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What is an air train?
AirTrain is an easy way of transportation to travel to and from JFK Airport and between terminals. Passengers can use AirTrain to connect with parking lots, hotel shuttles area, rental car center and NYC public transportation network, located at Jamaica and Howard Beach Stations.
What is a Metrocard?
MetroCard. Metrocard is the integrated system to travel through public transportation. One single way is $2.75 and passengers can travel by MTA subways and buses. Metrocard is rechargeable and travelers can do transfers for free between subways and buses.
Is AirTrain open at JFK?
AirTrain at JFK is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What is the JFK AirTrain?
The AirTrain is a people mover system that moves passengers not only around JFK Airport but also connects them to the public transportation system. The driverless system runs frequently and makes several stops at terminals, parking lots, and car rental facilities. Just like the NYC airports themselves, the JFK AirTrain is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
What terminals are in Jamaica?
Terminals 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8. Federal Circle (rental cars and hotel shuttles) Jamaica Station. At Jamaica Station, you’ll be connected to “Sutphin Blvd – Archer Av – JFK Station” where you can board the MTA subway line E that will lead you through Queens and Midtown Manhattan down to the World Trade Center.
What is the yellow line at the airport?
The yellow line only circles between the passenger terminals. It does not grant you access to public transportation. Interestingly, the yellow AirTrain operates in reverse order (from Terminal 8 to Terminal 1). To leave the airport, you will need to take the red or green lines to either Jamaica or Howard Beach.
How to get to Midtown Manhattan from JFK?
An even faster way to get from JFK to Midtown Manhattan by public transportation is the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). In Jamaica, instead of getting on the subway, you can take the LIRR to Penn Station. Within 20 minutes you will arrive at Penn Station.
Where do you pay for JFK?
You pay the JFK AirTrain fare upon entering or exiting the system at either Howard Beach Station or Jamaica Station. That means you pay before boarding the AirTrain when traveling to the airport and after exiting the AirTrain when traveling from the airport.
How much does it cost to take the LIRR to Penn Station?
While taking the LIRR is way faster than the subway, it is also more expensive, costing $7.75 per ride off-peak and $10.75 during peak hours. The same applies to the other way around when taking the LIRR to JFK. LIRR Map.
Where does the green line stop in Jamaica?
While the red line stops at Federal Circle before arriving at Jamaica the green line makes one more stop at Lefferts Boulevard. There, you can access long term parking. The last stop then is Howard Beach.
Why was the JFK Express unpopular?
The JFK Express service was unpopular with passengers because of its high cost, and because the buses often got stuck in traffic. Two-car AirTrain seen from Terminal 4. By the 1990s, there was demand for a direct link between Midtown Manhattan and JFK Airport, which are 15 miles (24 km) apart by road.
How long is the JFK Express?
This article is about the people mover. For the former subway service between JFK and Manhattan, see JFK Express. 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 ...
How much did Andrew Cuomo renovate JFK?
On January 4, 2017, the office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $7–10 billion plan to renovate JFK Airport. As part of the project, the AirTrain JFK would either see lengthened trainsets or a direct track connection to the rest of New York City's transportation system, and a direct connection between the AirTrain, LIRR, and subway would be built at Jamaica station. Shortly after Cuomo's announcement, the Regional Plan Association published an unrelated study for a possible direct rail link between Manhattan and JFK Airport. Yet another study in September 2018, published by the MTA, examined alternatives for an LIRR rail link to JFK as part of a possible restoration of the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch.
What was the JFK Express?
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.
When did JFK train start?
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. Since then, several improvements have been proposed for AirTrain JFK, including an extension to Manhattan .
What was the JFK light rail system?
Ultimately, the Port Authority opted for a light rail system with the qualities of a people mover, tentatively called the "JFK Light Rail System". It would replace the shuttle buses, running from the airport terminals to either Jamaica or Howard Beach. The FEIS determined that an automated system with frequent headways was the best design. Although there would not be a direct connection to Manhattan, the Port Authority estimated it would halve travel time between JFK and Midtown, with the journey between JFK and Penn Station taking one hour. According to The New York Times, in the 30 years between the first proposal and the approval of the light rail system, 21 recommendations for direct rail links to New York-area airports had been canceled.
How long does it take to get from JFK to Midtown Manhattan?
