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Cuomo proposes $450M AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport has long been an island unto itself, lacking any rail link and contributing to its reputation, immortalized by Vice President Joe Biden, as a Third World facility. But that could change if Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his way.

The governor proposed Tuesday to build a mile-and-a-half AirTrain link along the Grand Central Parkway from the No. 7 subway station at Willets Point to the airport. The project would cost approximately $450 million—about $300 million per mile—and take about five years, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo said after his speech. It would be run by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in conjunction with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
It is unclear whether the governor wants to put any portion of the state's $5 billion budget surplus toward the project.

"We will construct an AirTrain which will connect with the 7 subway line and the Long Island Rail Road at Willets Point and will take you into LaGuardia," Mr. Cuomo said, adding the project was "long overdue."

During a short Q&A period following his speech to an Association for a Better New York breakfast in midtown, the governor was asked by Stephen Sigmund, executive director of airport-advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance, when the project would start. Mr. Cuomo said he wants to "do it quickly," adding, "We need a couple of months to work up the design."

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http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...uardia-airport