Train storming: taking a train from the airport to the city? Now that's a bright idea

Entrepreneur, June, 2004 by Chris McGinnis

WANT TO AVOID STEEP CAR FARES AND/OR TRAFFIC DELAYS from the airport to the city? Rapid transit systems are adding stops inside airports, making the trip a cinch.

* Atlanta, Hartsford-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: MARTA trains stop in side the main terminal building in a station over the ground transportation area. Fare: $1.75.

* Chicago, Midway Airport: Follow signs to the CTA Orange Line station. The trip downtown takes about 30 minutes. Fare: $1.75.

* Chicago, O'Hare Airport. The CTA Blue Line station is at the lowest level of the main parking garage (next to elevator center 4). Fare: $1.75.

* New York, John F. Kennedy International: Take the AirTrain monorail ($5) to stations at either Howard Beach or Jamaica. From Howard Beach, the A-line subway fare to the city is $2. From Jamaica, the fare to Penn Station on the Long Island Railroad is $6.75.

* New York, Newark Liberty International: Take the free AirTrain monorail to the nearby AMTRAK/ NJ Transit station. From there, catch the train to Manhattan's Penn Station. Fare: $11.15.

* San Francisco International: Walk or take the free AirTrain to the BART station located near the airport's new international terminal. From there, board trains for the 30-minute trip downtown (or beyond). Fare: $4.95 (downtown).

* Washington, DC; Reagan Washington National Airport: Metro trains depart from a station across the roadway from the main terminal. Fares range from $1.20 to $3, depending on your destination within the metropolitan area and the time of day.

CHRIS McGINNIS, travel correspondents for CNN Headline News, is author of The Unofficial Business Travelers' Pocket Guide.