From End To End Everyday riding the A train…read more31 miles of track From Richmond Hill, Queens to Inwood, Manhattan Encountering all walks of life First one up at sunrise Last one in the house at dusk Off peak hours in the morning Rush hour service in the evening Pushing to get in and out like squeezing an adult elephant into a sedan car "It's showtime!" so I attain another seat to evade Panhandlers scuffling passengers for money Babies and children wailing boisterously loud without end Gargantuan backpacks and duffle bags occupying unnecessary standing space The unemployed, Yuppies and teens bouncing their heads to music blaring deafening loud Religious garb froth the mouth emitting into the void The strong stench of burgers and French Fries fills the air and the floor for pollution The lack thereof courtesy and communication skills without the standard "excuse me" creates a malice world From End To End My long haul 2 hour train ride Passing through Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan This station is the other end of the A train in Richmond Hill, Queens. Continuously undergoing renovations with upgrading the station with elevators for the physically challenged the stairhall is narrow and utterly crowded creating pedestrian congestion. There is no waiting area upon swiping your MetroCard for entrance. Like all Queens stations on the A train (including the Rockaways), this station is elevated. Nota Bene: Upon discharge from the stairhall and onto street level, straphangers beware of sketchy livery cab drivers vigorously soliciting by loitering at the foot of the station staircase as many willfully block the method of egress and street screaming "cab?!" At this station straphangers can connect with Q10 bus for a journey to JFK Airport.

This used to be the go to A stop always on time, lately it's became one of the worst lines. To many…read morehomeless people on the train, everyday we gotta deal with that nonsense.

They're on the right track. (giggle)…read more So glad they offer this service. Super easy to get to other terminals, car rentals, or hotel shuttles. And, if you are trying to get to the city, the Air Train is more reliable, faster, and predictable than taxis and rideshare at a fraction of the cost (and sometime more spacious or comfortable). Plus, it's luggage friendly and accessible. And they don't need to know your name. If you're confused, you need to take the smooth, magnetic Air Train to exit the airport to either Howard Beach to catch the A train or to Jamaica for the E, J, or Z train (or the Long Island Rail Road direct to Grand Central or Penn Station for $5.25-$7.25). To get directions in reverse back to the airport, just hold this review up to a mirror. Ideally, it would be great to have a direct link from airport to city, like Chicago, Atlanta, DC, San Francisco, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, and Minneapolis and Portland (and Seattle if you walk 1000 feet), but I still appreciate the "two-seat" system because the signage is super easy. You can jump off your plane and follow the yellow signs straight to the air train, pay at the turnstile, and be on a train within 15 minutes anytime of the day. As of June 2026, it's $8.75 for the Air Train, and $3 for the subway. Pro Tip: If you are heading to Terminal 8 from the city, get off the train at Terminal 1, walk across the platform, and catch the clockwise "All Terminals" to catch it in 1 (not 5) stops.

Took the AirTrain twice, both times using this train stop in Terminal 4 (there are also stops at…read moreevery other active JFK terminal) to either enter (going to Manhattan) or exit (going to JFK) the AirTrain. There is no payment done here, as one can take the AirTrain to go from one terminal to another or to the rental car center. The $8.75 charge is only done if using either the Jamaica or Howard Beach train station to enter the NYC subway system. From anywhere in Terminal 4, there are signs directing you to grand transportation, and once closer, explicit signs directing you to the AirTrain. Once here, one has to make a choice to either take the Jamaica line or Howard Beach line. When we were here early on a Tuesday morning, each train was running every 10 minutes or so.

I used to go to Terminal 7 for the UBER Pickup, but now it's relocated to the Howard Beach - JFK…read moreAirport, A Train - IND Rockaway Line. The tram operates 24/7. When I got off the plane from Las Vegas to JFK, I picked up my luggage and walked over to the tram. There was two different trams going, and the one I was getting on was the Howard Beach AirTrain route. The Howard Beach AirTrain route offers a nearly nonstop, 15 minute link from Terminal 5 to the subway at Howard Beach, with simplicity, platform screen doors, and round the clock availability. The Howard Beach line originates at Howard Beach station, travels through Lefferts Boulevard, moves into Federal Circle, and then enters the terminal loop, stopping at Terminals 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 in that sequence. Travel between terminals is free! There are seats in the Tram, but it can get busy during the morning hours or in the evening. When I arrived in around 7:00 P.M, its pretty empty. Once I arrived at the Howard Beach stop, I went down the escalator, to the ride share app pickup location. It's a seamless ride!

Excellent service. Clean station…read moreTime reader on the arrival of train time. Attentive employee interacting and making sure customers who need assist is inform on any information ask.

I went there to pick up my husband and the parking lot was kind of small. The train as high and the…read moreway to get out of the train and the parking lot was a bit hard.

This station is about a block away from my sisters house. I have used this station hundreds of…read moretimes over the years but I hate the fact that they have no live ticketing person. Nothing special about the station itself. This station is about 30 to 45 minutes from Penn Station but usually requires a transfer. However, for Atlantic Station in Brooklyn the trip is usually direct. Because there is no ticketing booth you have to purchase your ticket from a machine on the ground level. At times there are lines at the ticketing machine so if you have to buy tickets give yourself enough time. The trains arrive on schedule for the most part and during the cold season there is a indoor waiting room for customers.

