North America's Best Airport-Transit Connections -- Where Does Your Airport Rank?

Since there's no true high speed rail in North America, we fly a lot! But we still like to get to our destinations efficiently. This week we're looking at the North American airports that have the best, most useful rail transit connections to downtown.
Going to or from an airport is often an aggravating enterprise, so when you have the good fortune to land in an airport that makes it as easy as possible to get where you're going without putting your life in the hands of a possibly unhinged taxi driver...well, if you're like me, you thank your lucky stars.
In this video we count down the ten best air-rail connections, with some surprises along the way. Did you have PDX or JFK on your list? You might be disappointed! We tour the Bay Area, Chicago, New York, DC, and a few surprise entries, including cities from north and south of the U.S. border.
Airports and transit services mentioned in this video:
Newark Liberty International Airport: www.newarkairport.com/
San Francisco International Airport: www.flysfo.com/
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: www.clevelandairport.com/
Salt Lake City International Airport: slcairport.com/
Oakland International Airport: www.oaklandairport.com/
Chicago Midway International Airport: www.flychicago.com/midway/hom...
Mexico City International Airport: www.aicm.com.mx/en/
Vancouver International Airport: www.yvr.ca/en/passengers
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: www.atl.com/
Washington Reagan National Airport: www.flyreagan.com/
New Jersey Transit: www.njtransit.com/
Bay Area Rapid Transit: www.bart.gov/
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority: www.riderta.com/
Utah Transit Authority: www.rideuta.com/Services/TRAX
Chicago Transit Authority: www.transitchicago.com/
Mexico City Metro (Airport service link): www.aicm.com.mx/en/passengers...
TransLink (Skytrain): www.translink.ca/
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority: www.itsmarta.com/
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: www.wmata.com/

[@worldofjck]

Kind of surprised MSP didn’t make the list! The light rail station is built into the airport itself and goes pretty much straight to downtown with high frequencies. Anyway, great video!

[@CityNerd]

Mea culpa! I have not flown into MSP since before the line went in, and Google was not super helpful in identifying where the Blue Line goes. Didn't know it went to the airport. No excuse -- I flat missed this. I get 10 minute headways, 22 minutes to Government Plaza, + walk time, and MSP should be fourth on this list, between YVR and MEX.

[@saxmanb777]

I agree. MSP’s transit connection is very good and easy.

[@xancassiel6326]

@@CityNerd Still no connection to downtown St. Paul though.

[@aldelvex233]

@@xancassiel6326 I’m from St. Paul and the only connection we get is by bus. They have been talking about making one that connects downtown St. Paul and MSP by another light rail line, but it’s all more chit chat tbh.

[@TandG1000]

I just flew to mexico city and took the subway to insurgence station. Don't recommend if you have any luggage at all. Also only terminal 1 is connected to the subway and it takes a while to walk there. If you arrive at terminal 2 you have to take a bus or the "people mover" (one track and one train) to reach T1 to then get on the subway. But the fare is $0.25 so there's that

[@vincentng2392]

Downtown Vancouver almost had a freeway system in the 1970's, but it didn't realize after huge public outcry. Now we have a walkable seawall around!

[@terrygelinas4593]

It's great to not have a freeway slicing through downtown Vanc. Keeps the city liveable - Euro cities are the same, where 4-lane highways are either buried or non-existent in the downtown core.

[@gerardacronin334]

The Canada Line to YVR was built in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It’s definitely the most efficient way to travel downtown.

[@gpan62]

Yes, there was an outcry, but the real reason was budget cuts.

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

Some people don't want their homes and jobs replaced by freeways. Remember that after a freeway system begins?

[@seraphina985]

Sounds a bit like the hairbrained London ringways scheme in the UK, huge portions of inner London were planned to be demolished for multiple motorway rings and radial motorway connections. Fortunately enough of the population told the politicians firmly to go f themselves that it became too politically toxic to continue to support the project.

[@EricaGamet]

I've flown into many of these airports (back when I traveled frequently for my work) and have to say that the walk time and the headways figure in very little to my choice. If it means that it's cheaper and/or less stressful (due to traffic or long car times) than a taxi or a bus, I'll choose rail transit every time. Whenever colleagues going to the same conferences as me complain about expensive taxi rides, I always ask if they knew about the $5 train ride that drops them 2 blocks from the hotel. Most people in NA just don't even consider transit... boggles my mind as that's always my first thought. And I grew up in the transit wasteland of the Denver suburbs of the mid 1980s!

[@timdella92]

I’m surprised Toronto’s not on this list. Toronto’s UP Express had 15 minute frequency, 7 days a week, pre-Covid. Now it’s 30 minutes. Still better because before it would take you 2 hours to go to downtown if you take the bus. Using UP, it would only take 20 minutes. It also has subway and intercity rail transfer.

[@stevek2583]

It's been 30 years, but I used to love the CTA connection from O'Hare to Chicago, especially at rush hour. Get on a train that runs down the middle of the highway to downtown, and fly by the taxis sitting in traffic. Get downtown quicker, and for a tenth of the price of a cab! I understand why it's not on your list the way you did it, but if you could measure transit time as a percentage of taxi time at rush hour, ORD would probably win.

[@PrinzII]

Steve, you are referring to the Blue Line. The Orange Line from MDW is pretty decent as well.

[@reverend408]

What you also overlooking Steve with the Blue Line to ORD is the frequent breakdowns, endless construction on the line and homeless encampments which make the ride to O’Hare such a treat. In addition you also pay the punitive surcharge to the depart from this one stop in the city. Still better than sitting in a traffic but always an adventure.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

I find it rather funny how the Blue and Red Lines just run down the middle of their respective freeways and you just see the disgusted faces of motorists as you flyby them

[@Nova-dy6fq]

Chicago's big problem airport transit wise is the lack of a good connection between O'Hare and Midway. They both are well connected to downtown but not to each other.

[@williamcosgrove3552]

@@reverend408 I second this. I flew to O'Hare on business recently and it still takes so long on the train. They are always full and not very well air conditioned. Even if you get stuck in traffic it's a more pleasant ride to take a taxi. If the company foots the taxi bill it's not a hard choice.

[@ChicagolandTransit]

O'Hare is arguably a complicated airport in general but you have to give it credit for having the Blue Line: a direct connection without the need of a transfer to downtown. Personally I prefer Midway because of its simplicity. The reason why the fare is $5 at O'Hare and $2.50 at Midway is because O'Hare is the busier airport and the Midway Transit Center not only serves the airport but it serves the neighborhood and its bus connections, since Midway is literally surrounded by residential neighborhoods. I wish O'Hare was at least at #10 for the fact it's cheaper than BART and it's a direct connection but other than that great video!

[@CityNerd]

Yeah, it probably warranted more of a mention in this list, which is definitely biased towards services from airports that are closer to their city centers. It's a great service.

