Clearly Gov. Andrew Cuomo has never commuted on the Long Island Rail Road when he promised that residents will now have a direct connection to LaGuardia Airport.
He is both overly optimistic concerning building a train to the plane for LaGuardia Airport within four years and no concept of how Great Neck, New Hyde Park, Herricks, Albertson, Searingtown, Williston Park, Garden City, Manhasset, Roslyn, Port Washington and other Long Island residents travel.
Success for this project is dependent upon the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Metropolitan Transportation Authority working well together.
Fifteen years after 9/11, the Cortland Street World Trade Center No. 1 IRT subway station is still several years away from being back in service perhaps by 2018.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the MTA fought for years over budget, funding sources, scope and schedule.
The MTA finally just last year awarded a contract for construction to proceed.
To build a train to the plane from Mets – Willets No. 7 subway and Long Island Rail Road station to LaGuardia Airport within five years for $450 million is a planners dream. In reality could end up being a nightmare for both taxpayers and riders. You can count on cost overruns in the hundreds of millions and multiyear delays in construction before reaching beneficial use.
Most Nassau and Suffolk County residents will never take the LIRR to LaGuardia Airport.
First, you would have to either drive, have someone else drop you off or leave your car at a LIRR station for several days or take a taxi.
Most LIRR station commuter parking lots are designed for same day usage and not overnight multiple day storage. Who would want to leave your car in a unattended lot overnight over several days with no security?
Next, for those traveling from diesel territory branches (including those commuting from stations east of Huntington to Port Jefferson, east of Mineola to Oyster Bay, east of Babylon to Speonk or Montauk and east of Ronkonkoma to Greenport), you would probably have to first change at either Huntington, Babylon, Mineola or Ronkokoma.
Many will have to change at Jamaica for a train that would stop at Woodside,
Now, you have to wait at Woodside for a Port Washington bound train that will stop at Mets-Willets Point. (Note that service is once every 30 minutes off peak).
Many trains from Penn Station travel express bypassing Mets-Willets Point with the first stop at either Bayside or Great Neck).
Finally, you have to transfer at Mets-Willets Point for the LaGuardia Airtrain.
Does Cuomo really believe that the average Long Island resident accompanied by kids and several pieces of luggage will patiently tolerate three to four transfers taking between 90 minutes to 2 hours before arrival via LIRR to LaGuardia Airport?
Most business, middle and upper middle class people or anyone with heavy luggage is either going to continue driving to the airport, have someone else drive you to the airport, take a taxi or car service.
You will never see them on traveling via the LIRR to LaGuardia Airport. It is wishful thinking by Cuomo at best.
One old recycled concept is to extend the N & Q subway lines from their current Queens terminus at Astoria/Ditmars Blvd to LaGuardia Airport. This died due to local community opposition and will continue to do so.
Everyone has long forgotten that the successful PANYNJ Air Train, which currently runs between the LIRR Jamaica Station and Kennedy Airport was supposed to continue proceeding north along the Van Wyck Expressway and connect with LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did not have sufficient funding to complete the original full scope of the project.
This original extension to LaGuardia Airport could also have connected with the LIRR and No. 7 subway line at the Mets-Willets Point Station.
Construction primarily within existing highway right of way would have eased any local community opposition from those who owned homes and or businesses adjacent to the route. Too bad the PANYNJ choose instead to spend billions in non transportation investments during this same time period instead of completing the Air Train to LaGuardia Airport.
The estimated cost of $400 million for construction of LaGuardia Air Train is just a concept based upon a planning feasibility study.
It has been one year since Cuomo announced this project with no known progress to date. There are no environmental documents or any preliminary design and engineering efforts necessary to validate any actual construction costs. They will be refined as projects progress beyond the planning and environmental phases into real and final design efforts.
Value engineering which is a process used to reduce costs will be used during the final design phase.
Unfortunately, history has shown that estimated costs for construction usually trend upwards as projects mature toward 100% final design. Progression of final design refines the detailed scope of work necessary to support construction. The anticipated final potential cost for LaGuardia Airtrain could end up several hundred million dollars above Cuomo’s estimated figure of $400 million.
Costs will be further refined by award of construction contracts followed by any unforeseen site conditions and change orders to the base contracts during the course of construction.
Construction of other options via the Sunnyside Storage Yards to LaGuardia Airport could easily cost a $1 billion or more.
You would have to coordinate with the LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal project. In addition, the yard is used for mid day storage by other transit operators.
Previous pilot ferry connections from the LaGuardia Airport to various Manhattan locations failed. This was due to the costs which could not attract sufficient ridership to support the service.
Those in the know already have a transit connection to LaGuardia Airport.
Some ride the Port Washington LIRR branch to Woodside and transfer to the NYC Transit Q70 bus.
Others use the No. 7 subway to Woodside and make the same transfer. Why not patronize both the LIRR and Q70 Limited (which is equipped wit luggage racks) from Jackson Heights which provides limited-stop bus service between Woodside, Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport (Terminals B, C and D).
Service operates non-stop between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport.
Connections can be made with the E,F,M,R and 7 trains at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74 St.-Broadway and with the LIRR and 7 train at Woodside-61 St.
Travel time between Woodside and LaGuardia Airport is approximately 10-15 minutes and between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport is approximately eight-10 minutes.
Free transfers between any bus or subway are available if you pay your fare with MetroCard.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
(Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked in the transportation field for 31 years).
