Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Andrew Cuomo

If Crowded Old Airports Are “Un-New York,” What Are Crowded Old Trains?

cuomo_lga_unnewyork
The governor leaps into action.

Andrew Cuomo's big infrastructure announcement with VP Joe Biden today was, if nothing else, a tidy encapsulation of how little the governor cares about the big problems facing New York's transportation systems.

For days the governor's office had been hyping his appearance with Biden. Was Cuomo finally about to tell New Yorkers how he's going to modernize the trains and buses that millions of people count on every day? Nope. It was all about a $4 billion plan to modernize LaGuardia Airport, including the plus an AirTrain connection from the airport to Willets Point that's projected to cost a billion dollars without saving most people any time.

Cuomo's big pitch: LGA, with its ancient infrastructure, uncomfortable crowding, and chronic delays, is "un-New York."

Okay, fair enough. So what does that make the subways, with their eighty-year-old signals, overflowing platforms, and chronic delays?

Just a few days ago, Cuomo wouldn't even entertain the thought of enacting the Move NY plan to cut traffic and fund transit in one stroke. The logical conclusion from today's announcement is that, in Cuomo's eyes, Move NY doesn't address a glaring lack of New York-ness.

New York's failure to impress tourists who fly Delta is a problem Cuomo wants to personally address. New York's crushing traffic congestion, unpredictable subways, miserably crowded platforms, and slow buses are just part of the city's charm.

Classic New York! Photo: Move NY

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025

Hundreds of Community Groups — From the Conservatives to the Socialists! — Demand Daylighting

Two hundred New York City groups from across the ideological spectrum joined calls to ban parking at corners in order to improve safety and visibility, also known as daylighting.

October 24, 2025

OPINION: Canal Street — Not The Vendors — Is the Problem

If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor — and is true to his vision for a fair, livable city — he will have to take on this long-ignored corridor. Here's how.

October 24, 2025

Vision Zero Cities: Bicycles Are Not Cars So They Shouldn’t Have to Follow the Same Rules

The default in nearly all states is to impose the same traffic rules on bicycles as on motor vehicles even though the needs of cyclists are so different.

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Today’s the Day Edition

Mayor Adams's new 15 mph speed limit is officially goes into effect today. Plus more news.

October 24, 2025

Cough, Cough: DEP Considers Largest Ever Exemption Request to City’s Anti-Idling Law

Academy Bus claims no technological alternatives exist for heating and cooling buses without idling. Advocates warn an exemption would "gut" the city's 50-year-old idling ban.

October 23, 2025
See all posts