Around once a year, the ill-conceived plans to build, well, something out to the Stewart Airport in Orange County make headlines, and every year, I ask for that money to spent on more worthy projects. (See 2007 and 2008.)

The Stewart Airport issue is once again back in the news, and again, I’m inclined to speak out against it. This time around, the story is about the short list of potential options for this airport connection. Judy Rife writes:

A short list of options for improving bus and rail service to Stewart International Airport and New York City has emerged from the 106 suggestions that Metro-North and the Port Authority have been mulling for the past year.

Still in the running are a new rail link between the airport and Metro-North’s Salisbury Mills station, bus service between Stewart and Salisbury Mills as well as Metro-North’s Beacon station and New York City, and bus service between the airport and new or expanded park-and-rides in a roughly 45-mile radius.

Out are such ideas as ferry service between Newburgh and New York City — the trip would be too long, involve too many transfers and be unreliable in bad weather. A new rail link between the airport and Beacon didn’t make the cut because of environmental impact and cost. And light rail or automated guideways between the airport and train stations lost out to more flexible and much cheaper buses.

That study nearly $4.67 million, and right now there, it seems as though there is no more cash in hand for further movement. The rail link, by the way, would probably cost upwards of $1 billion. Meanwhile, with Airtran out at Stewart, passenger volumes are poised to hit an all-time low and could sink lower. Talk about no return for an investment.

Right now, I’m not the only one who is no fan of this project. Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic examined the issue today and walked away with the same conclusions:

The airport is quite far away from the city’s population centers and will therefore have difficulty attracting crowds from the city; the airport’s current offerings of flights to just five destinations — Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, and Detroit — indicate that a serious increase in demand there from locals is unlikely over the next few years. Few commuters are going to be willing ride the 90 minute plus train between Penn Station and the airport, so why is this link a priority? It certainly doesn’t seem likely to cut down on air congestion.

Let’s imagine that the $1 billion existed to build this project, unlikely enough considering the MTA’s dismal fiscal situation. Wouldn’t it make more sense, from the perspective of improving transit, to spend it on desperately needed projects such as the Second Avenue Subway? People in Orange County — population 350,000 — may want more transit, but so do the roughly 350,000 people who live in East Harlem and the Upper East Side, and the latter group, to say the least, is far more likely to use public transportation than the former. Certainly, cheap express buses should be considered, but a rail link seems completely unnecessary.

That about says it all. I’m all in favor of bringing more mass transit to the upstate counties that are underserved by the state’s public transit options, but we should do so in a cost-efficient way. This airport rail link may have been a good idea a few decades ago, but right now, it’s time to scrap those plans.

When Metro-North and the City of New York broke ground on a new Metro-North stop just a few blocks away from new Yankee Stadium, the station was set to cost $91 million and open in June of 2009.

Somehow, the project is both on budget and early. The stop will open on May 23, and the price tag remains a cool $91 million — or enough to pay A-Rod for three years.

On its website yesterday, Metro-North unveiled ticket information about the new station. Patrons bound for or leaving from the Yankees-E. 153rd St. Metro-North stop can buy tickets starting May 1.

On a regular basis, this stop will be a part of Metro-North’s Hudson Line with game-day train service “to and from outlying stations on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines, as well as Harlem-125th Street Station and Grand Central Terminal.” The MTA is estimating that around 10,000 fans per game will pass through this new stop, cutting down on the number of cars at Yankee Stadium and the crowds on the 4 train as well.

“There’ll be frequent service. It’ll be fast,” Metro-North President Howard Permut said during a recent tour of the new station. “You don’t have to worry about any of the hassles or any of the concerns: ‘There may be traffic, I have to leave a half-hour early.’ You will get here when the train says you are getting here.”

In January, the MTA unveiled the fare schedule for this new stop with its fully ADA-compliant 450-foot platform. Game-day tickets will cost just one dollar more than the usual fare to Grand Central, and this stop should serve a neighborhood devoid of commuter rail options as well.

In an effort to find a way to connect Metro-North lines with Manhattan’s West Side, the MTA is working with the Extell to plan a new station at the real estate company’s Riverside South development. The new property is a 75-acre development on the site of the former New York Central Railroad’s 60th St. yards, and a Metro-North stop with quick access to Grand Central could greatly enhance the area’s appeal.

The West Side Spirit, a community newspaper covering the Upper West Side, first reported on talks between Extell and the MTA last week. This development came about at the behest of City Council Member Gale Brewer who reached out to Howard Permut, the president of Metro-North.