[@weenisw]

One detail not yet mentioned is that the blue line runs 24 hours

[@michaeltaylor6308]

Also, the Blue Line is usually faster than a cab.

[@oicfas4523]

I wish the blue line was set up to allow express trains from Loop to O'Hare section. It would be so awesome if they had a train that stopped only at O'Hare, Belmont and maybe one other station, and then down to Loop/Red Line at Washington.

[@weenisw]

@@oicfas4523 it’s extra frustrating that other lines like green and brown have structure from former third tracks for express trains but the blue line route was never built for that. Back when people were taking the hyperloop seriously, I believe it was Steven Vance or Yonah Freemark who proposed a sane, cost effective alternative of a dedicated lane Milwaukee streetcar to replace local blue line stops. Then the blue line could be used as an express only service.

[@ambcrn]

Surprised Toronto wasn’t on your list! I found the rail connection to be pretty easy to navigate, but then again that was 2017 and I wasn’t as much of a transit nerd as I am now.

[@CityNerd]

Missed the list because of low frequency. But...if you land at YYZ and happen to notice that the train is arriving soon, then Yahtzee!

[@simoneh4732]

@@CityNerd That's because of COVID service cutbacks, which I know you mentioned at the start of the video but it makes a huge difference here. Current headways are 30 minutes but pre-COVID headways were every 15 minutes. Travel time is 25 minutes, and the train is a 5 min or less walk to the terminal, so that's a 45 min total which is tied with Cleveland.

[@CityNerd]

@@simoneh4732 Good to know. The 30 minute frequency really surprised me when I saw it. I know it's not fair, but I honestly just expect Canada to be slightly ahead of the game on this stuff!

[@nasifmzaman1976]

They also have express bus running to the west end

[@terrygelinas4593]

Agree - a direct connection from Toronto Pearson to downtown Union Station, with only two intermediate stops for West end 'hoods (so a fast service). Covid has reduced the frequencies, but pre-Covid it was every 15 mins, with 25min transit time on nice trains.

[@ryanjohnston9313]

I recently flew out of national in DC and it was one of the most pleasant airport experiences I’ve ever had. It deserves its place on this list!

[@AshmewStudios]

Actually, BART recently added the Red line to terminate at SFO so now the frequency is much better at SFO.

[@rudinah8547]

Weekend headways of 30 mins still sucks though :/

[@AshmewStudios]

@@rudinah8547 yeah

[@jpfitzgibbon1]

@@rudinah8547 Saturday is 6 trains per hour and Sunday will go to 4 trains per hour starting Feb-2022.

[@saxmanb777]

I think Denver did a great job with connecting the airport. It’s commuter rail that runs every 15 minutes and makes few stops. So for how far the airport is from downtown, it’s pretty good.

[@CityNerd]

Yeah, there's definitely an alternate version of this video I could make that gives more credit to the far-flung airports that have good rail service relative to driving options.

[@ran4sh]

Plus, the whole reason the airport is far is so that it can use as much land as it does, which allows runway and terminal configurations that ease or prevent delays of aircraft (which is obviously part of any airport user's overall travel time).

[@IanSeabrook]

Shoutout to ATL! Love taking MARTA to the airport. Unfortunately we have still have a lot of work to do to make ATL more of a transit oriented city.

[@thesharinganknight9859]

They need to extend the Green/Blue line to Stonecrest, extend the red gold line to Clayton State, and add a new line to Emory Hospital and a new line to Marietta/ Kennesaw State. Idk why the people voted to not have a line to Lawrenceville bc of speculated crime. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@SlavicCelery]

Having dealt with Atlanta, that city is a hot mess for transit.

[@MDLC424]

Recently visited Atlanta and was able to exclusively use MARTA Rail and walking to get around. It was awesome.

[@derekdonaldson5930]

100%. Highways are getting expanded/upgraded all of the time but few want to expand MARTA.

[@neilstockmal1012]

Just moved to north ATL and It is painful how bad transit is in ATL coming from DC. Didn't have a car for the first 3 months and you can't get anywhere if you don't live within a mile of MARTA. I fly in and out of ATL 2-3 times a month.

[@dragon32210]

As a flight attendant, I've rode almost all of these lines. My favorites were DCA, YYZ, PHL, DEN, and BOS

[@DanielGarcia1980]

What is it you liked about DEN? I live in Westminster, a suburb about 11 miles NW of Union Station. So if I go by train, it's an 11 mile train ride from Westminster Station to Union Station, a train that only runs every 30 min. mind you, then it could be a 15 to 30 min wait at Union for the A train, then a 38 min commute to DIA, costing me $10 to boot. For FREE, and about a 25 minute car trip, I can get a ride from family/friend, from my house, and be taken right to departures/ticket counters. I get that if you are only commuting to Downtown Denver from DIA, yes, the A line is good, and it does beat driving. But trying to get elsewhere in the Denver Area, believe me, public transit is not the best option to DIA.

[@leoncchow]

Boston's geography makes it's Blue Line's connection to BOS only 3 stops from downtown. You just need the to board a shuttle from the terminal to the subway station. How about Seattle?

[@coastaku1954]

Ayyyyyy, YYZ!!!

[@anniehimself]

@@DanielGarcia1980 The list is from Union Station and DEN has great connections to Aurora and Denver, for a North American city at least.

[@forester444]

YYZ loses on headway time with this method, unfortunately (30 minutes). But otherwise, the UP Express is great!

[@99certain45]

The Phoenix Sky Train should be in 4th place. The light rail line has a typical headway of 15 minutes and the journey from Skyharbor Airport to Washington/Central Avenue takes 15 minutes without any stops. The transit station itself is also less than a 5 minute walk from the baggage claim, and the Phoenix Skytrain costs only $2.00 each way. There's also a case to be made that Denver might match up to Portland, depending on how you measure the walk time.

[@BobbyUnverzagt]

I flew to Phoenix recently expecting abysmal transit service and was pleasantly surprised! 9pm, was able to take a bus to Scottsdale. It wasn't short, but wayyy cheaper than an uber ($2.50 vs $80-100), and since Scottsdale is a suburban wasteland take a

[@brittanywhiteley9303]

Agreed here - Phoenix definitely should be on this list.

[@kiosk5595]

The PHX light rail is great, underrated for a car centric hell that I love to hate (used to live there) but I think what sets it apart is…the headways just are not reliable. Because the entire system runs at grade, there are consistent delays because of traffic. But it should get an honorable mention

[@kylefarley5851]

I’ve been looking for this comment

[@michaelpepe105]

I've successfully walked from the city center to 2 airports - Portland and Burbank. To me, walkability to an airport is a sublime treat

[@WrightWorld]

BUR to downtown is an easy and straightforward walk along Empire Ave. But PDX to downtown? I guess it could be done, but it's definitely a hike at about 8.5 miles and many of the neighborhoods down Cully and Sandy are a bit sketchy. It's not anything I'd do with any sort of hand luggage. Spend $2.50 and take the MAX.

