AirTrain JFK is a 3-line, 8.1 miles (13 km)-long
people moverA people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
system and
elevated railwayAn elevated railway is a form of rapid transit railway with the tracks built above street level on some form of viaduct or other steel or concrete structure. The railway concerned may be constructed according to the standard gauge, narrow gauge, light rail, monorail or suspension railway system...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
providing service to
John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. It is operated by
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
under contract to the
Port Authority of New York and New JerseyThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
, which also operates the airport and
AirTrain NewarkAirTrain Newark is a 3-mile monorail system connecting Newark Liberty International Airport to the Newark Liberty International Airport train station on the Northeast Corridor rail line of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak...
.
Routes and stations
AirTrain connects the
airport terminalAn airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
s and parking areas with
Long Island Rail RoadThe Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
(LIRR) and
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
lines at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations in
QueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The system consists of three overlapping routes:
- The Howard Beach route ends at the Howard Beach – JFK Airport served by the IND Rockaway Line
The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.-History:...
( train). It stops at Lefferts BoulevardLefferts Boulevard is a station on the Howard Beach Branch of AirTrain JFK. It has two tracks and one island platform. It is adjacent to the AirTrain storage yard on the north side. It is accessible from North and South Conduit Avenues. It serves the Long Term Parking Lots B and C as well as the...
for shuttle bus service to long term parking lots A and B and the airport employee parking lot as well as the B15 bus to Brooklyn.
- The Jamaica Station route ends at Jamaica
Jamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers...
on the Long Island Rail RoadThe Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
adjacent to Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue - JFK Airport on the Archer Avenue Line-BMT Archer Avenue Line :-IND Archer Avenue Line :-References:...
( trains). The AirTrain and LIRR stations are connected to the subway station by an elevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
bank. Before separating for their final destinations, the Howard Beach and Jamaica routes stop at Federal CircleFederal Circle is a station on the AirTrain JFK. It has 2 tracks and 1 island platform. It is a stop on both the Jamaica and Howard Beach Branches. This station serves car rentals, shuttle buses to other car rentals, hotels and the airport's cargo areas. The branch to Howard Beach goes on a...
for car rental companies and shuttle buses to hotels and the airport's cargo areas. Both routes make a counterclockwise loop through the airport and stop at each terminal.
- The All Terminals loop is an airport terminal circulator serving the six terminal stations (Terminal 1, Terminals 2 / 3, Terminal 4, Terminal 5, Terminal 7, and Terminal 8), but operates in the opposite direction, making a clockwise loop. Connections to the Q3, Q10 and B15 Local Buses are available at Terminal 4.
All AirTrain JFK stations are fully compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
(ADA) and wheelchair accessible.
Station guide
| Station |
Lines |
Connections |
| Howard Beach Station |
|
Long-term parking area C
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
: ( train at Howard Beach – JFK Airport station)
MTA BusMTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
: Q11 |
| Lefferts Boulevard Lefferts Boulevard is a station on the Howard Beach Branch of AirTrain JFK. It has two tracks and one island platform. It is adjacent to the AirTrain storage yard on the north side. It is accessible from North and South Conduit Avenues. It serves the Long Term Parking Lots B and C as well as the...
|
Howard Beach Route |
Passenger pick-up
Long-term parking areas A and B
NYCTA Bus New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
: B15 |
| Federal Circle Federal Circle is a station on the AirTrain JFK. It has 2 tracks and 1 island platform. It is a stop on both the Jamaica and Howard Beach Branches. This station serves car rentals, shuttle buses to other car rentals, hotels and the airport's cargo areas. The branch to Howard Beach goes on a...
|
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Rental cars A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
Hotel shuttles
Cargo area shuttles |
| Jamaica Station |
Jamaica Station Route |
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
: ( trains at Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK station)
Long Island Rail RoadThe Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
(at Jamaica LIRR stationJamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers...
)
NYCTA BusNew York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
and MTA BusMTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q43, Q44, Q60, and Q65 |
| Terminal 1 Terminal 1 is a station on the AirTrain JFK at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. It has two tracks and one island platform. It is a stop on both the Jamaica and Howard Beach Branches, as well as the All Terminals Loop. This terminal serves most of the international airlines. A...
|
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 1
Green parking |
| Terminals 2/3 |
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 2
Terminal 3
Green parking |
| Terminal 4 Terminal 4 is a station on the AirTrain JFK. It has two tracks and one island platform. It is a stop on both the Jamaica and Howard Beach Branches, as well as the All Terminals Loop. Terminal 4 is the International Arrivals Building. This is the only station inside JFK that is directly connected to...
|
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 4
Blue parking
NYCTA Bus New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
and MTA BusesMTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
: Q3, Q10, and B15 |
| Terminal 5 |
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 5
Yellow parking |
| Terminal 7 Terminal 7 is a station on the AirTrain JFK. It has two tracks and one island platform. It is a stop on both the Jamaica and Howard Beach Branches, as well as the All Terminals Loop. It is used by British Airways and United Airlines. The station has 3 levels...
|
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 7
Orange parking |
| Terminal 8 |
All Terminals Loop
Howard Beach Route
Jamaica Station Route |
Terminal 8
Red parking |
With the exception of Terminal 4, all AirTrain stations are outside the terminal buildings and sit on the other side of the terminal roadway from each building and are connected to their respective stations through elevated walkways over the roadway. The Terminal 4 station was built inside the terminal as it opened after AirTrain JFK.
Using AirTrain JFK
AirTrain JFK is free within the terminal area and to the hotel and car rental shuttle buses at Federal Circle. Entering or leaving the system at the Jamaica or Howard Beach costs $5.00.
