The Port Authority's proposed AirTrain is of critical importance to New York City and the entire metropolitan region. There are few public investments that will benefit this City more. It is long overdue and will create both immediate construction employment and long-term economic opportunity and development.
The Building Congress and its 1,200 individual members urge the City Council to approve the AirTrain proposal. By linking Kennedy Airport with the regional transportation system at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations via a modern rail system, AirTrain will provide New York with a 21st Century solution to a decades-old problem.
This rail connection and $7 billion in new construction at Kennedy Airport are creating the largest center of development activity in New York City and the tri-state region. These investments will bring an economic transformation to Queens and stimulate continued economic resurgence in the City.
The Building Congress believes the connection to Jamaica is critical to the overall success of Kennedy Airport's rebirth. Like previous investments with York College and the Federal Social Security Building, Jamaica Center will be the beneficiary of public actions that could have been made elsewhere. Consider how successful these earlier projects have been for central Queens. The Kennedy rail link will have the same positive effect B only more so. There are a number of important dimensions of the proposed AirTrain, which the Finance and Economic Development Committees should consider:
- That multiple links with the public transit system are essential - With so many people traveling to the airport from so many origins, AirTrain should provide more than a one-seat ride, which would serve far too few, especially those who live in Queens. The Port Authority rail link will build on the strengths of the existing transit system by effectively using it and feeding passengers into it.
- The project will help all passengers, including those with luggage - Keep in mind that half of all potential riders are airport employees who carry no luggage. Business travelers make up another large segment, leaving less than 10 percent of JFK passengers carrying two or more pieces of luggage, according to Port Authority surveys. These parties will be helped through an improved overall transportation system.
- Passenger facility charge funds should be spent on overall airport improvement - The Air Transport Association is arguing that PFC funds should be used only at the airport. But AirTrain will make the airport work better, especially benefitting nearby residents. Why should we allow airline executives headquartered elsewhere in the United States to tell us how our airports should be planned?
- AirTrain is the best proposal for a rail link - Opponents claim that other routes are preferable, such as on the old Rockaway branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Options like these have been studied and rejected for decades. We must seize the opportunity to act now and accomplish what 30 years of debate have failed to do - - create an airport access system that is fully integrated with the region's transit.
- Construction activity will not severely impact local residents - Every effort is being made to minimize construction noise and inconvenience, and the AirTrain will be quiet in operation. Few inconveniences will impact communities adjacent to the Van Wyck Expressway.
When completed in 2002, the AirTrain will provide excellent transportation service and strong economic development stimulus. It will provide jobs and contribute to the economic rebirth of New York City. It will be where America greets the world through the City's pre-eminent international airport. This proposal deserves the unanimous support of the City Council. The New York Building Congress urges endorsement by the Finance & Economic Development Committees and approval by the full City Council.