[@drakeil]

You left out Philadelphia that has a train right to the terminals and it goes to the 30th Street station. I believe the travel time is about 25 minutes. There is a video on You Tube with the full length trip. I understand not listing New York City as the subway rides are both over 30-40 minutes after you get off the Air Train. But there is the long Island railroad that takes about 25-30 minutes to Penn Station in the middle of Manhattan if you use the Jamaica branch of the Air Train plus links to most of Long Island.

[@davidsmith3263]

PHL definitely

[@tyb9975]

The only issue is that SEPTA is the worst

[@paulmims1840]

PHL rail service does not go into the "center" of the city. It goes to 30th street train station. Then you would have to transfer to the Market-Frankford Line to get to Center City and there is no underground connection path from 30th street station to the Market Frankford line, you have to walk outside.

[@southpond]

@@paulmims1840 That is incorrect. All the Septa trains from the airport stop at all the Center City stations: 30th Street, Suburban Station and Jefferson Station.

[@franklinbrown98]

Unfortunately Philadelphia wouldn’t make the cut. The problem is the headways on the service, which only leaves the airport every 30 mins. Even though the train is right at baggage claim, so like 1 minute walk. That would still be 1min+30min headway + 25 min travel = 56 which is longer than number 10 on this list. If septa could run trains even every 15 minutes it would be 41 min travel time and be #7 or 8 on this list.

[@michaelmcintyre4690]

Glad to see Midway on this list. It’s a rare case of great transit planning in Chicago. When I got to Chicago (1985) there was no rail connection to MDW. In the nineties, Chicago built the Orange Line to connect MDW to the Loop. Then in the 2000s the terminal was rebuilt around Orange Line access. (Before the rebuild you had to hoof it a block or two to catch the Orange Line. Now it’s completely integrated. No notes, 10/10.

[@macaron3141592653]

Moment of silence for JFK in New York. Transit connections to Manhattan from it are dreadful for a city with NYC's density. Us NJ residents know how shitty it is to get to JFK. I'm surprised it didn't get a dishonorable mention.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

It's really not that bad. The LIRR/subway and AirTrain is no different from taking NJT/Amtrak and AirTrain at Newark.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

You really shouldn't be flying out of JFK if you live in NJ.

[@macaron3141592653]

@@mirzaahmed6589 most international flights to south asia and the middle east go out of JFK. Flights to many of the same places at Newark have one extra stop and almost always cost more. So yeah, not much of a choice.

[@macaron3141592653]

@@mirzaahmed6589 it takes 3 times longer than it does from newark, where its a short airtrain ride, to Njtransit which takes you straight to manhattan. I've done both.

[@mushroomsteve]

@@mirzaahmed6589 Unless you have to go from JFK to Newark, then LIRR is not an option.

[@copperhead2295]

The redline to the airport in Cleveland isn’t very popular but it’s one of my big tips for saving on parking costs.

[@lzh4950]

Singapore's Changi Airport might be 1 of the minority without any long-term parking, probably as we're a city state, so it's expected that no one will have to travel very far without public transport/taxi/someone else to give them a lift to there from their homes. The JEWEL luxury shopping mall that recently opened there has short-term parking though (B2) besides our 'regular' parking (B3-5), where fees increase exponentially once you park >90min

[@pilotravis]

Airline pilot here. Curious about how PHL performed. I can see it not making the top 10 but I was surprised it didnt make an honorable mention.

[@Mikeluvsbasketball15]

As an Atlanta resident that lives on the Red/Gold line, the train connection to the airport plus direct flights to virtually anywhere on Delta make Atlanta one of the best cities to live in if you like to travel.

[@wwsciffsww3748]

I second this, though if you don't live near MARTA rail its not quite so great. In my opinion, this is enough of a reason (as if we don't have enough of a reason) to expand the rail network.

[@laryanryan9170]

I can drive from Stone Mountain to the airport and back home faster than riding MARTA one way from Indian Creek to the airport. I tried it once but now I'll drive and park at the airport.

[@JeffreyScott1394]

Fun tidbit about DCA: with Amazon's new HQ2 right across the road (and rail) in National Lading, the state is building a pedestrian bridge from Crystal City to DCA. Once completed, the airport will be a 15 minute *walk* for the 25,000 HQ2 workers, plus any other nearby workers and residents. But Metro's headways are 40 minutes right now so maybe we don't deserve to be on this list anymore.

[@MrFanatic33]

"WMATA fucks up again" is a headline DC newspapers have on standby because it happens so often. This latest fuckup with the 7000 series would be hilarious if it wasn't so impactful to headways.

[@benw3864]

@@MrFanatic33 Its sad because the system itself has good bones, but the wmata unions are fierce and the people who run the network dont give a fuck about anything but their salaries.

[@millcityarchitect]

Very much appreciate what you are doing with this channel and explaining the value of transit connectivity. I am, however, a Minneapolis architect who designed both the original LRT station at MSP (2004), as well as the new transit center that sits on top of it (2020) and the fact MSP was excluded from your top ten list cuts me to the bone. Next time you fly into MSP I will be very happy to give you a personal tour of these facilities, and challenge you to join me in for bike ride from the airport to downtown Minneapolis, Saint Paul, or Mall of America, which is just one of the many low-cost, easy, multimodal ways to get around town here. Your information about this place is about 20 years out of date.

[@CityNerd]

Please check the pinned comment. I appreciate your contribution!

[@52_Pickup]

As a Twin Cities resident I express my utmost gratitude for your work on the Airport LRT and transit stations. They are a massively important part of the transit and some of the nicest looking and most unique pieces of our transit infrastructure, Minnesota's very own subway if you would. Thank you

[@rhmendelson]

Nor did he include Denver! We have a train from downtown that drops you right at the DIA terminal.

[@keegan3737]

Great channel my friend. Love the dry humour along with the top-tier research to go along with intuitive criteria that are common-sense af. Keep it up!

[@girhen]

Jackson-Hartsfield (ATL) is great. It's big - massive - but a straight line. You're in C terminal and connecting to J? Head toward D and keep going. Leaving the airport? Head toward A and go past. Very easy - just very busy. If you have a layover, you have plenty of food and entertainment options. I've been stuck in Louisville after sitting in the plane for hours through dinner, and their restaurants already closed at like 8pm. There's always something open in ATL. Not a bad place to be while waiting. As for MARTA, it sucks if you want to get somewhere specific outside the basic rail areas, but getting to downtown isn't an issue.

[@khaneric]

Great videos, keep them up. Transit nerds unite!

[@guavacheese]

I'm glad Miami was an honorable mention. The orange line into the airport was shutdown when this video was uploaded, hence the awkward shuttle transfer from Metrorails Earlington Heights station. It's now running and a great service with a fare of $2.25 to downtown. Also the Miami Intermodal Center is a nice transportation hub at MIA with multiple options. Great video.

