AirTrain JFK is a 3-line, 8.1mi people mover system and elevated railway in New York City providing service to John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is operated by Bombardier Transportation under contract to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the operator of the airport. The service operates all day, year-round.HistoryPlanning and contextThe JFK Express, advertised as The Train to The Plane, was a premium-fare service of the New York City Subway, connecting Midtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport that ran from 1978 through 1990 via subway and then transfer to a shuttle bus.There had long been a desire for a rail connection to JFK Airport, which suffered from major traffic congestion on its access roads. However, efforts to build a system took time to bear fruit and the current AirTrain JFK is much smaller than what was originally planned. The original line was to begin in Midtown Manhattan at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge and cross the East River via the side roads, formerly used by trolley cars, on the lower level. It would then use the Sunnyside Yards as a right-of-way towards LaGuardia Airport. From there, the AirTrain would connect to the LIRR's former Rockaway Beach Branch, head south to Howard Beach and then go onto JFK Airport. Another suggestion proposed bypassing the LIRR line and instead following the Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway south towards Jamaica, with a station connecting to the IRT Flushing Line.
