AirTrain JFK

This article is about the intra-airport people mover presently operating at JFK. For the former New York City Subway service between JFK and Manhattan, see JFK Express.

AirTrain JFK
Overview
Type	People mover
Locale	JFK Airport and Queens, New York
Stations	10
Services	3
Daily ridership	11,384 (as of June 2006)
Operation
Opened	December 17, 2003
Operator(s)	Bombardier Transportation
Character	Elevated Rail Line
Rolling stock	32 Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit vehicles
Technical
Line length	8.1 miles (13.0 km)
Highest elevation	Elevated
Route map Legend Long Island Rail Road Jamaica LIRR Linden Boulevard Rockaway Boulevard Belt Parkway Nassau Expressway Howard Beach AirTrain Storage Yards Lefferts Boulevard Federal Circle Terminal 1 Terminals 2 & 3 Terminal 8 Terminal 4 Terminal 7 Terminal 5

AirTrain system map

AirTrain JFK is a 3-line, 8.1 miles (13.0 km)-long people mover system and elevated railway in New York City providing service to John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is operated by Bombardier Transportation under contract to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also operates the airport and AirTrain Newark.

Routes and stations

AirTrain connects the airport terminals and parking areas with Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New York City Subway lines in Queens. The system consists of three overlapping routes:

Before separating for their final destinations, the Howard Beach and Jamaica routes stop at Federal Circle 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 Howard Beach route ends at Howard Beach – JFK Airport, adjacent to the IND Rockaway Line (A train). It also stops at Lefferts Boulevard 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, adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road with a connection available to Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport on the Archer Avenue Line (E J Z trains). The AirTrain and LIRR stations are connected to the subway station by an elevator bank. Many Long Island, MTA and private buses are available at the station.

• 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 5.

All AirTrain JFK stations are fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and wheelchair accessible.

Station guide

	Station	Lines	Connections
	Howard Beach	Howard Beach Route	Long-term parking area C New York City Subway: (A train at Howard Beach – JFK Airport station) MTA Bus: Q11
	Lefferts Boulevard	Howard Beach Route	Passenger pick-up Long-term parking areas A and B MTA Bus: Q10 MTA New York City Transit bus: B15
	Federal Circle	Howard Beach Route Jamaica Station Route	Rental cars Hotel shuttles Cargo area shuttles
	Jamaica	Jamaica Station Route	New York City Subway: (E J Z trains at Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport station) Long Island Rail Road (at Jamaica station) MTA New York City Transit and MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q40, Q41, Q43, Q44, Q60, and Q65
	Terminal 1	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	All Terminals Loop Howard Beach Route Jamaica Station Route	Terminal 4 Blue parking
	Terminal 5	All Terminals Loop Howard Beach Route Jamaica Station Route	Terminal 5 Yellow parking and MTA Bus and MTA NYC Transit buses: Q3, Q10, and B15
	Terminal 7	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, 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 stations costs $5.

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 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 and is good for ten JFK Air-Train trips until midnight one year (365 days) after first use. One trip is deducted for each use and is only accepted on AirTrain JFK. The fare (currently $5.00 per ride) is only collected when entering or leaving the Jamaica or Howard Beach transit stations. That means riding the train between airport terminals and/or parking lots and car rental center is free.

History

Two-car AirTrain seen from Terminal 4

An AirTrain at Federal Circle viewed from a car window

AirTrain viaduct over Van Wyck Expressway

There had long been a desire for a rail connection to JFK Airport, which suffered from major traffic congestion on its access roads. However, efforts to build a system took time to bear fruit and the current AirTrain JFK is much smaller than what was originally planned. The line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge 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 Airport. From there, the AirTrain would connect to the LIRR's former Rockaway Beach Branch, head south to Howard Beach and then go onto JFK Airport.^{[citation needed]}

Another suggestion proposed bypassing the LIRR line and instead following the Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway south towards Jamaica, with a station connecting to the IRT Flushing Line. 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 train operator. 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 boondoggle, especially after the derailment 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 the construction.^{[citation needed]}

The AirTrain was financed in part by a Federal Passenger Facility Charge (collected as a $4.50 fee on virtually all outbound flight segments), which could only be used 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 of Ozone Park 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 the 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.^{[citation needed]}

The proposed Lower Manhattan – Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project would use the LIRR's Atlantic Branch to Downtown 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 Transit (formerly Intermediate Capacity Transit System) technology from Bombardier as the SkyTrain in Vancouver, British Columbia and the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It draws power from a third rail and a linear induction motor 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 Wagenblast.

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
• JFK Express
• Train-to-the-plane

External links

• Port Authority's official AirTrain JFK web pages
• Complete system specs from Bombardier website