Newark Airtrain, Only 19 Years Old, Is Too Shoddy To Fix

The Port Authority has decided to address the problem-plagued Newark Airtrain by giving up on it entirely and building a new one. The cost could be as high as $2 billion.

The preliminary plan alone will cost $40 million, an expenditure approved by the board of directors on Thursday. The authority will seek approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to come up with the money by raising fees on passengers using the airport.

Executive director Pat Foye conceded that the Airtrain began having problems soon after it opened in 1996. "As I understand it, Port Authority staff became concerned about whether it was robust enough," he said. "We don't want to repeat that mistake."

The authority has already sunk $170 million into keeping the Newark Airtrain running. It is regularly shut down overnight for maintenance and, last year, was closed altogether for eight weeks to undergo major repairs. The authority plans to complete the new monorail by 2020, when the current one reaches the end of its useful life. .................(more)

http://www.wnyc.org/story/newark-airtrain-only-19-years-old-too-shoddy-fix/