[@carbontail]

Good ole waiting time paradox. Love the vids!

[@neilbender3050]

Thanks for the love from Cleveland. I want to say we were maybe the first city of our size to have train service from the airport to downtown. Great channel! If you do one on bike trails, keep checking in with us. Cleveland is in the midst of a revolution in that department.

[@brocklanders6172]

Philadelphia has an excellent train service to the airport from 5 different counties as far out as 40 miles.

[@brittanywhiteley9303]

Philly would probably be on this list if it wasn't for the fact that SEPTA Regional Rail frequencies are hot garbage compared to most of the urban rail systems on this list.

[@aerob1033]

@@brittanywhiteley9303 Definitely would be! I'm seeing a 24 minute train ride from Terminal A with just a couple minutes of walking to get to the station, then you're at Suburban Station a block from City Hall in the center of Philly. The problem is that the headways are 30 minutes, which is kind of ridiculous for a city of Philadelphia's size.

[@lukethompson5558]

I honestly expected PHL to be #1 on this list... EWR shouldn’t be anywhere near on this list because the train headway during rush hour is 62 minutes, then, the AirTrain headway can be as much as 15 mins, moves about 3mph, and costs $9 each way, in addition to the train fare! (Total headway = 77 minutes 😳) The airport station at EWR is unusable. Realistically, you have to pick a neighboring non-airport train station, and take an Uber to the Airport.

[@znewell5]

Denver International Airport isn't too bad! The platform is super close to the terminal and it's only a 37-minute ride to Union Station. The headways are 15 minutes but stretch out to 30 minutes in the early mornings and evenings.

[@williamerazo3921]

That’s terrible. 5-7 minutes should minimum for head away

[@mattcastg5170]

William Erazo agree headways should be 5-7 minutes but Denver is far from alone in having 15 minute headways from the airport.. it looked like many comparable cities in size to Denver have the same 15 minute headway. Now the 30 minute headway really is pretty unforgivable.. On a rapid transit line 15 mins to me should be the limit even during mid day and late night periods.. Denvers line to the airport though is branded differently then the cities light rail system, i think RTD brands it as a commuter rail line but its service level is more like an electric regional rail system then the typical commuter line we think of (which tend to focus on trains into the city during the AM peak and trains back to the suburbs in the PM peak) which is why you see service levels dip to 2 an hour at times (even though lines serving the airport really should never see service dip that low).

[@puffapuffarice]

I used to fly into DIA a lot in the '00's & there wasn't a good public transit option. Also being half way to Kansas made getting into the city a LONG trip.

[@steveyoung9687]

The 15 min headway really I think is competitive at DIA, as sometimes you can wait that long for an Uber to make it to you there. There's a few single track sections that I believe prevent improving it much without double tracking those sections. If a train is running late, you'll frequently end up with a 1-5 minute hold or two on the route while waiting for another train to exit the single track. The 30 minute headways are downright annoying though - especially since they kick in around 6 or 7 on the weekends since COVID. Price could be better - $10.50, but it is valid all day on the transit system. Would be nice to have a cheaper one ride option.

[@thomashiggins9320]

I live in Denver, as well, and the distance from downtown makes the trip to Union Station a longish one. It could also use one or two fewer stops, honestly. That said, it normally runs *almost* 24/7, even now (there's about a 2 1/2 hour gap between about 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m., on weekends, and nearly three hours M-Thr); and it takes travelers straight from the airport platform to the heart of downtown, at Union Station/LoDo. The price is killer, though. At US$10.50, that may seem like a lot, but Yellow Cab would cost 56 bucks, plus tip. Uber would cost about the same, unless you pooled the ride. So, yeah, it takes longer, but costs a *seventh* as much, and the trains are comfortable medium passenger rail -- not light rail transit.

[@1979RoadFan]

When I traveled to DC, I would always fly into DCA. It is convenient and you are so close to central DC. I can not wait until the Silver Line goes to IAD.

[@rootofthechord]

I'm glad that Boston got an honorable mention. One other great thing about the Silver Line: IT'S FREE when you're leaving the airport! Meanwhile, a large portion of cars visiting the airport have to pay a road toll on one of the three harbor crossings between the airport and city center. Put that all together, and Boston has the best incentives of any North American city to take public transit away from the airport. Likewise, I'm glad that you mentioned Dallas/Fort Worth. If you know your way around the airport, you can take the secure side train to Terminal A for an easy two-minute walk to the light rail. If you don't know that, or if you have checked baggage anywhere other than Terminals A or B (roughly an eight minute walk)... good luck. The only way you can access the light rail station is by catching one of the airport's extremely inconsistent inter-terminal buses. Pino Suárez was a pretty good choice for the center of Mexico City. While the surface level center is a little bit north, in and around the Zócalo, Pino Suárez is the heavyweight metro station down below. I did have to laugh at the five minute walk from the terminal though 😄 MEX T1 is roughly 1 km long, so it can be anywhere from a 5-15 minute walk to the Terminal Áerea station. When you take your first steps in Mexico after coming off an international flight (immigration is on the far side of the terminal by the way), it feels like a lot more than 15 minutes!

[@theinstigater]

But yet, it could still be better. Both the red and green line require not just one, but two transfers to get there by train. The silver line is great if you're coming in at off hours, but say goodbye to your flight if you try to take it during rush hour, its lack of protected bus lane makes it nothing but a trap.

[@295g295]

At Boston-Logan, the BLUE line train is too far away from the airport. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3KndXV9eqmifpY

[@josephmorris7447]

go ahead and give Dallas a "dishonorable" mention all you want but as someone who lives in Dallas within walking distance to a rail station it's been super nice to pay the $3 dollar fare and get to the airport rather than driving in that traffic and paying the $27/calendar day fee to park at DFW. It's been a very positive experience overall. Some cities don't even have rail that reaches their city's downtowns (Houston, Austin, etc.) while DFW has rail to Dallas and Ft Worth.

[@frictionhitch]

Bruh. DFW has a CSA population of over 8 million my hometown of SLC has just 2.5 million. He put SLC at 7 on this list and SLC's rail system sucks. Still we have roughly 100 miles of commuter rail(frontrunner) about the same in light rail(trax) a streetcar line(Sugarhouse) and we are entertaining a gondola. That's a metro that depending on how you measure is 1/4 to 1/7 the size of DFW and still SLC is very car dependent. DFW definitely deserves a dishonorable mention right along with LA. A metro of that size should have much better. You deserve better.

[@colormedubious4747]

@@frictionhitch Bruh. Dallas has the longest light rail system in the USA, TWO streetcar lines, THREE commuter rail lines (including Trinity Metro, which serves the airport), a modest network of HOV/Busways, and a pretty cool little fixed-guideway PeopleMover in Los Colinas. That doesn't even include all the airport PeopleMovers that are (or were) to be found in the region. Additional lines and extensions are being planned and/or built at this time.

