Not to be confused with JFK Express, the former subway service between JFK and Manhattan.
AirTrain JFK
Overview
Owner
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Locale
Connects John F. Kennedy International Airport to various points within Queens, New York City
Stations
9
Service
Type
People mover, airport rail link
Services
3
Operator(s)
Alstom
Rolling stock
32 × Innovia Metro ART 200[1]
Daily ridership
26,000 (weekdays, Q4 2023)[2]
Ridership
6,737,100 (2023)[3]
History
Opened
December 17, 2003 (December 17, 2003)
Technical
Line length
8.1 mi (13 km)[4]
Character
Elevated railway
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[5]
Electrification
Third rail, 750 V DC[1]
Operating speed
60 mph (97 km/h)[6]
Route map
Show static map
Show geographically accurate map
Legend
Long Island Rail Road
to New York terminals │ to Long Island
Jamaica
Atlantic Avenue/
94th Avenue
Linden Boulevard
Rockaway Boulevard
Belt Parkway
NY 878
Nassau Expy
A train to Inwood–207th St
Howard Beach
A train to the Rockaways
Lefferts Boulevard
(Long-term parking)
AirTrain Storage Yards
Federal Circle
(Rental car lots, shuttles)
Terminal 1
Terminal 8
Terminal 2/3
(Closed)
Terminal 7
Terminal 4
Terminal 5
This diagram:
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AirTrain JFK is an 8.1-mile-long (13 km) elevated people mover system and airport rail link serving John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport) in New York City. The driverless system operates 24/7 and consists of three lines and nine stations within the New York City borough of Queens. It connects the airport's terminals with the New York City Subway at the Howard Beach station in the eponymous neighborhood, and with the Long Island Rail Road and the subway in the Jamaica neighborhood. Alstom operates AirTrain JFK under contract to the airport's operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
A railroad link to JFK Airport was first recommended in 1968. Various plans surfaced to build a JFK Airport rail connection until the 1990s, though these were not carried out because of a lack of funding. The JFK Express subway service and shuttle buses provided an unpopular transport system to and around JFK. In-depth planning for a dedicated transport system at JFK began in 1990, but was ultimately cut back from a direct rail link to an intra-borough people mover. Construction of the current people-mover system began in 1998. During construction, AirTrain JFK was the subject of several lawsuits, and an operator died during one of the system's test runs. The system opened on December 17, 2003, after many delays. Several improvements were proposed after the system's opening, including an unbuilt extension to Manhattan. AirTrain JFK originally had ten stations, but the Terminal 2 stop was closed in 2022.
All passengers entering or exiting at either Jamaica or Howard Beach must pay an $8.50 fare, while passengers traveling within the airport can ride for free. The system was originally projected to carry 4 million annual paying passengers and 8.4 million annual inter-terminal passengers every year. The AirTrain has consistently exceeded these projections since opening. In 2023, the system carried a total of 6,737,100 passengers, or about 26,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
^ abCite error: The named reference Railway Gazette International 2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
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