Lower Manhattan to New York JFK Airport Rail Access Study, USA

THE CHALLENGE

New York’s Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was considering proposals for the provision of rail access to the city’s primary international gateway, JFK Airport. Its key objective was to forecast the demand and patronage for a series of alternative rail services linking Lower Manhattan to New York JFK airport. The purpose of these forecasts was primarily to assess the potential ridership for a dedicated ‘one-seat ride’ (OSR) from Lower Manhattan to JFK.

SYSTRA’S ROLE

SYSTRA generated surface access forecasts for access to New York JFK airport as part of a feasibility study for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. We were specifically producing air passenger and airport employee ridership and revenue forecasts for proposals to extend the recently opened AirTrain system to provide a direct service from JFK to Lower Manhattan, specifically assessing the impacts of other directly competing modes to the airport.

During the course of the study, SYSTRA analysed data from existing surveys and studies and updated models in order to provide the necessary forecasts. Additional modelling tasks included comparing rail services and shuttle buses and looking at demand from the various groups travelling to and from the airport.

Our international experience allowed us to benchmark inputs and outputs for the modelling against other major airports.