At some point soon, Robert MacLagger, the acting V.P. for planning with the railroad agency, will meet with Brewer and the developments to discuss the potential for this project. “The next step is to conduct further analysis of this potential station location and others,” Permut said in a letter to the council member.

For her part, Brewer expressed her belief that adding this access point to an area devoid of subway routes would encourage people in this new development to take the train. “It’s positive. It was nice to get this letter,” Brewer said of her response from Metro-North. “I can’t think of a better way to add transportation and get people out of their car.”

Expanding Metro-North access is a very positive goal. The tracks run right through this development, and a station there would make the area more transit-accessible while encouraging potential drivers to eschew cars. To make this station stop work, though, the MTA would have to set low fares from 60th St. to Grand Central, and if this stop ever comes to pass, the agency should make inter-system transfers available for those continuing on via subway.

(Ed. Note: As Marc notes in the comments to this post, one of the benefits actually doesn’t require an adjusted fare. This station would allow Metro-North to run trains into Penn Station via the Amtrak lines. Once the LIRR shifts some operations to Grand Central following the completion of the LIRR East Side Access project, the track space at Penn Station would open up as well.)

I would also encourage a substantial fiscal contribution to any potential project from Extell. A stop on the Far West Side at 60th St. would greatly enhance the appeal and value of the new developments, and real estate companies that stand to benefit from city expenditures should contribute to those projects.

Correction Notice: Please note that there is a correction to this post. You can read it here.

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When the MTA, at the behest of the city, opted to take on the Metro-North stop near the new Yankee Stadium, it seemed like a good idea at the time. The agency could, for $40 million, open up a new station in an area of the city that could really use the commuter rail access.

Of course, as is the case with every other project in New York these days, initial cost estimates never come true. According to new reports, the MTA is now on the hook for at least $53 million for this new station, and costs are still going up. Metro’s Patrick Arden reports:

The cost of the new Metro-North station has climbed to $92 million —the city’s kicking in $39 million — and keeps rising: This week Metro-North approved $800,000 to keep the station clean.

“The Yankees have refused to contribute,” said Andrew Albert, a rider rep. on the MTA board.

When the Yankees’ stop was OK’d in 2006, then-MTA chair Peter Kalikow pledged a “similar level of commitment” to the Mets, spending $8 million to study improvements to the LIRR and subway stations at Shea Stadium.

The MTA is keeping Kalikow’s pledge, but its financial situation has deteriorated.

In my opinion, the Yankees shouldn’t have to bear any of the cost overruns for this project. While it certainly benefits the team, it benefits the neighborhood more. If Kalikow and his Board didn’t see fit to work out a deal to balance cost overruns with the city, the Yankees shouldn’t have to take the blame for that.

When all is said and done, these cost overruns pale in comparison to the 62 percent (and climbing) increases at Fulton St., but they are another indication of a poorly financed MTA/New York City joint project. I can’t wait for this to happen with the 7 line extension too.

It’s beginning to look a lot like a Metro-North stop. (Photo courtesy of the MTA)

In a few months, when the new Yankee Stadium opens, the MTA will debut its latest addition to Metro-North: a stop at Yankee Stadium.

Yesterday, the authority released a bunch of pictures of the ongoing construction. The pedestrian bridge is coming along; the platforms are staircases are rounding into shape. But a major question remains on the fares the MTA will charge for this quick ride from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium.

To that end, the commuter railroad would like to hold a hearing to set the fare. The MTA’s press release fills us in:

Fares from Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street and from suburban Hudson Line stations would be the same as existing fares to and from all other Hudson Line Bronx stations.

Metro-North also will introduce new “via” fares for travel to the new station for Harlem and New Haven Line stations. These via fares will consist of the already established one-way fare to Manhattan plus a small additional amount for the portion of the trip between Manhattan and the new station. Metro-North is proposing an additional $1.00 for all peak one-way fares and 75 cents for all one-way off-peak fares.

The new station will be open year round serving both the neighborhood and baseball fans attending the ball games. Metro-North also proposes to honor CityTickets for weekend travel between the new station and both Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street. CityTicket is a special, $3.25, weekend-only fare for travel on Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road within New York City limits.

I wonder if Metro-North would consider variable pricing for trains around game time. They could alternately charge less for access to Yankee Stadium in an effort to discourage driving and encourage rail use. Or they could charge more for Yankee Stadium-bound trains as a way to capture additional revenue during extreme peak hours.

In the end, the MTA will probably just adopt the fare recommendations set forth by Metro-North. The hearing will take place on Monday, November 17, at 6 p.m. at the office of the Bronx District Attorney just up the block from Yankee Stadium.