This is main hub for the LIRR and you can pretty much catch any line on the LIRR. Theres a huge…read morecatwalk that connects all of the tracks so you can wait in that area until you know which track your train is on. There are monitors as well. The platforms having indoor areas which are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. You can also connect to the subway, Air Train and buses to all over Queens from here as well.

I am no stranger to the New York City area as I have visited here several times in the past…read more However, this was my first time at the "Jamaica LIRR (Long Island Railroad) Station". Located roughly 4 miles north of John F. Kennedy International Airport and in the heart of Queens, this is one of the major transfer points to get into through the city and the neighboring boroughs. After a long (5+ hour) flight into JFK Airport, I took the Jamaica AirTrain (from JFK to the LIRR Station). And this was around 11:30pm Eastern Time. However, once we arrived at the station, I used the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) app that told us exactly where to go. There were even a couple of employees that told us how the payment system works (which was $10 per person as of October 2025). Once we actually arrived to the Jamaica LIRR Station, I must say that this place has a very stark uninviting look to it. Definitely one that I would recommend avoiding during the wee hours of the night. However, there were other "tourists" waiting to connect to Penn Station which all New Yorkers know is in the heart of Manhattan. I only know this since they had several carry-on pieces of luggage as well. The reason for the three stars? This station wreaked of urine and sweat. And if that's not enough, I saw a gentleman urinating directly on the tracks. But the icing on the cake was seeing a big rat crawling on the side of the tracks. Seeing this may make your stomach turn upside down but this is a big metropolitan city and you must expect the unexpected. I am also from a big city (San Francisco) so witnessing this did not gross me out that much. All in all, the "Jamaica LIRR Station" leaves a lot to be desired. But I highly recommend coming here during the commute times or at least before 10:00pm when the vast majority of the general public is already at their destinations. However, the ticket information employee was helpful as well a local that told us exactly which train to take to get to Manhattan. With that said and done, I am giving this subway station just an average three stars.

Train stations little to rave about in general so for me I'm just looking for basic needs to be…read moreprovided: shelter, availability to ticket machines and proper/ safe access to platforms. This station does at the most basic level. The entrance to the station has 2 machines which seems to manage the traffic well. For the most part they are always working and accepting both cash and cards. The station is well lit and the staircases have been upgraded lately. However, there are no elevators/escalators so if you're travelling with a stroller or luggage the stairs can be brutal. Shelter is a basic cover which has about 6 seats and then two outdoors sets of about 4 seats. Again, very no frills.

This station is like most on the LIRR outdoors. It has decent enclosed shelter. It's normally clean…read more. I cannot blame the LIRR for the slobs that smoke or drink and leave rubbish behind. This is a older station so expect no elevators and about 15 steps to climb I think the Rosedale station and I know Jamaica has elevators. Make sure you buy your tickets prior to boarding or you get hit with a surcharge that could double your ticket price. Then the ride on average 22 minutes vs 1.15 and bus train combo Cost is on average 4 times more than regular transit during rush hour west or east off peak about 2.5 times more. This line is on the RockAway branch weekdays and Long Beach weekends. Also effective November 2012 I know this station is undergoing a overhaul so some exits may be closed

I'm always very fatigued or super excited when I'm here waiting for the air train. Yes you do need…read moreto pay more at the turnstile from the Sutphin Blvd train station to connect yourself to the air train. You got to pay with the cash value metro card and not the unlimited. Anyways, the air train is like a bullet train and zooms and curves a lot above ground from terminal to terminal. There are 8 terminals at JFK so you got to make sure you read the signs on the train and get off at the correct terminal. Limited seating on the air train but there's a lot of space to stand with your luggage.

The Airtrain Jamaica station is one of two air train stations that connects the NY subway system…read moreinto the airtrain station, which will take one into JFK airport. The cost (2026) is $8.75 for a one-way trip and is paid at this station (upon exit if coming from the airport, and upon entry if going to the airport). The station now accepts tap-to-pay (using any tap enabled credit card) to pay for your toll (just like the subway system). The cost is not a part of the $35 7-day rolling cap for using the subway system Trains from this station run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we found the cars to be modern and well air conditioned, though it doesn't have luggage racks and not much seating, so good chance what one would be standing with their luggage. It took about 20 minutes one-way from Terminal 4 to this station. The station lets you off at the upper level, thus requiring an escalator to get to ground level. From there , one needs to take a street-level open-air walk (maybe 5 min) to get to NY subway station 'Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport' (servicing E, J, Z subway lines). We reversed direction when going back to the airport after our trip, getting to Sutphin by taking the E train, and then walking on the sidewalk to get back here. From there, one pays the $8.75 toll to enter and go upstairs to catch the airtrain. Once on the train, one can get to all active airport terminals and Federal Circle stop (rental cars, hotel shuttles). It took the same 20 minutes to get to Terminal 4, once on the train. The other Airtrain station is Howard Beach. That train also stops at active terminals (1, 4, 5, 7, 8) and services Federal Circle, Lefferts Blvd (long term parking and local NYC buses) and Howard Beach Station (connection to NYC subway A Train). We found that both the A and E subway lines will connect you into Manhattan, but E seems to be a bit faster.