The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Tuesday its Record of Decision in the environmental review of LaGuardia Airport’s AirTrain project.
The decision allows the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to proceed with a proposal to construct a rail system to the airport for travelers and employees. The Port Authority can now submit a future application for funding under the Passenger Facility Charge program.
The AirTrain would connect LGA to the New York City Transit Subway 7 Line and the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch at Mets-Willets Point. The project also includes passenger walkways connecting to the LGA Central Hall, a parking garage connector, public transportation, and ground transportation facilities.
“The new LaGuardia Airport—the first new airport in the United States in over 25 years and the front door to New York—deserves a reliable, efficient, and affordable transit connector worthy of its destination,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “With the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval today of the LaGuardia AirTrain, that’s exactly what New Yorkers will get. This is the culmination of years of advocacy by this administration and a key moment in our efforts to rebuild New York’s infrastructure for the future. As we come out of the COVID crisis, our state and our country have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in a resilient, transformative, and interconnected future, and today’s announcement is a testament to our ‘all aboard’ commitment to seizing it in partnership with the Biden administration and Secretary Buttigieg.”
To come to the decision, the FAA held two public workshops and three virtual public hearings and sought input from 18 different federal, state, and local agencies.