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LaGuardia Airtrain Project at Center of Controversy over $2.1B Price Tag & Possible Small Number of New Riders

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

Seems like former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has left the state he once governed with an eye popping bill. The New York Post reported that according to a report that was just issued the Cuomo driven $2.1 billion project of building an “AirTrain” between LaGuardia Airport and eastern Queens is expected to be the most expensive per-rider project in history.

The report which was released on Friday drew a critical reaction from the government watchdog group Reinvent Albany and former city DOT official Jon Orcutt, according to the Post report. The paper reported that the project would only attract 6,000 new daily transit riders are the route was away from Manhattan.

The report indicated that when breaking down the total cost, it would amount to a staggering $350,000 per rider. That price tag is double the amount that was allocated for the 2nd Avenue subway line at $180,500 per rider. Thus far, that is considered the “most expensive project ever” that New York has undertaken in terms of transit improvements.

The report said: “Experts believe the current Second Avenue Subway was the most costly transit project ever built, but the LaGuardia AirTrain will be about twice as expensive, when comparing construction costs to daily ridership. The LGA project is more about making it easier to drive and park at LaGuardia than creating a superior transit option.”

The Post reported that the figure of approximately 6,000 new riders offered by Reinvent Albany was predicated on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s official expectation of 13,117 AirTrain trips per day. That figure does not include the 3,547 riders that will be expected to drive and another 3,645 who would have otherwise taken the MTA buses or subways.

Speaking to the Post, Orcutt said: “You dig deeper and you see a lot of the people coming are basically car trips. They’re just moving the parking lot to a neighborhood over.”

Despite the fact that the project’s groundbreaking was set to take place in the imminent future, the watchdog group us exhorting Gov Kathy Hochul to cancel the project.

The issue at hand is the convoluted route, according to critics of the project. The Post reported that taking the AirTrain would essentially mean that those riding into Manhattan would be required to travel away from the island in an easterly direction. After that, they would need to make a subway connection and head back west. The Post reported that an environmental group known as Riverkeeper has argued that the unwieldy route would lead LaGuardia Airport passengers to the conclusion that they would be able to reach the airport faster by taking a cab or driving there themselves.

MTA board member Andrew Albert told the Post: “This route was chosen because it doesn’t anger neighbors. That’s basically why it was chosen. I just don’t see people using it unless they’re coming from the east.”

He added that travelers could be convinced that taking public transit would be beneficial if an extension of the N train from Astoria or a shorter AirTrain from 61st Street-Woodside would be considered.

As for Hochul’s reaction to this, she has not given an indication as to whether she would consider nixing the expensive project. The Post reported that on Wednesday said she was “very familiar” with Cuomo’s various mega-projects, and added, “I believe in big projects.”

She also said she had “confidence” in Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, a Cuomo appointee who has defended the AirTrain project, as was reported by the Post.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the governor said: “Governor Hochul is committed to a world-class airport and transportation network, and she is working with the Port Authority, community members, elected officials, and advocates to ensure fiscal transparency and robust engagement.”

Those who disagree with Reinvent Albany’s figures on potential ridership include the Port Authority. According to the Post report, they have called the figure “breathtakingly wrong.”

In a statement issued to the media, the Post Authority said: “They use a ridership level that is literally one-fifth of the 10 million annual riders projected based on passenger surveys. And further, they have taken a 40-year capital investment and divided it by just one year of their underestimated ridership. The life of the AirTrain will be 40 years. Over that period the capital cost per rider would be $5 or less. At this time of climate crisis, rail mass transit access is an essential 21st century component of a 21st century airport.”

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