[@frictionhitch]

@@colormedubious4747 you do realize that Dallas is the fourth largest metro in the country, right? Having slightly more "light rail" than cities less than half her size that are also car dependent American cities isn't something to be happy about. 1ish mile per 100k people isn't exactly a lot.

[@colormedubious4747]

@@frictionhitch You do realize that my underlying point was that the DFW region has been aggressively addressing the issue since the early 90s, right? Having built more light rail with a larger share of local funding than any other region in America in roughly a quarter of a century is definitely something to be happy about! Urban rail projects take decades. DFW has gotten off to a heck of a good start with multiple urban rail systems, intermodal connections, and TODs. UTA has a decent system and The Gateway was certainly a seminal redevelopment project (Daybreak is okay, too) but DFW has put a lot of points on the scoreboard -- especially considering how much more ground they have to cover.

[@frictionhitch]

@@colormedubious4747 UTA has done a supremely sub par job. In Salt Lake we have a boring run of the mill shopping mall called Trolley square. We call it that because it's the Old Trolley House for our old system of trolleys. In that mall that is surrounded by 6 Lanes of car traffic on three sides is an ancient map from 100 years ago of Salt Lake City Trolley lines. That map puts UTA to shame. All of us need to stop making excuses for the poor public transit if we see in this country. If we want a sustainable future we must do it vigorously. If we can't even match the service available a century ago in our downtowns how can we Pat ourselves on the back? Dallas is approaching the population levels of a New York City or a London type City. What was the population in the 1920s of New York City when it build out its subway system? How was New York City able to achieve that while in the modern day Dallas with the benefit of modernity has people bragging about light rail? That's insane. We all must get our s*** together. The alternative is communities that are not economically sustainable. The alternative is communities that are not ecologically sustainable. Salt Lake needs to do better but Salt Lake needs metros such as Dallas who have the power and the resources to lead the way and provide us with a vision of what a modern American city can be. Dallas needs to be better

[@jamesmcguire4122]

Shout out to Cleveland! Fun fact, the RTA red line was America’s first airport to downtown rail connection. You should also check out the green and blue lines of Cleveland’s RTA. They’re much more historically significant than you might think. Additionally, I’m surprised Toronto didn’t make it onto this list. I would’ve figured the UP express would be pretty quick.

[@CityNerd]

Had no idea. It predates the WMATA connection at National? And both the CTA connections in Chicago? That's very cool.

[@celestewilliams5681]

@@CityNerd Growing up in a Cleveland suburb, having the RTA lines made me the transit nerd I am today :)

[@patriciajankowski1]

Cleveland has a lot of firsts! Glad to have grown up there.

[@afcgeo882]

That’s actually a fallacy. The Hopkins Airport station was opened in 1968. Meanwhile, the Howard Beach NYC subway station at JFK was opened in 1956.

[@afcgeo882]

@@CityNerd CTA’s O’Hare station opened in 1984 and Midway in 1993.

[@ryananderson8642]

I love your channel and honest! You really make the topic of transportation interesting! Love it, all the best for you!

[@mtchllBarrett]

I moved away from Vancouver to a somewhat hellish city and every time I see a video like this it makes me miss it more

[@Netro1992]

I have no idea how I stumbled upon your channel, but its out right criminal you have so few subscribers.

[@CityNerd]

Thanks! It's a pretty new channel with a weird niche -- but I have complete faith in the KZbin data mining operation's ability to help it find the appropriate audience, all in good time!

[@ran4sh]

Some of the things he says are BS

[@RowanJacobs]

I've used the MTS stop at San Diego airport a number of times and it's actually pretty usable, although it's a longish walk and not signed very well. It makes it very easy to get around if all of your destinations within the city are on the MTS.

[@TimothyHalkowski]

Love the videos, and the droll humor!

[@DougGrinbergs]

Props for excellent use of KZbin chapters! Very professional.

[@phoenix-urban9746]

PHX is around 32 minutes - Airport location helps a lot with slow LR speeds.

[@danieldaniels7571]

PHX certainly deserved a mention. You can also take the Route 13 bus from Sky Harbor to Downtown and it takes only 25 minutes.

[@seanrodgers1839]

I had a 4+ hour transfer in YVR once. Took the subway to a friend's place for a visit and got back minutes before my plane took off. Got to love the certainty of rail transit. Most convenient, why can't every airport have a station so close?

[@montereybayracingteam]

I love the view of Querétaro in the stock footage. I lived there on and off for two years and was amazed at how easy it was to get around the city with only walking and busses. The fare system 'rememberd' if your fare card had been used recently so you could make multiple connections to cross the city on a single fare. My favorite route passed through the main fruit/vegetable/bull market in the city. It got backed up a fair amount, but there was always something interesting to watch and it you could get on/off the bus within 100 meters of the shop you wanted to go to!

[@RMTransit]

Cool video!

[@CityNerd]

Thanks! Great channel, by the way.

[@RMTransit]

@@CityNerd Thanks!

[@mscottmiracle1396]

Atlanta has an incredibly efficient airport rail system and convenient connection to the Metro

[@solomonhilliard5357]

It's only really convenient if you live near a station.

[@ran4sh]

It's still convenient for visitors to Atlanta, who are often visiting parts of the city served by rail. And for the suburban population, they can drive to a station that has parking and park there for a lower cost than parking at the airport

[@laryanryan9170]

I can drive to the airport from Stone Mountain in half the time it takes me to ride MARTA from the Indian Creek station to the airport and I live only four miles from the station.

[@solomonhilliard5357]

@@laryanryan9170 I attempted to ride MARTA back to my house a Sunday night last month, 1) 20 minute wait for the Gold Line to depart (single tracking on Sunday, 3 departures per hour) 2) 20 minute wait in 5 points for a Blue Line(Indian Creek) train 3) There would have be another 25 minute wait for a bus at the Inman Park station then another 25 minutes for the Bus to get to my stop, I actually gave up here and called an uber at Inman. If I'd gone all the way with MARTA it would have been roughly 2:20 to travel ~15 miles since I live in South Dekalb. My home to the the Airport is about 22 minutes with light traffic.

[@laryanryan9170]

@@solomonhilliard5357 DAAAAAAMMMMNNN! If I rode the bus to and from the station it would have taken me that long too. 🤔

[@juliankeller4558]

Great videos, watching them nonstop at the moment. So as a swiss i had to do this as well, since we are a rail country after all. I am reliefed to announce that ZRH scores about 18.5 minutes. 3 minutes walk Headway is kinda complicated, since the rail station is national and serves 7 intercity and 3 commuter lines going to Zurich Main Station, unevenly spread throughout the hour, but average is about 4.5 minutes. The train ride is 10-12 minutes depending on what line you take.

