Plans for a NYC Rail Link to LaGuardia Airport Now Abandoned

Plans for a NYC Rail Link to LaGuardia Airport Now Abandoned
The JFK airport Airtrain (L) travels on overhead tracks above Long Island Rail Road trains near Jamaica Station in Queens, New York, on Nov. 1, 2012. Frank Franklin II/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:
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Plans for a rail link were abandoned Monday that would have connected LaGuardia Airport to New York City’s subway and commuter rail system, after intense criticism about its $2.4 billion-plus price tag and the potential effects on surrounding neighborhoods.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul accepted the recommendations made by a panel of transportation experts who determined it would be more feasible in the near-term to increase bus service and add a shuttle. Hochul’s action effectively means that LaGuardia—in the borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan—will remain among the major U.S. airports without rail service.