During rush hour, the travel time from JFK to Manhattan could average up to 80 minutes by bus; during off-peak hours, a New York City taxi could make that journey in 45 minutes, while a bus could cover the same distance in an hour. The Port Authority, foreseeing economic growth for the New York City area and increased air traffic at JFK, began planning for a direct rail link from the airport to Manhattan. In 1991, the Port Authority introduced a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a $3 tax on every passenger departing from JFK, which would provide $120 million annually.
How much does an airpass cost?
Also, if you pay by machine although it takes card, the Airpass will cost $6 as there is an additional $1 admin charge. The same works in reverse if you want to get the AirTrain to JFK, Most people buy the $5 entry at the machines for $6. If you look back towards the escalators, there is another kiosk where the guy sells them for $5 cash, so save your dollar and go to him.
How to get to Jamaica from Penn Station?
Take Airtrain to Jamaica station then the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station. From Penn Station you can walk to your hotel.
Where does the JFK drop you?
THE JFK Airtrain drops u at Jamica station to connect to the NYC subway, sure it may take a little bit longer than a taxi - but that extra $60 in my pocket feels good.
What happens if you miss your stop on the AirTrain?
If you accidentally miss your stop, you can always exit, cross the platform and take the next train. There is plenty of signage in the train so you won't miss your airline. It's truly worthwhile to experience riding the AirTrain.
Can you buy a metrocard in Jamaica?
2) When you get off the AirTrain in Jamaica, there are ATM machines where you can purchase a metrocard and the fare needed to get OUT of the station. You can purchase 1 metrocard and load it with enough money for I think 4 swipes at one time (don't quote me on that).
Does the JFK Airtran pass get you on the Long Island Railroad?
This is a must read if you are traveling to NYC from the JFK Airtran. The Airtran Pass does NOT get you a ride on the Long Island Rail Road to NYC. The Subway to NYC is $2.50 and is known as the E Train which is a couple of levels below the AirTran exit. The Long Island Railroad costs $10.00 if you purchase before you board the train, if you buy on the train it is $16.00. I have seen too many times where travelers got on the wrong train (the LIRR) and had to pay 16.00 per person , today a family of 6 had to pay $96.00 for getting on the wrong train. Before you board any train please ask the people around you if it is the subway or the long island rail road (LIRR). this will save you money!
Where do the A and E trains go?
The A and E trains go to Howard Beach and Jamaica Station , respectively. Barring any major delays, journey time from Midtown to JFK is about an hour. The E train takes you through Midtown East and Queens while the A travels through downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and then Queens. At each station, there is a pay machine you can reload ...

Overview
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 in Howard Beach, Queens, an…
History
The first proposal for a direct rail link to JFK Airport was made in the mid-1940s, when a rail line was proposed for the median of the Van Wyck Expressway, connecting Midtown Manhattan with the airport. New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses, at the time an influential urban planner in the New York City area, refused to consider the idea. In 1968, the Metropolitan Transpor…
System
AirTrain JFK connects the airport's terminals and parking areas with the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations. It runs entirely within the New York City borough of Queens. The system consists of three routes: two connecting the terminals with either the Howard Beach or Jamaica stations, and one route looping continuously around the central terminal area. It is operated by Bombardier un…
Fares
AirTrain JFK is free to use for travel within the terminal area, as well as at the Lefferts Boulevard station, which is next to the long-term parking, and at the Federal Circle station, where there are car-rental shuttle buses and transfers to and from the airport hotels. Passengers entering or leaving the system only via the Jamaica or Howard Beach stations must pay using MetroCard. AirTrain JF…
Rolling stock
AirTrain JFK uses Bombardier Transportation's Innovia ART 200 rolling stock and technology. Similar systems are used on the SkyTrain in Vancouver, the Everline in Yongin, and the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur. The computerized trains are fully automated and use a communications-based train control system with moving block signals to dynamically determine the locations of the trains. AirT…
Ridership
When AirTrain JFK was being planned, it was expected that 11,000 passengers per day would pay to ride the system between the airport and either Howard Beach or Jamaica, and that 23,000 more daily passengers would use the AirTrain to travel between terminals. This would amount to about 4 million paying passengers and 8.4 million in-airport passengers per year. According to the FEIS, the system could accommodate over 3,000 daily riders from Manhattan, and its opening would r…
See also
• AirTrain LaGuardia, a similar system planned at LaGuardia Airport
• AirTrain Newark, a similar system at Newark Liberty International Airport
• List of airport circulators
• Lists of rapid transit systems § North America