[@oboloptis3719]

loving your stuff

[@grahamturner2640]

I also wonder how Phoenix Sky Harbor airport didn’t get a mention. The airport isn’t super far from downtown Phoenix (maybe a 15 minute ride with 15 minute frequencies, though the SkyTrain probably takes a few minutes, including the walk).

[@christianc6421]

have to vouch for atlanta here. rode the red line to 5 points myself and right next to the train station was the hotel i was staying at. incredibly efficient system.

[@vananything]

BART very recently restructured their service pattern so that the yellow and red lines both terminate at the airport, now. (Red line goes to Milbrae-the old terminus-and then reverses to the airport.) That should help with a more respectable headway!

[@CityNerd]

This videos should come with a sell-by date...particularly as pandemic-hit services (hopefully) come back online!

[@PeterPangea]

I took Bart into Berkeley after landing at SFO, but the service options Sunday morning were a bit rough so just took a Lyft instead 😅

[@WrightWorld]

SFO's BART station was horribly designed though with the wye off the main railway to the parking garage. Meaning the train has to reverse its path out from the station greatly increasing headways while the driver gets out of the cab on one end and walks to the other end of the trainset. I haven't ridden the train to/from Milbrae, but reversing once at the line's terminus, and then once again at SFO to proceed into the city? That's a serious kludge which should have been better engineered. I almost always fly into Oakland and take BART into SF from there. Much easier, though I think the tram to the proper BART station is seriously overpriced on an already expensive transit system. Took AC Transit from OAK to Coliseum instead once, but generally will just pay for the simpler connection via the airtrain/AGV/beige line.

[@kibashisiyoto6771]

@@WrightWorld I agree the BART station was horribly placed in that you can't just walk to it from most terminals without getting lost, forcing use of the people mover. The Millbrae wye is kind of goofy, but it did solve the problem of creating connections both the airport and Caltrain. However, I wanted to point out that usually the BART drivers take a break at SFO, and the previous train driver is already waiting at the other end to run the train out the other direction.

[@SeaBassTian]

I was kinda surprised Denver didn't make the cut, the Airport Rail Line to Union Station is super efficient although on the long side and the price is steep.

[@aus10england]

New fave channel! Thank you for making this! 🙂 Would love to see your international list some day.

[@CityNerd]

Would love to do it -- gonna be a lot of research!

[@davidanderson3652]

I loved this video because it has practical applications, especially those who want to try and take transit to save money, save the environment, or just get a feel for the city. Definites when compared to a cab: In the Bay Area, Oakland is a solid option even if you are BARTing from San Francisco itself but San Jose is a joke. At SFO it depends what terminal you are heading toward because the BART arrives in the international terminal itself and you don't even need to take the AirTrain. In New York City I always fly in and out of Newark because it is just way easier than LGA or JFK despite how small the individual AirTran cars are, so much less efficient than say Atlanta. In Atlanta if you are going anywhere near a place that has a MARTA train stop you have to take it because traffic is so bad, of course ATL is so sprawly that sometimes you'd have to drive to MARTA which works if you live NE of the perimeter but not so well in other places. Of course the key with ATL is that more time is spent getting to the baggage claim from your gate than from baggage claim to downtown, that is a fact, so since your calculation was based on that, the time to get to the bag is thrown out. All of these I have done dozens of times. Midway and Vancouver I definitely made the right choice in taking the train, Philly depends on the day but you can get most places from the SEPTA train and it is a short walk from baggage. Maybes: St. Louis was fairly easy, though I had to wait a long time for the train on a weekend so maybe just stick to weekdays since I have only been in STL traffic one time ever. Other than those of the ones I have done I would say Boston is terrible, Seattle is just far so it's worth fighting traffic. Denver is a wildcard because the newer train to Union Station isn't fast but is quite easy if you are going to LoDo or catching a bus. Heck nos: Phoenix (both airports), LAX, anything in Texas (DFW being the worst by far), MIA (unless your stop is on the rail line not likely), FLL, CLT, O'Hare, just take a cab, there's no scenario I could see it really being better to take transit. NOLA and San Diego, maybe have changed but I'd say Uber. Commentary: I have to agree with other posts that I found the Twin Cities even on a weekend to be quite easy. For Portland, it was very simple the two times I did it but seems to take a long time. That said when I decided to Uber instead, that also seemed to be pretty slow for no apparent reason in its own right, so I could see taking transit again if I ever had to go back.

[@davidreichert9392]

Kudos to you for including Mexico in your definition of North America. I always find it ridiculous when it gets excluded.

[@DanielGarcia1980]

I'm with you!! Mexico is north of the South American continent, it's a member of NAFTA (N. America Free Trade Agreement), why do people sometimes exclude Mexico???

[@kunalgulyani2129]

Amazing video sir

[@rlrober]

I love your channel !!!

[@becauseFIRE]

Even doing OAK to San Francisco instead of Oakland, it beats SFO. Not that many stops in Oakland and the trains go hella fast in the tunnel under the bay.

[@JediTev]

You know the person is from Northern California when they say "hella", lol

[@michaelsullo3698]

I have, in the past, walked from San Diego's airport (no luggage) to downtown. It is about 2 miles and took me a little over a 1/2 hour. It is too bad that they have not extended or have a connection to the Blue Line about a mile from the airport.

[@CityNerd]

Yeah, there are a few mid/large-size city airports that are actually somewhat convenient despite no rail connection just because of how close they are to downtown -- San Diego is one of those, and San Jose for sure.

[@agntdrake]

​@@CityNerd Both SJC and SFO are served by Caltrain through a crappy shuttle bus despite Caltrain going right past both airports. It's usually faster to take Lyft to the Caltrain station and then take the train, but if you were going downtown San Jose, you might as well just stay in the car since it's so close. When BART comes it's just going to follow along the (soon to be) electrified Caltrain tracks to double the service, which is just absurd.

[@NozomuYume]

@@agntdrake BART really needs an extension from the future Santa Clara station to curve underground to the right and go straight into the terminal area of SJC. =( That would be one more expensive tunnel but it just makes sense. They could even extend it further through Japantown and turn San Jose's BART line into a loop back to Milpitas, meaning San Jose trains could go clockwise/counterclockwise and loop back instead of being a terminus. For SFO they just need to extend the people mover to Millbrae. I'd say trash the BART tracks from Millbrae to SFO and use that for the people mover, but BART needs those for when they single line to Millbrae via SFO. So they'll need to build a new causeway. The Millbrae station is HUGE and they could easily build a checkin station there like they they do in Hong Kong so you can check your luggage there and then just take the people mover to security (they could run a special luggage-mover vehicle on the people mover tracks with separate stations-- some airports do this).

