Light rail service to Kennedy Airport begins Wednesday December 17, 2003 By AMY WESTFELDT Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) AirTrain, the first light-rail link to Kennedy International Airport, made its inaugural run Wednesday delayed more than a year following a fatal test drive. ``It is smooth, it is fast, it is quiet. It is a 21st century mass transit system,'' said Gov. George Pataki, who was joined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials at a dedication ceremony in Jamaica, Queens. Jamaica and Howard Beach are the two stations where riders can switch to the AirTrain after arriving by subway or the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station in Manhattan and other points. Passenger service was officially scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., with free service until 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Bloomberg said the new and more convenient service to Kennedy Airport will help attract businesses to New York City. ``Its impact will be felt on this city for many, many years to come,'' Bloomberg said. The train also provides connections between airline terminals and to rental car lots and parking areas at the airport. Until now, New Yorkers relied on taxis, cars and express buses from various points around the city, or took the subway to the end of the line and then boarded buses for the airport. Both Pataki and Bloomberg remembered Kelvin DeBourgh, the 23-year-old who died while test driving the AirTrain in September 2002. An investigation found that the accident was caused by excessive speed and poor communication between workers. The accident caused $4 million damage to the light rail, whose construction began in 1999. The ride from Howard Beach or Jamaica runs about 12 minutes and costs $5; monthly unlimited passes are available for $40. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International airports, anticipates that more than 30,000 people a day will use the AirTrain. The only other airport in the region with an AirTrain is Newark, with connections to Amtrak and NJ Transit lines. = On the Net: www.panynj.gov Roger EWROPS