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We all know that last year, construction of the JFK Airtrain was suspended indefinitely because of the very tragic death of a test operator, who was crushed when a concrete block simulating passenger load detached from the floor when the train hit a curve. *Is there any news of resuming construction, if it hasn't already? *Just curious; I was just browsing the Website and there weren't any press releases about the fatality, or for that matter any news about the AirTrain since May of 2001.
I thought it was scheduled for possible June operation..
Here's a link with some info I posted at the skyscraper forum...
http://64.251.93.30/forum/showthread...threadid=21635
How long will it take to get to JFK from Midtown (say, Grand Central) ?
Best case scenario: one hour -- and not from Grand Central.
Penn Station ----- > Jamaica ----- > *JFK
To a veteran New Yorker who knows what he or she is doing, no problem. *To a visitor from overseas (remember NYC is the place that bills itself as 'Capital of the Universe'), please imagine how baffling this system is.
Befuddled visitor to JFK employee: "I want to go to Manhattan."
Employee: "Oh, sure, buddy. *Just take the Air Train. *It stops at Jamaica, then you change to a train to Penn Station."
Visitor: "But I want to go to Manhattan."
Employee: "Sure you do. *This train will take you there. *Jamaica first, one stop, then change trains."
Visitor [looks down at his two suitcases]: "Ummm...ok. *How long will this take?"
Employee: "About a hour or thereabouts."
Visitor [strides to nearest exit]: "TAXI!"
If you compare airport accessibility, NYC is about as bad as it can get. *And I can't get excited about a teeny train that speeds visitors *away* from the spot that they want to reach. *
According to their Website, it would take about 45 minutes to get from JFK to Midtown. *The PA claims that it will be a seamless transfer from the Airtrain to the LIRR, or the A Train at Howard Beach, or some other subway. *And these trains certainly aren't teeny-tiny; at 10 feet wide and 60 feet long, each car is about the same size as a Model B NYCT subway car. *And last time I checked, Jamaica Station is a bit further west than JFK, not to mention that travel time between terminals will also be reduced.
TLOZLink 5, I hear what you're saying, but let's consider it this way:
Before AirTrain, you could take the A subway line from midtown and it would take around an hour and a half. *The Port Authority has now spent over a billion dollars so that understandably confused visitors, laden with suitcases, are going to be told they can take an indirect route -- with a TRANSFER -- to get to Penn Station. *Maybe, maybe if you're a frugal traveler who's staying near Penn Station, this is a sensible arrangement. *But to the vast majority of travelers, many of whom, after all, will not be staying anywhere near Penn Station, this arrangement is a colossal joke.
So...let's go with the very optimistic number of forty-five minutes. *The harried, overloaded visitor is going to pile into AirTrain for ten, fifteen bucks, have the inconvenience of a transfer, arrive in the sewer that is Penn Station, make his way above ground (eventually), only to queue up for a taxi to somewhere on the East Side. *
For a billion dollars, I can't help but feel there had to have been a better arrangement than this. *
The system was designed however, for future connection to the city's mass transit lines. *Also, the LIRR will have connections to Grand Central and possible Downtown. *Lets not forget that city residents or even travelers from Long Island could also use the Airtrain. * Connections from Howard Beach and Jamaica provide better access than what was there before. *The Van Wyck Expressway often becomes clogged with trafic, as well as many of the city's other highways. *And there really is no "direct" connection to Manhattan by highway either.
Daily News...(in relation to Airtrain development)
2nd thoughts on S. Ferry
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is rethinking the planned redesign of the South Ferry subway station amid concerns that the construction will tear up part of Battery Park, sources said yesterday.
The plans to revamp the station, which serves the 1 and 9 trains, would tap into the $4.5 billion in federal funds earmarked after the terror attacks to improve transit downtown.
The original plan for South Ferry would have involved tearing up a swath of Battery Park and dozens of trees on its eastern side.
The MTA is now considering several options — including one that would "minimalize" the effect on the park, sources said. Planners want to extend the subway platform so that all 10 cars can pull into the station instead of just the first five.
An MTA spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, rebuilding officials exploring a one-seat ride from lower Manhattan to Kennedy Airport are looking at a plan to create a "hybrid" subway car that could use existing rail lines and the light-rail AirTrain tracks connecting the airport to Jamaica Station, sources said.
From http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/constructionframe.htm :
AirTrain JFK is over 90 percent complete (overall civil work) , excluding the construction of the AirTrain Terminal at Jamaica Station. Construction progress on each of several major components of the project is as follows:
*guideway - 100% complete
*track equipment - 100% complete
*stations - overall 86% complete
*light rail vehicles - 100% complete
*service & inspection shop, control center, and storage yard - 100% complete
*tunnel under the taxiways and relocated service road - 100% complete
It looks neat and functional.
Central Terminal Area:
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr..._cta_green.JPG
Terminal One Station
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr...03_cta_red.JPG
British Airways Station
Howard Beach:
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr...dstation01.jpg
Federal Circle Station
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr...bstation01.JPG
Howard Beach Station
Van Wyck Expressway:
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/may.0...wfochnorth.jpg
North view from Foch blvd.
Jamaica Station:
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr...astation01.JPG
http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/centr...astation02.JPG
http://www.urbantransport-technology.../airtrain8.gif
At the very least, it'll improve passenger circulation between the terminals.
"Mr. Cracchiolo said that if the remaining tests proceeded as expected, the train line could be in operation by the end of the year, linking the airport's terminals with a hub of subways, buses and rail lines at Jamaica Station in Queens."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/16/nyregion/16CRAS.html
IT may not be that dream high speed train directly from downtown, but for now I don't mind taking the A train to Kennedy. It's that shuttle bus that is such a nightmare. This will be an improvement no doubt.
Two days ago, I rode the LIRR into Penn Station to see the Auto Show. *When we stopped at Jamaica Station, I could see the terminal under construction for the AirTrain, along with the track for the AirTrain. *Now my question, is, are there any plans to rennovate or make any changes to the LIRR part of Jamaica Station??? *Thanks in advance.