The fare must be paid by MetroCard, which can be purchased from vending machines at Jamaica and Howard Beach with cash, credit card, or ATM card. The only reduced fee MetroCard for AirTrain JFK is the $40.00 Unlimited Ride one. There are two types of this card. One is valid for one calendar month and the other is valid for thirty days after first use. The JFK-AirTrain 10-Trip MetroCard costs $25.00 and is good for ten JFK Air-Train trips until midnight six months after first use. One trip is deducted for each use and is only accepted on AirTrain JFK.
History
There have been long desires for rail connection to JFK Airport, which suffers from traffic congestion on its access roads. However, efforts to build a system were slow and the current AirTrain JFK is much smaller than the original plan. The line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan at the foot of the
Queensboro BridgeThe Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
and cross the East River via the side roads, formerly used by trolley cars, on the lower level. It would then use the Sunnyside Yards as a right-of-way towards
LaGuardia AirportLaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
. From there, the AirTrain would connect to the LIRR's former
Rockaway Beach BranchThe Rockaway Beach Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York City, United States. The line left the Main Line at Whitepot Junction in Rego Park heading south via Ozone Park and across Jamaica Bay to Hammels in the Rockaways turning west there to a...
, head south to Howard Beach, and then to JFK Airport.
Another suggestion would bypass the LIRR line and instead follow the
Grand Central ParkwayThe Grand Central Parkway is a parkway that stretches from the RFK-Triborough Bridge in New York City to Nassau County on Long Island. At the Queens-Nassau border, it becomes the Northern State Parkway, which runs across the northern part of Long Island through Nassau County and into Suffolk...
and Van Wyck Expressway south towards Jamaica, with a station connecting to the
IRT Flushing LineThe Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...
. Ultimately, only the portions linking Jamaica and Howard Beach to JFK Airport were approved and built.
Construction of the AirTrain system began in 1998 and service was to begin at the end 2002, but was delayed by the derailment of a test train on September 27, 2002, which resulted in the death of the 23-year-old operator Kelvin DeBourgh, Jr. The system finally opened on December 17, 2003.
The $1.9 billion AirTrain system faced criticism from southeast Queens residents who feared the project could become a
boondoggleBoondoggle or boon doggle may refer to:* Boondoggle , term for a scheme that wastes time and money* Scoubidou, a knotting and plaiting craft known in the U.S. as "boondoggle"...
, especially after DeBourgh's death. The Port Authority responded to residents' concerns by imposing strict rules regarding disruptive or loud construction activity and implementing a streamlined damage claim process which quickly compensated homeowners who suffered damage to their homes as a result of construction.
The AirTrain is financed in part by a federal
Passenger Facility ChargeAn Airport Improvement Fee or Embarkation Fee or Airport Tax or Service charge or Service fee is an additional fee charged to departing and connecting passengers at an airport. It is levied by government or an airport management corporation and the proceeds are usually intended for funding of major...
revenue (collected as a $5.00 fee on virtually all outbound flight segments), which can be used only 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. They also appealed the funding decision in court along with a small number
Ozone ParkOzone Park is a working class neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and City Line, Brooklyn....
residents.
The airlines subsequently withdrew from the lawsuit following negotiations with the Port Authority while the residents continued the legal battle, but lost in court. The Port Authority also contributed $100 million toward the renovation of Jamaica with 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.
The proposed Lower Manhattan – Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project would use the LIRR's Atlantic Branch to
Downtown BrooklynDowntown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
and a new tunnel to Lower Manhattan. This would provide faster service to JFK via a one-seat ride and 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.
Rolling stock
AirTrain JFK uses the same
Advanced Rapid TransitAdvanced Rapid Transit or ART is the current name given to a rapid transit system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The original versions look like small subway cars that typically run in two-, four- or six-car trains, but the latest versions are more streamlined two-car articulated...
(formerly Intermediate Capacity Transit System) technology from
BombardierBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
as the
SkyTrainSkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
in Vancouver, British Columbia and the
Kelana Jaya LineThe Kelana Jaya Line is a medium-capacity rail transport system and one of the three rail transit lines in the Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit System operated by RapidKL Rail network...
in
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia. It draws power from a
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
and a
linear induction motorA linear induction motor is an AC asynchronous linear motor that works by the same general principles as other induction motors but which has been designed to directly produce motion in a straight line....
pushes magnetically against an aluminum strip in the center of the track. The computerized trains are automated and operate without conductors or motormen. The 32 individual vehicles are of the Mark II variant.
The recorded announcements on AirTrain JFK are by New York City traffic reporter
Bernie WagenblastBernhard Robert Wagenblast is the founder and editor of the Transportation Communications Newsletter , an e-mail publication with over 7,000 subscribers as of January 2008 which is distributed via Yahoo Groups and Google Groups Monday through Friday...
.
Ridership
| Year | Passengers per year |
| 2004 |
2,606,422 |
| 2005 |
3,411,762 |
| 2006 |
3,937,041 |
| 2007 |
4,393,449 |
| 2008 |
5,058,711 |
| 2009 |
5,301,801 |
See also
- List of rapid transit systems
- List of airport circulators
- AirTrain Newark
AirTrain Newark is a 3-mile monorail system connecting Newark Liberty International Airport to the Newark Liberty International Airport train station on the Northeast Corridor rail line of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak...
- JFK Express
The JFK Express, advertised as The Train to The Plane, was a premium-fare service of the New York City Subway, connecting midtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport.-Fares and Rolling Stock:...
- Train-to-the-plane
- Transportation to New York City area airports
Transportation to New York City area airports is provided by trains , buses, taxi cabs, private shuttle services, helicopters and other means. The three major airports are:* John F...
with additional information on travel connections.
External links