Home View from Underground Waiting for the JFK Rail Link, or at least $2 billion

Waiting for the JFK Rail Link, or at least $2 billion

by Benjamin Kabak

trainplane

One day, my train to the plane may come. (Photo courtesy of NYCSubway.org)

When we last checked in on New York’s ambitious plans to build a one-seat rail link from Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport, it was 2007. In April of that year, Senator Chuck Schumer was on the verge of securing a $2 billion federal grant for the rail link, but transit advocates didn’t see the $6 billion project as feasible or a true priority at the time. A few weeks later, the city killed hopes for funding for the potential rail link when they announced that congestion pricing revenue would go to the MTA.

Both congestion pricing and the plans for the JFK Rail Link have since fallen by the wayside. The mayor’s congestion pricing died an inglorious death in the New York State Assembly, and that $2 billion in federal money never materialized. It remains tied up in the Senate because Republican Senators Judd Gregg and Jim DeMint believe it is a prime example of federal spending run amok, and the Rail Link plans simply haven’t materialized.

Recently, Eliot Brown of The Observer checked in on the dormant tunnel from nowhere. Brown secured a new engineering statement for the project. In Dec. 2008, the MTA cost estimates for the rail link were between $8.6 billion and $9.9 billion. Those figures, however, are based on 2006 costs. The true cost is significantly higher today. The Rail Link, it seems, is a plan for another day, another year, another time.

But what of the $2 billion, asks Brown? It could still be ours, he writes, if it ever makes it out of the Senate:

The language of the failed bills makes the funding applicable to “any transportation infrastructure project, including highways, mass transit systems, railroads, airports, ports and waterways, in or connecting with [Lower Manhattan].”

“Right now, the political will needs to be to get the $2 billion allocated to the City of New York,” said Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, which continues to push for the rail link.

In a statement, a spokesman for Mr. Schumer suggested the senator will continue to try to get the funding secured in Congress, through he did not specifically mention the rail link. “Senator Schumer is committed to securing the federal funding promised to New York for Lower Manhattan transportation projects on the next appropriate legislative vehicle,” the spokesman, Joshua Vlasto, said.

I first started Second Ave. Sagas in 2006 because Schumer had pledge more federal money for the city’s subways. He has been instrumental in funneling money toward New York, and if he could do it again, the Second Ave. Subway, among other projects, is sure to benefit. The Republicans in the Senate, however, are not too keen on releasing those tax credits.

The Rail Link is dead. Never officially killed, the project no longer makes fiscal sense for the city. The only time it ever did was when Robert Moses built the roads to then-Idlewild and opted against included a right-of-way for mass transit. But there is hope yet for the money.

“This is money that was promised New York to help make it whole after the terrorist attack,” Robert Gottheim, a spokesman for Rep. Jerrold Nadler, said. “We’re going to use it for legitimate transportation.”

And if Nadler can’t get it, Schumer can always step back into the fight. As the RPA’s Bob Yaro said to The Observer, “I’m sure he’ll find a way of doing it if there is a way of doing so. He’s very persistent about these things.”

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18 comments

Marc Shepherd March 31, 2009 - 3:13 pm

I still think that better airport transit links should be built someday, but it is pretty clear that there are higher priorities remaining unfunded, such as building the full-length SAS. We don’t need another big unfinished hole in the ground when there are others taking forever to get built.

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Avi March 31, 2009 - 3:54 pm

Subway to Airtrain is fine for connections to JFK. I’d rather see money go towards a transit connection to LGA. An Airtrain from Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av would connect LGA to the E,F,G,R,V, and 7. That would give a lot of NY a way to reach LGA without risking traffic.

If the money needs to go for Lower Manhattan, how about extending LIRR from Atlantic Ave to Wall Street? Making a Wall Street commute easier for all of Long Island has a much bigger upside than a slightly easier trip from Wall Street to JFK.

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Scott E March 31, 2009 - 4:00 pm

I would never say it’s “dead”, because economic prosperous times will (hopefully) return someday. However, I don’t think this should be a project for the MTA. This isn’t about rapid-transit, nor is it about suburban commuting. This one-seat ride would exclusively bring people to and from the airport, and therefore, like the JFK and Newark Airtrain, should be funded and operated by the Port Authority. From Lower Manhattan, I would suggest a ferry — the infrastructure is much cheaper, implementation is a lot easier, and waterfront property is there. A couple of boats making the semicircular route LGA-Pier 11-JFK and reverse would be nice.

But now’s not the time to talk about new projects. Now’s the time to worry about the existing ones.

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AlexB March 31, 2009 - 4:38 pm

I remember hearing about this project years ago and wondering, “What’s so special about being able to take a train directly from downtown to JFK? Considering all the other transit issues the MTA has, and the fact that the Airtrain has always worked fine for me, is $2 billion worth it?”

About a year after that I actually read about the details of the project. The fact that it is called the “JFK Rail Link” is a major misnomer. A one seat ride to JFK is actually just a minor bonus from a more important project, bringing the LIRR to downtown Manhattan, saving them at least 20 minutes each way. Unfortunately, calling it the “Atlantic Branch Extension” only makes people ask, “What the f is the Atlantic Branch?” You might as well just start talking about reviving the Rockaway Cutoff.

BTW, if you are going to extend the Atlantic Branch a couple miles into Manhattan, why not extend it a few more to Hoboken and double your market? It could be the alternative to alternative G.

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Adam G March 31, 2009 - 6:51 pm

That would get you into jurisdictional battles with NJT, the Port Authority, NJDOT, and God alone knows who else.

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Alon Levy March 31, 2009 - 7:06 pm

“why not extend it a few more to Hoboken and double your market?”

