Growing Number of Flyers Take the Train To the Plane
When the new $1.9-billion Airtrain opens Dec. 17 in New York City, it will be the first time light rail has connected Manhattanites to a New York City airport. Internmodal transportation advocates mark the opening as an example of North Americas slow but steady progress toward improving airport connectivity.
Construction of the precast segmental guideway snaking 8 miles to connecting subway stations went more smoothly that on its sister system for New Jersey Transit, a $354-million monorail to Newark Airport that required $25 million to repair shortly after it opened. But the Kennedy Airport job was delayed a year by a fatal accident during testing that killed the operator and it has come under fire for its use of airport passenger facility charges and lack of express service.