Docs show Port Authority fudged LGA AirTrain benefits, advocates say

A federal review of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s widely panned LaGuardia Airport AirTrain project accused officials of using “arbitrary” criteria to ensure the plan was chosen above all others — and concluded the railway would likely be slower than just driving there, newly revealed documents show.

Emails and documents obtained by environmental group Riverkeeper this week through a freedom of information request show Federal Aviation Administration officials in 2019 peppered the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with concerns about its rationale for rejecting alternatives to the pricey project — even though the feds are now poised to green-light it. “They called out the draft for being deficient,” said Riverkeeper’s Mike DuLong. “And then FAA did its own analysis and came to the exact same conclusion and they have some of the exact same missteps.”