The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement Wednesday (FEIS) concerning the LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project or AirTrain.
In the FEIS, the FAA endorsed the project.
“Yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the AirTrain LGA, the proposed rail mass transit link to the new LaGuardia Airport. In the EIS, the FAA reaffirmed its endorsement of the Port Authority’s proposed alignment as its preferred alternative based on the FAA’s independent and comprehensive review of the project and all alternatives,” the Port Authority said in a statement. “This milestone represents a very important step forward in building a rapid, reliable, and sustainable rail mass transit link to the airport. We appreciate the time and effort the FAA has put into its exhaustive review of the project, yielding a final EIS of 600 pages with 25,000 pages of supporting appendices.
AirTrain is a rail system proposed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that would provide reliable transit to air travelers and employees at LaGuardia (LGA). The FEIS is required because the Port Authority intends to request funding for the project through the Passenger Facility Charge program. That program allows qualified airport projects, subject to FAA approval, to be funded using fees added to passenger tickets.
The AirTrain project would consist of an approximately two-mile-long elevated rail system with three stations: two at the airport and one located off the airport. The stations would connect with the New York City Transit Subway 7 Line and the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch at Mets-Willets Point. The project would also include passenger walkways connecting to the LGA Central Hall, which provides access to Terminals B and C, parking garages, public transportation, and ground transportation facilities.
The agency said it looked at 47 alternatives, most of which were identified by the public. The project was evaluated to determine any potential environmental impacts. The alternatives were evaluated to see if they met the purpose and need of the project and if they would be reasonable to construct and operate.
“The proposed AirTrain will create an environmentally-friendly, predictable, and efficient 30-minute rail connection between LaGuardia Airport and midtown Manhattan. Once complete, AirTrain LGA will improve access to LaGuardia for millions of travelers and thousands of airport workers each day. This sustainable rail link will also remove millions of vehicles from local highways and streets each year, reduce congestion on roads in local neighborhoods, and reducing air pollution in the local community,” the Port Authority said.