‘DERAIL CUO’S TRAIN’
Gov urged vs. LaG
Transit advocates are putting on a full-court press to persuade Gov. Hochul to derail the $2.1 billion pet project pushed by her disgraced predecessor, Andrew Cuomo — building a “wrong-way” AirTrain between La Guardia Airport and eastern Queens.
The AirTrain would connect La Guardia to the Long Island Rail Road and the 7 subway train at Willets Point, near the Mets’ Citi Field and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open.
But critics have questioned the logic of the route, which requires Manhattan-bound riders to first travel east — away from Midtown — before connecting to the subway and heading back west.
“The La Guardia monorail is a big Cuomo-ego boondoggle,” said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany. “This is a zombie project that should be put to bed.”
Another transit advocate said that simply expanding bus service between Manhattan and La Guardia would get travelers around faster.
“We have a proposal going back to 2015 for a free Q70 bus line, which would get people to the airport in a really short amount of time and at little expense to the MTA and no expense to riders,” said Riders Alliance spokesman Danny Pearlstein. “A new governor in office is an opportunity for a total reset, and rethinking our priorities. There are other projects that the governor can choose from to ensure that we have a viable recovery across sectors.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) also is against the project, which would run through the Elmhurst portion of her district.
But the Federal Aviation Administration gave the project the green light in July, though documents revealed that in 2019 FAA officials believed the route would prove to be slower than driving.
The Port Authority, which is pushing the project, is still run by Cuomo’s handpicked executive director, Rick Cotton, and the PA’s Board of Commissioners is still packed with Cuomo appointees.
“Cotton will push this project until his last breath,” said one source familiar with the deliberations.
Hochul, through a rep, declined to state her position on the La Guardia monorail.
“Gov. 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 transparency and robust engagement,” said Hochul spokeswoman Hazel Crampton-Hays.
Sources said Cotton has spoken to Hochul about a list of PA projects in the works — including building a new PA bus terminal, sprucing up JFK Airport and other improvements at La Guardia, as well as the monorail project.
The PA defended the LGA AirTrain as a positive for passengers and the environment and said foes were misguided.
“The Federal Aviation Administration, based on a thorough independent review, fully approved the AirTrain, which will create the first rail mass-transit link to La Guardia Airport. Opposition to rail mass transit that will get millions of cars off the street and reduce greenhouse gases without touching a single piece of private property at this time of climate change crisis is simply indefensible,” the PA said.