Your article about train transportation to and from airports touched on a favorite topic (ENR 12/15/03 p. 61). However, I have a more drastic suggestion for construction of new airports for major cities as they become needed.
Because airports need a lot of space, new ones are usually built in undeveloped areas, permitting more free air operations. Unfortunately, because airports also provide ready markets of large numbers of people with specific needs, and they need a ready labor force, they are usually magnets for development of all types. And development leads to more development in an ever-increasing cycle, eventually causing problems for airport operation itself.