It could be the end of the line for the $2.1 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project. 

“We can find a better use for $2 billion dollars of our tax-payer dollars,” State Senator Jessica Ramos, who represents the area, said recently.

Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement Monday casting doubt about the project’s future. Hochul says she’s asking the Port Authority to thoroughly examine alternative mass transit solutions for reducing car traffic and increasing connectivity to LaGuardia Airport. 

Ramos says Hochul needs to take it even further.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Hochul released a statement Monday, asking the Port Authority to thoroughly examine alternative mass transit solutions to the LaGuardia AirTrain project
  • The controversial project would link the airport to the 7 train and Long Island Rail Road at nearby Citi Field by a more than two-mile elevated rail line

  • The AirTrain plan was given the green light by the Federal Aviation Administration in July

  • Last month, homeowners and environmental activists sued the federal government and the Port Authority over the plan

“We need Governor Hochul to halt the project all together,” said Ramos. 

The controversial project, which was championed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, promised a 30-minute ride from LaGuardia to Midtown Manhattan. It would link the airport to the 7 train and Long Island Rail Road at nearby Citi Field by a more than two-mile elevated rail line. 

But East Elmhurst residents say it doesn't make sense to have travelers head east past the airport, only to turn around at Citi Field and head back west towards LaGuardia.

“Who goes from New York to Chicago by way of London? We like direct paths,” said Pat Beckels, the vice president of the Ditmars Blvd. Association.

Advocates for the project say it will help relieve car traffic around the airport  and create thousands of jobs. 

The Federal Aviation Administration gave the project the green light back in July. 

Last month, local homeowners and environmental activists sued the federal government and the Port Authority over the plan. Now, they’re hopeful Hochul will step in. 

“This is a plea to the Governor. Don’t be like your predecessor,” said Frank Taylor, the president of the Ditmars Blvd. Association.

A Port Authority spokesperson directed NY1 to comments made by the agency’s executive director Rick Cotton last week, where he said Gov. Hochul asked for further conversations about the project, and the Port Authority will respond to all of her questions.