Gov. Cuomo continues to be overly optimistic concerning building a train to the plane for LaGuardia Airport.
Success for this project is dependent upon the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and MTA working well together.
Sixteen years after 9/11, the Cortland Street World Trade Center No.1 IRT subway station is still several years away from being back in service.
If there are no new delays, perhaps the station will reopen by December 2018.
The Port Authority and MTA fought for years over budget, funding sources, scope and schedule.
Construction for the MTA portion of the project just started in 2015.
Everyone has long forgotten that the successful Port Authority Air Train, which currently runs between the LIRR Jamaica Station and Kennedy Airport, was supposed to continue proceeding north along the Van Wyck Expressway and connect with LaGuardia Airport.
The Port Authority did not have sufficient funding to complete the original full scope of the project.
This original extension to LaGuardia Airport could also have connected with the LIRR and No. 7 subway line at the Mets-Willets Point Station.
Construction primarily within existing highway right of way would have eased any local community opposition from those who owned homes and or businesses adjacent to the route.
Too bad the Port Authority choose instead to spend billions in non-transportation investments during this same time period instead of completing the Air Train to LaGuardia Airport.
The estimated cost of $450 million for construction of LaGuardia Air Train is just a concept based upon a planning feasibility study.
Over two years have passed since Cuomo announced this project with little progress to date.
There are no environmental documents or any preliminary design and engineering efforts necessary to validate any actual construction costs.
The Port Authority just released a Request for Proposals in February from consulting firms to perform environmental, design and engineering work.
Value engineering, which is a process used to reduce costs will be used during the final design phase.
Unfortunately, history has shown that estimated costs for construction usually trend upwards as projects mature toward 100 percent final design.
Progression of final design refines the detailed scope of work necessary to support construction.
The anticipated final potential cost for LaGuardia Airtrain could end up several hundred million dollars above Cuomo’s estimated figure of $450 million.
Costs will be further refined by award of construction contracts followed by any unforeseen site conditions and change orders to the base contracts during the course of construction.
There will be significant conflicts when the LaGuardia Airtrain is built and open for service with connections to both the Mets-Willets Point subway and LIRR stations.
Why would any LaGuardia Airport bound travelers with luggage attempt to squeeze in on already packed a.m. and p.m. rush hour subway and LIRR trains?
Cuomo apparently never considered how this issue will be resolved when contemplating this project.
In 2014, he promised that the LaGuardia Airtrain would be up and running within five years by 2019.
Now he has said this will occur by 2021.
Most Nassau and Suffolk County residents will never take the LIRR to LaGuardia Airport.
First, you would have to either drive, have someone else drop you off or leave your car at a LIRR station for several days or take a taxi.
Most LIRR station commuter parking lots are designed for same day usage and not overnight multiple day storage.
Who would want to leave your car in a unattended lot overnight over several days with no security?
Next, for those traveling from diesel territory branches (including those commuting from stations east of Huntington to Port Jefferson, east of Mineola to Oyster Bay, east of Babylon to Speonk or Montauk and east of Ronkonkoma to Greenport), you would probably have to first change at either Huntington, Babylon, Mineola or Ronkokoma.
Many will have to change at Jamaica for a train that would stop at Woodside.
Now, you have to wait at Woodside for a Port Washington bound train that will stop at Mets-Willets Point.
(Note that service is once every 30 minutes off peak.)
Many trains from Penn Station travel express bypassing Mets-Willets Point with the first stop at either Bayside or Great Neck.
Finally, you have to transfer at Mets-Willets Point for the LaGuardia Airtrain.
Does Cuomo really believe that the average Long Island resident accompanied by kids and several pieces of luggage will patiently tolerate three to four transfers taking between 90 minutes to two hours before arrival via LIRR to LaGuardia Airport?
Most business, middle class or anyone with heavy luggage is either going to continue driving to the airport, have someone else drive you to the airport, take a taxi or car service.
You will never see them on traveling via the LIRR to LaGuardia Airport.
It is wishful thinking by Cuomo at best.
There is no room to run additional trains in or out of Penn Station during either a.m. or p.m. rush hours via the East River tunnels with connections via the Port Washington LIRR branch to any LaGuardia Air Train.
Three of four tunnels running inbound during a.m. and outbound p.m. rush hours have very tight spacing between trains.
One tunnel is shared by the LIRR, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak for reverse train movements with equally tight spacing during rush hours.
There is no platform capacity at Penn Station to accommodate any additional trains during rush hour.
Penn Station is currently operating at 100 percent capacity during both a.m. and p.m. rush hours.
If one of the four tunnels is temporarily out of service, the result is numerous delays and cancellation of trains.
With three tracks merging into two tracks between the 33rd Street and Queensboro Plaza stations, there is no space to run any additional #7 subway rush hour trains to serve the LaGuardia Air Train.
It could easily cost $5 to 10 billion to construct a third track plus a new East River tunnel west of Queensboro Plaza.
This is necessary to extend express service into Manhattan.
The concept is clearly not feasible either technically or financially.
The existing Corona subway yard is already operating at capacity.
This facility is adjacent to wetlands and has little opportunity for expansion.
Additional trains to provide service for the new Hudson Yards Station have to be stored on lay up tracks south of the station.
Completion of Communication Based Train Control followed by implementation may only result in increasing the number of trains per hour from 30 to 32 in each direction during rush hour.
After that,the MTA NYCT no longer has any other opportunity for increasing rush hour capacity.
A true one seat ride could be accomplished by simply extending the N and W subway lines from their current terminus at Astoria/Ditmars Blvd to LaGuardia Airport.
This previously died due to local community opposition.
Construction of other options via the Sunnyside Storage Yards to LaGuardia Airport could easily cost a $1 billion or more.
You would have to coordinate with the LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal project.
In addition, the yard is used for mid day storage by other transit operators.
Previous pilot ferry connections from the LaGuardia Airport to various Manhattan locations failed.
This was due to the costs which could not attract sufficient ridership to support the service.
Another option is to construct the AirTrain along the Grand Central from Jackson Heights.
This would connect with the 74th Street Roosevelt Avenue subway station served by the E/F/M/R and 7 subway lines.
It would be only two stops on the #7 subway from the Woodside LIRR station.
Those in the know already have a transit connection to LaGuardia Airport.
Some ride the Port Washington LIRR branch to Woodside and transfer to the NYC Transit Q70 bus.
Others use the #7 subway to Woodside and make the same transfer.
Why not patronize both the LIRR and Q70 Limited (which is equipped wit luggage racks) from Jackson Heights, which provides limited-stop bus service between Woodside, Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport (Terminals B, C and D).
Service operates non-stop between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport.
Connections can be made with the E,F,M,R and 7 trains at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74 St-Broadway and with the LIRR and 7 train at Woodside-61 St.
Travel time between Woodside and LaGuardia Airport is approximately 10-15 minutes and between Jackson Heights and LaGuardia Airport is approximately 8-10 minutes.
Free transfers between any bus or subway are available if you pay your fare with MetroCard.
To build a train to the plane from Mets-Willets #7 subway and LIRR station to LaGuardia Airport within five years for $450 million as promised by Cuomo is a planners dream.
In reality it will be a nightmare for both taxpayers and riders.
You can count on cost overruns in the hundreds of millions and multiyear delays in construction before reaching beneficial use.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
(Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration NY Region 2 Office).