[@agntdrake]

@@NozomuYume I actually have written to the BART board about using the Millbrae extension to SFO as a test track for automating BART between the two stations. It's a crazy idea I realize, but the the tracks are already built, BART is already moving to Communication Base Train Controls (CBTC), so why not fully automate this section with a smaller 4 car train and run it at 5 minute headways? Check-in at Millbrae and even TSA security at Millbrae would be pretty cool, particularly when/if Millbrae becomes a CAHSR station and can integrate directly into SFO.

[@NozomuYume]

@@agntdrake TSA security at Millbrae would require an entirely new airside transit system. That's not gonna happen. While some airports do have airside transit I don't think there's even space to put one in at SFO. Check in, however, is entirely doable as Hong Kong has demonstrated (they have check-in and baggage check counters at the main Hong Kong and Kowloon stations, which are much further from the airport than Millbrae is from SFO).

[@jonattanrobles4313]

PHX in Phoenix is surprisingly convenient one to access via the one light rail line in the metro area. Frequency is not great but it is the cheapest and a convenient way to get to downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and Arizona State University.

[@kai_b1156]

I think whats most important is how well connected the city is. For example Newark, you’re only getting to penn station, and it’s relatively unlikely you will be near penn station, so you will have to go thru penn station and then continue on the MTA. For instance JFK is fantastic, from the air train alone you have the A, E and J/Z lines, which can get you throughout most the city, and youll only need at most one transfer, which is all integrated into one fare, and the platforms are generally close as well

[@jeremyedowd]

Agree with your #1 (and several other choices). Reagan National is so close to downtown DC and the Metro is very easy for a visitor to navigate.

[@robertkarp6336]

Cleveland was the first US city with airport to downtown rail service (1968). I was surprised you didn't consider downtown Newark instead of NYC. Similar to Oakland and SF. Miami does have a direct rail connection to downtown with no transfer. About 25 minutes. $2.25.

[@JimBrownski]

because who really cares about DT Newark....we all flew here because its closer to our meeying in midtown mahattan than Laguardia

[@sgmctague]

The walk from the center of ATL baggage claim to the platform is more like a two minute walk. Great video, really enjoyed it.

[@joecesa1013]

You missed Philadelphia. There's pros and cons but with your criteria it would've done quite well. It runs about 3x an hour (20 minutes), costs about $5.50. The ride is about 20 minutes to Center City. AND technically there's 4 stops in/near the center: University of Pennsylvania, then 30th Street Station (connects to AMTRAK,'s main station; and at Drexel University's door), Suburban Station (next to City Hall, and Jefferson Station (east side of City Hall, about 5 blocks from Suburban Station). It also continues north to Temple University for another 4 minutes.

[@bos2pdx2yvr]

Great video, glad to see YVR did so well. When I saw the title of the video I thought for sure PDX would be on the list. You’re right, there are sooo many stations on the line and I see why you left it off. I thought it was curious that you did travel time from Newark to Manhattan, but did OAK to Oakland and not San Francisco. Like the honourable mention for BOS!

[@CityNerd]

Yeah, I was a bit inconsistent on treating Oakland as its own central city but not Newark. I guess I've always felt like Oakland was high enough in the pecking order that the city supports an MLB team, traditionally has supported an NFL team, and was home to the Warriors for decades -- so it's earned the right to be considered its own central city. Newark...has had the Nets and the Devils, but they get named after the whole state, and Newark itself doesn't get the respect. (As you can tell, my worldview is far too reliant on professional sports!) Good comment.

[@matthewdixon6252]

PDX and SEA not making the list are just the physical distance from the city center and where they built the airport/terminal. If PDX had built the terminal on the west side of the airfield, instead of the east, it would like cut the travel time on the light rail significantly. But the light rail having to travel east first and being 12 miles by road from downtown are additional reasons it takes so long, in addition to the number of stops

[@danieldaniels7571]

This video assumes that everyone flying to a city is going downtown, which is often not the case. The fact that the rail from PDX serves so many other locations on the way to downtown is a win in my book.

[@DanielGarcia1980]

I'm not surprised Denver didn't make the cut. The headway is every 15-30 minutes, it's a 23 mile commute to Union Station/Denver, 38 minute travel time, and it costs $10.00. On the plus side, the Airport station is connected directly to the terminal... but the terminal is big enough, it can still be a 5-7 minute walk from baggage claim.

[@kellandbailey2970]

I agree with pretty much all you said - RTD is EXPENSIVE and if there's a failure on that line (which there pretty much constantly was when it first opened) then transit times double. On a side note, I flew in a couple of months ago and elected to meet my ride at Ridgegate Station - all told it was 3 hours - almost as long as the flight from Baltimore!

[@DanielGarcia1980]

@@kellandbailey2970 Right?! If you're going anywhere but downtown via rail, it's a pain in the butt, and highly time consuming, to make the connections needed to get elsewhere in the Denver Area. And yes, I remember what a pain it was just to keep keep the line running initially.

[@seth_deegan]

DAMN GOOD video!

[@kinggator8231]

Once Montreal's REM opens, it would definitely be near or at the top of this list.

[@SteveBrandon]

Montreal's REM connection is worlds apart from how it was in the early 1990s where it was basically "take the 211 bus to Dorval station, walk through the AMT Dorval commuter rail station pedestrian tunnel under the railroad tracks, cross Cardinal Avenue, walk another kilometre around the parking lots on roads with no sidewalks, and you've arrived at Dorval Airport". I mean, it was still better than the public transit that went to Mirabel Airport in that there was only about a 1km gap from public transit to the Dorval Airport terminal instead of many dozens of kilometres.

[@saulschlapik6818]

The Port Authority of NY/NJ is about to make the same mistake at La Guardia they made at JFK and Newark; A shuttle train to a rail station close to the airport. In this case it would be the Mets-Willets Point station which would be a nightmare if a Mets game or US Open match were letting out. An extension of the Astoria subway line or branch from the LIRR Port Washington line would provide a one seat ride to Manhattan. The LIRR could have also provided a direct link to JFK by using the abandoned Rockaway line right of way. The monorail at Newark is due for replacement. They could extend their own PATH system from Newark Penn Sta. to the terminals but I believe they're planning another "Airtrain" shuttle. It seems they would rather have passengers lug their baggage from one train, through a turnstile and onto another train than have another operator encroach on their territory.

[@zeroone8800]

When the JFK and Newark systems were designed, it was illegal to use airport fees to support trains that were for anything other than the airport. The monorail at Newark has had major maintenance issues from the cold weather. They used a design that had previously only been used in warm climates.

[@ran4sh]

It should still be illegal to use airport fees for that. Other cities have managed to connect their metro/transit to the airport without having to use airport fees

[@zeroone8800]

@@ran4sh Newark Airport is surrounded by major highways. It has lots of parking, but its train station is not reachable by car. Why? The rule that airport fees couldn't be used for the station if it was.

