Introduction In spring 1978, the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) reached out to the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to join a study evaluating long-term transportation improvements to JFK Airport. In summer 1978, the two agencies worked out the details for a service running to the
Howard Beach station on the
IND Rockaway Line. The station was renamed Howard Beach—JFK Airport, and a transfer terminal to shuttle buses was built. Since air passengers were perceived to be more sensitive to the quality of service, and less sensitive to fare levels, it was decided to operate a special service to Howard Beach at a fare of $3.50, fifty cents cheaper than bus service operated to the airport by Carey Bus Lines. It was decided to have the route operate via the Sixth Avenue Line instead of the Eighth Avenue Line due to its proximity to the economic center of Midtown Manhattan, to Herald Square, Rockefeller Center, and hotels along 50th Street. In addition, 57th Street–Sixth Avenue station provided an optimal terminal for the service as it was underutilized. The JFK Express began operation on September 23, 1978, with a three-car train originating at
57th Street. Trains ran daily from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on 20 minute headways. On November 4, 1979, the schedule of service was modified to have trains run every 30 minutes between 5 and 6 a.m., every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and every 24 minutes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The JFK Express proved to be unsuccessful, seeing low ridership in part because the service did not actually serve any airline terminals, but rather transferred passengers to a shuttle bus service that was several hundred yards from the station. In May 1980, the MTA executive director, John Simpson, recommended that the express train be discontinued, stating that ridership on the line stabilized at 1.3 million yearly riders, and the yearly deficit rose to $2.5 million. In June 1980, members of the MTA board voted to make the JFK Express a permanent service, stating that a mass transit link to JFK Airport was necessary. In June 1983, the New York City Transit Authority, along with other service changes, planned to change service on the JFK Express. The JFK Express would have been extended to
Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street, and the $5 fare and the special guard would be eliminated, making it like any other subway line. Trains would be 8 cars long instead of 4 cars long, and the headway between trains would be 18 minutes, instead of 20 minutes. The shuttle bus fare would be reduced to 75 cents, the same as the subway fare; a passenger traveling between the airport and any subway stop except Howard Beach would pay $1.50 in total. At times, regular passengers were allowed on the trains and no fares were charged due to disruptions on other services; this included the 1988 closure of the
Williamsburg Bridge, when trains on the
BMT Nassau Street Line and
BMT Jamaica Line were rerouted. Between December 11, 1988, and October 29, 1989, on weekday evenings between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m., passengers were allowed to ride the JFK Express between
57th Street and
47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center without paying the extra fare as it was the only service running between these two stations during those times. Some passengers paid the extra fare to get to
Aqueduct Racetrack during racing days, when the JFK Express would stop at
Aqueduct Racetrack station.
Discontinuation In October 1989, the NYCTA proposed eliminating the JFK Express, citing that it had not attracted enough passengers. At the time 3,200 passengers were using the train per day, down from a high of between 4,000 and 5,000 passengers that used it at the beginning of the service's operation. The executive vice president of the NYCTA, George Miller, said that eliminating the service would save $7 million a year and free 144 transit workers and 12 subway cars for more cost-efficient subway runs. It was determined that 47 percent of the riders of the JFK Express were commuters from Howard Beach and the Rockaways who were willing to pay for the premium service. Trains were running every hour by this point. This extension was short-lived, as service was discontinued on April 15, 1990, due to low ridership, with as few as 3,200 riders per day. Passengers preferred the
A train, which was cheaper and ran more often. The AirTrain JFK also connects with the
Long Island Rail Road at
Jamaica, and with the to Manhattan at
Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue. ==Final route==