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8/18/2021
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final environmental assessment (FEA) for the proposed AirTrain replacement at Newark Liberty International Airport, keeping the project on track, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announced yesterday.
The FAA issued a "finding of no significant impact/record of decision" on Aug. 13, based on a review of 17 areas of assessment. The findings are available on the PANYNJ website.
The FAA served as the lead federal review agency and the issuance of its review follows completion of a 30-day public comment period, held Feb. 11 through March 12.
With the decision, the PANYNJ continues to build momentum toward state-of-the-art transit-rail systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion and provide a safer, more accessible ride for air travelers, authority officials said in a press release.
Construction on the $2 billion Newark Liberty project is scheduled to begin in mid-2022, with service set to start in 2026. Once completed, AirTrain Newark will be a 2.5-mile elevated guideway train system. It will replace the existing but outmoded AirTrain, which opened in 1996, was extended in 2001, and remains vulnerable to frequent breakdowns and delays.
"This decision is a key step in replacing the long-outdated AirTrain," said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "New Jerseyans and travelers deserve a world-class transit system at Newark Airport, and we are much closer to attaining that reality with the FAA’s latest action."