Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced that plans for an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport have been scrapped after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recommended against any light rail options to improve transit options to the airport

The $2.4 billion proposal, which was originally billed at a cost of $450 million, was a pet project of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who resigned in August 2021. The project was reevaluated when Hochul was elevated to the governorship.

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"New Yorkers deserve world-class transportation to world-class airports. Shortly after taking office, I asked the Port Authority to thoroughly examine mass transit solutions for LaGuardia Airport that would reduce car traffic and increase connectivity, while meeting the demand of our customers. I am grateful to the expert panel, the technical consultants, and the Port Authority for providing a clear, cost-effective path forward with an emissions-free transit solution for customers," Hochul said in a statement Monday.

"I accept the recommendations of this report, and I look forward to its immediate implementation by the Port Authority in close coordination with our partners at the MTA, in the City of New York and the federal government," Hochul continued.

The panel released its recommendations for improving mass transit options, which included "exhaustive analysis of 14 different mass transit options to LaGuardia Airport." The recommendations call for improving current bus service and "creating new non-stop airport shuttle service." The Port Authority panel also recommended against any light rail or ferry boat remedies to improve the mass transit situation to the airport.

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The panel was made up of people with airport administration experience from across the world.

The now-scrapped project was first announced by Cuomo in 2015, but the proposal faced opposition from several other elected officials. The planned AirTrain would have emulated the one currently in use for John F. Kennedy Airport in the city.