LONG ISLAND
AIR TRAIN AT JFK
JFK AIRTRAIN
The JFK Airtrain is an 8.1-mile people mover system in Queens that connects John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to the city's subway and commuter trains, and airport parking lots, on Long Island, New York. It is conveniently located at Jamaica Station, a stop off of the Long Island Rail Road. From any points on Long Island, travelers can ride the Long Island Rail Road and stop off at Jamaica Station in Queens to take the JFK Airtrain directly into each individual airline terminal at the airport. The system consists of three overlapping routes including the Howard Beach route, the Jamaica Station route, and All Terminals loop.
The Airline Terminal route (Inner Loop) offers free service between the various terminals. The Howard Beach (A) and Jamaica Station (D) routes circles the terminals in the opposite direction, both stopping at Station C/Federal Circle. The Jamaica Station route can be used to access the E and LIRR at Jamaica Station (2nd to last stop on E in Queens).
The Airtrain system was first constructed in 1998 and completed in 2002. It was delayed by the derailment of a test train on September 27, 2002 by killing a 23-year-old operator Kelvin DeBourgh, Jr. The system finally opened after a 14 month delay on December 17, 2003. The AirTrain JFK applies the same Advanced Rapid Transit (formerly Intermediate Capacity Transit System) technology from Bombardier as the SkyTrain in Vancouver, Canada and the Putra LRT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It draws power from a third rail, and a linear induction motor pushes magnetically against an aluminum strip in the center of the track. The growing popularity of AirTrain also reflects a passenger boom at JFK airport. The number of people passing through the airport climbed up from 31.7 million in 2003 to an estimated 41 million in 2006. Roughly 4 million people rode the train to JFK in 2006, an increase of about 15% over 2005.
 AirTrain is free within JFK Airport, but a fee of $5 per person is charged as of 2006 when entering or leaving AirTrain at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations. The fare must be paid by Metrocard, which can be bought with cash, a credit card or an ATM card. There are also vending machines at both stations where one can pay for the AirTrain and also pay subway and LIRR fares. A $25 AirTrain only Ten-Trip MetroCard, and a $40 monthly AirTrain unlimited ride MetroCard are also available. AirTrain is now enable thousands of air travelers and airport employees to travel to, from, and within the airport quickly and conveniently every day. It is part of the Port Authority's capital improvement plan, designed to deliver fast, convenient, and more comfortable travel experiences to all travelers who visit.
See the AirTrain System Map http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/ for and idea of how the AirTrain travels to and from airline terminals as well as more information on AirTrain.
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