006 . . . 41 million (expected)

About 11% of all travelers arriving at or departing from JFK use AirTrain, according to the Port Authority, which operates AirTrain and JFK.

Daily paid ridership on the system has been steadily rising. Ridership increased from 7,700 per day in June 2004 to nearly 11,300 per day in June 2006.

Meanwhile, nearly four times as many people are taking AirTrain for free each day to travel between the airport's eight active terminals and parking lots.

The growing popularity of AirTrain also reflects a passenger boom at JFK airport. The number of people passing through the airport jumped from 31.7 million in 2003 to an estimated 41 million in 2006.[1]

Roughly 4 million people rode the train to JFK in 2006, an increase of about 15% over 2005.[2]