Because then New York would have a good commuter rail system, rather than one that gives kudos to politicians who provide it money.

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R2 April 1, 2009 - 9:48 am

This is New York. You’re dreaming too big.

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AlexB March 31, 2009 - 7:46 pm

I know it’s totally unrealistic…

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petey April 1, 2009 - 12:29 am

but still a very good idea.

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Skip Skipson March 31, 2009 - 7:50 pm

I agree with Scott about concentrating on existing projects.

Speaking of Air-Train has the Port Authority released paying ridership figures? I’m very curious if more people are (paying) using the Air-train to get to JFK in this economic climate.

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Benjamin Kabak March 31, 2009 - 8:01 pm

Per the Port Authority, in 2008, Air Train ridership at JFK hit 4.75 million for the year. That’s a hair under 13,000 per day.

I’d imagine that number will stay steady in this economy. More people will use the Air-Train in this economy because it’s far, far cheaper than taking a cab, but fewer people overall will be flying.

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Kai March 31, 2009 - 10:44 pm

It really isn’t a priority in my eyes either. There are several ways to travel to JFK from Manhattan, from super economical (subway to MTA bus), to economical (subway to AirTrain), to “upscale” (LIRR from Penn Station to AirTrain), to ultra-luxury (US Helicopter).

I used the LIRR option a couple weeks ago and it only took me 20 minutes from Penn Station to Jamaica, a five minute wait for the AirTrain, and a seven minute trip to Terminal One. Overall, less than 40 minutes from Midtown… You really can’t complain for a city the size of New York. I know the Lower Manhattan options could be improved, but I really don’t see the priority over improving “real” mass transit, such as by building more of the Second Avenue Subway.

I also would like to see any kind of rail connection to LGA before this additional link to JFK.

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Ed March 31, 2009 - 10:45 pm

I’d like to see the northern branch of the existing airtrain extended north across Queens to LaGuardia. Along the way, it would link up with the various subway lines as they extend out to Queens, improving access to both airports as multiple subways would now reach the airtrain. Swing the line east in a few places and you could provide rail transit to Queens neighborhoods that don’t have it, though I’ve been told that people in these neighborhoods objected to past projects to extend the subways in Queens because they thought it would bring “the wrong element” into their neighborhood. If that is still the case, run the line further west. The point is that this would be cheap compared to some of the other options.

Incidentally, does anyone know where at LaGuardia you catch the existing local bus that runs there? Every time I’ve flown into LaGuardia I’ve looked and asked around, and it seems to be unmarked and no one there knows about it. Does this bus really exist? Also, running a real express (no more than four stops) bus between LaGuardia and Midtown that is actually advertised somewhat would also improve service fairly quickly and cheaply.

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Alon Levy March 31, 2009 - 11:39 pm

Ed, the AirTrain uses the Van Wyck right of way. Northwest of Jamaica, there’s nothing comparable. The Grand Central Parkway can be used to reach LaGuardia, but the route is circuitous and the connections to the rest of the rail system are terrible.

My fantasy LGA extension of choice is a shuttle running along Junction, connecting the airport to the 7. This takes the load off the N/W, which is the extension that’s been proposed in the past. The main benefit is that this shuttle does allow some connections to neighborhoods that lack transit, and connects well to possible future extensions.

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Veritas April 1, 2009 - 12:12 am

The M60 runs into Manhattan from LGA and the Q33 and Q47 are local buses than run through Queens. I’ve taken the M60 many times and have never had any trouble finding the bus stop from Terminal A. The signs were quite clearly marked in that terminal, but I’m not sure about the others.

Also, there is a privately run express bus that runs between LGA and Grand Central in Manhattan. Again, the signs for where to meet this are clearly marked in Terminal A of LGA. Last time I took this bus (well over a year ago), it cost about $12 each way and took less than half an hour.

Why not just extend the LIRR past Atlantic & Flatbush all the way into Lower Manhattan? This would benefit lots of Long Island commuters and make the trip to JFK very easy from Lower Manhattan (although it wouldn’t be a one-seat ride).

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Remembering the Train (to the Bus) to the Plane :: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog November 25, 2009 - 3:01 pm

[…] As passengers eventually realized that they could reach JFK by taking a slightly longer trip but paying just the regular fare by riding the A train, the Train to Plane fell to the wayside. Every few years, City officials begin a push for a true raillink, a dedicated track that would connect Lower Manhattan to the JFK Airport. We missed an opportunity to build one out to then-Idlewild when Robert Moses built his highways, and due to an estimated cost of nearly $10 billion, we saw a recent effort die in spite of a guaranteed $2 billion federal grant. […]

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Critics Say It’s Time To Close La Guardia Airport | I World New May 9, 2015 - 8:45 am

[…] in the next few years. The money budgeted for the La Guardia upgrades would be better used to create a long-proposed one-ride express-rail link between Manhattan and J.F.K., by reviving a long-disused, 3.5-mile stretch of track in central Queens and completing the […]

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Philip McManus January 27, 2016 - 12:22 am

The Air Train stinks for commuters who could use it for traveling. The fares cost too much. We need transportation for all commuters, air passengers and everyone else. We need to spend money on projects that include all commuters. Let’s create more opportunities with affordable fares for all.

Please make a comment. Try to recruit for our cause. We need more volunteers and supporters.

Please promote this new petition.

http://www.SaveOurStreets.nyc.

We are making a difference.

Vision Zero is stealing our time, freedom, safety and prosperity with excessive punitive control.

http://www.brooklyndaily.com/s.....29-bk.html

“One for all, and all for one.”

Philip McManus
PhilAMcManus@gmail.com
718-679-5309

Queens Public Transit Committee
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