AirTrain LaGuardia
AirTrain LaGuardia was a proposed 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) people mover system and elevated railway in New York City, United States, that would provide service to LaGuardia Airport in Queens. It would have connected with the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in Willets Point, similar to how the existing AirTrain JFK system connects John F. Kennedy International Airport’s six terminals to the LIRR in southern Queens at Jamaica station and to the subway at both Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station and Howard Beach-JFK Airport station; and how the existing AirTrain Newark station connects Newark Liberty International Airport’s three terminals to NJ Transit Rail Operations and Amtrak at a dedicated station.
| AirTrain LaGuardia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rendering of AirTrain LaGuardia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Canceled | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Queens, New York City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
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| Stations | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | People mover | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Elevated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The system was to have been constructed and operated under contract to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which operates the airport, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In 2015, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to build a people mover similar to the AirTrain JFK, and in 2018, the New York State Legislature approved a law for the AirTrain LaGuardia project. Construction was to begin in 2021, with a projected opening in 2024; however, the project was indefinitely postponed in late 2021. In March 2023, the project was officially abandoned after the estimated cost reached $2.4 billion, five times the initial estimate.
The AirTrain project had been highly controversial. Advocates said that it would improve access to the airport from the subway and LIRR, alleviate traffic congestion, and reduce air pollution in and around East Elmhurst. The project was opposed by residents of nearby communities, as well as some transit advocates who objected to its indirect route to Midtown Manhattan, high cost estimate, and potential to prevent further rail transit connections to LaGuardia.