Last week, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the NJ Association of Rail Passengers called on Acting Governor DiFrancesco to veto the minutes of the July 26th Port Authority of NY & NJ board meeting, unless changes are made to the agency's plans to charge Airtrain passengers much more than car drivers to access the monorail at Newark Airport. The agreement between the Port Authority and NJTransit authorized at that meeting would allow a $3.50 surcharge on every Newark Airtrain ticket, leading to one-way fares of $6.95 from Newark Penn Station, and upwards of $11 from NYC Penn Station and the Trenton area. 

The Port Authority has argued that the surcharge is needed to pay for construction of the new rail station and for the operation of the monorail. But the groups point out that air passengers who drive to the airport and park are not charged such high rates for their facilities or access to the monorail, which costs little to operate as it is almost fully automated (MTR #327). They also argue that with such high rates the new rail service cannot successfully compete with auto transport to reduce the congestion on airport roads and terminal curbs.

The outcome of the Newark fare debate is likely to have repercussions for the cost of riding the Jamaica-JFK Airtrain where the Port Authority has suggested one-way fares could reach $5.

Agencies Set Steep Fare for Newark AirTrain - July 30, 2001

Meeting the Monorail - May 7, 2001

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