Mass transit to airports is a hot-button issue, removing congestion from airport roads, as USAToday reminded us in their article yesterday. The most basic element of this has passengers taking a shuttle bus or train from the airport terminal to the nearest mass transit stop. Airports around the country have invested large amounts of money in improving transit connections.
Last month, in Seattle, construction began on a rail link which will transport riders from downtown to the airport in 33 minutes. In New York, a bill was approved for federal tax credits to build a new rail line from Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport. In Virginia, an extension was approved from the Washington Metro to Dulles Airport. Amtrak began service to a Milwaukee Airport station last year.
According to a study of 72 airports by the Goverment Accountability Office, 64 were connected to a local bus system and 27 to a local rail system. Only 19 had connections to nationwide rail or bus systems.
We approve of any investment that removes vehicles from the airport roadways. If a link to the local transit system is convenient, and allows easy access to downtown, people will use it over taxis and rental cars. In many cases, the last thing people want to do is board a long bus to a train…but if it is an easy connection, people will use that for the bulk of their trip, picking up ground arrangements at the other end if the rail or bus cannot get them where they need to go. Ultimately…what we must emphasize…is convenience.