[@ryanchrisgomez]

Your last sentence is spot on, and explains why it’ll probably never be otherwise. I’ve learned my way around Jamaica going back and forth from JFK more than I ever cared to lol

[@metehan_erdogan]

> "They could extend their own PATH system from Newark Penn Sta. to the terminals but I believe they're planning another "Airtrain" shuttle." I don't think NJ Transit would be OK with PATH coming to EWR. Also, unlike NJT, which uses overhead lines, PATH trains use third-rail for electricity. I don't know if it will be easy to extend the third rail system with new tracks. Currently tracks with third rail end one mile south of Newark Penn, at the intersection of McCarter Hwy and South St.

[@mattcastg5170]

So as soon as i saw the title I knew Washington Metro’s connection to Reagan National would be at the top or near it.. it really is just so convenient relative to most North American cities. Part of that is the airports location relative to the city center (being just across the Potomac from the District), its just a lot closer to the central city then you usually see for major airports (far closer then DC’s other major airport Dulles, which is way in the exurbs & only just now getting a Metro connection). I went to college in DC and it was always so much easier whenever i flew home or took a trip to fly out of Reagan, unfortunately most the time my flights would be out of Dulles (the airline i usually flew had more direct flights to California from there) and before holidays id always be jealous of my friends and roommate taking the short subway straight to Reagan while i had to leave like 90 minutes earlier to get to Dulles.

[@CityNerd]

Who would ever fly into Dulles if you had a choice? I guess the distinction is, Dulles has those looong runways so that's probably where you're flying out of if it's a coast-to-coast nonstop. If I'm connecting through from like ATL, ORD, DFW, though -- National all the way!

[@ran4sh]

Some people don't have the choice. Reagan National has the perimeter rule, with a value that seems specifically chosen to reach Dallas and Houston airports, so anyone that lives farther away has to use Dulles, unless they're one of the few cities that get exempt flights like LA, SF, etc.

[@Warriorcats64]

Why didn't you just use Baltimore?

[@benw3864]

Honestly people in DC are utterly spoiled with DCA's existence to the point where they genuinely believe Dulles is the worst pain in the ass ever. Most global airports are as far away as Dulles is and people are used to it!

[@jacktattersall9457]

@@CityNerd Only disadvantage, is only USA and Canadian flights (thanks to preclearance) go to Reagan National

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

I *KNEW* thats what you were gonna pick for number 1, I just knew it! 😂

[@jorymil]

I love flying in to National Airport! So easy to get in and out. Chicago was pretty good, too. I think you do Boston a disservice here, though: you can walk to the _boat_ terminal to get downtown. The Silver Line is also convenient, and the subway connections are decent. No shiny sculptures like SFO, though.

[@havek23]

I wish Dallas's DART was better all-around. It takes almost twice as long to drive yourself to a station, wait for the train to come, and then ride down to where you want to go than to just drive yourself. There's a joke that it goes from where you don't wanna be, to where you don't wanna go. Example is that the red & orange lines go through east Plano but all the corporate HQ and workplaces are in west Plano so you have to drive 20-30min east to get on the train, then another 30min ride down to Dallas when you could just drive 30-45min to downtown Dallas yourself.

[@kellandbailey2970]

Id have though BWI would get an honorable mention. While the light rail is slow and takes a fair amount of time, you also have a quick connection to Marc and Amtrak, including the Acela which is 11 minutes from BWI to Penn Station - by far the quickest mode into the city.

[@harry12]

the best part of bwi light rail is 'de facto' free-nobody really cares about the ticket unless u are super unlucky lol... the amtrak station of bwi is actually a bit far from the airport. a short free bus ride is necessary in this case similar to bos.

[@aykutylmaz2745]

@@harry12 The DC Streetcar is 'de facto free.' What you're describing is 'fare evasion' and Baltimore's bizarre culture of normalizing it. I'm disappointed you promote this when it's one of the cheapest transit options in the region at $1.90/way.

[@bobsykes]

Good one! I am forced to use EWR (Newark Airport, NJ) and it is somewhat worse than you caracterize it as being, but not terrible so long as you can use Jersey Central Rail to get the station where you need to be. Oh, and LA... I took transit from LAX to Downtown LA one time, whatever station was closes to Silverlake, and it took almost three hours. This is after a 1 hour and 10 minute flight. I took a cab back to the airport, which was about 15 minutes through backstreets like I've never seen. Driving in LA is an art in itself. Keep this up! I'm really enjoying your channel.

[@louisdesroches]

I've had the pleasure of utilizing the PDX, EWR, SFO, OAK, YVR, ATL, and DCA connections and this relative ranking seems pretty spot on to me.

[@CityNerd]

Good to hear!

[@mhaas315]

I wish BWI would extend it light rail too the BWI Amtrak station. The traffic at BWI can get crazy busy. Also the New Middletown PA Amtrak station is right next too HIA. They should definitely put in a people mover that would connect the station and terminal. The Keystone Service stopes every hour from 6am till 9 pm servicing Philly and NYC along with Lancaster and Harrisburg.

[@LeroyBright]

It's a shame that BWI is not even on this list!

[@kalebhaugen5084]

I’m rather shocked that Minneapolis (KMSP) didn’t make the list. The Metro Blue Line runs every 12 minutes and with 26 min travel time to the Warehouse District downtown.

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

I didn’t know the local Fox affiliate was also an airport

[@ahmedfarah3304]

Been binging your content. It’s so wonderful. Also surprised at how unhorny the comment section is so I’ll fill that in: you look great!

[@shigemorif1066]

Surprisingly Phoenix has a good rail connection on light rail. You take the airport people mover (maybe 8 minutes) and then it’s a 15 minute ride to downtown with a 15 minute headway. So around 38 minutes.

[@carytodd7211]

Considering how close Sky Harbor is to downtown, that time seems high to me.

[@mrAhollandjr]

Since you didn't include ORD, it's a 5 minute walk from the domestic terminals to the CTA Blue Line which takes 45 minutes to Clark and Lake. The frequency is about every 3 minutes around 8 a.m. The fare from O'Hare is $5.00 and the service runs 24 hours. You can transfer to the Orange Line at Clark and Lake.

[@alanellison1731]

consider twin cities airport to downtown minneapolis - using light rail which is adjacent to baggage claim. Quick trip and inexpensive.

[@tjjones33]

the shots of paris metro where the train comes every 2 minutes took me back :')

[@paulw.woodring7304]

I'm a native of NE Ohio, and Clevelanders (at least the railfans) have always bragged about Cleveland being the first city in the U. S. to have a direct rail transit line from it's airport to downtown (Red line, essentially a straight E-W high-platform heavy rail line from the airport to the far east side). I believe the airport extension first opened in the mid-1960s? Cleveland has had rail transit since the late 1800s, and still has one of it's original systems, the Green and Blue light rail lines, originally the Shaker Rapid, a trolley line built in the early 20th Century by the Van Swearingen brothers to link their development of Shaker Hts. to downtown. In doing so, they needed RoW access and ended up buying the Nickel Plate Road, then several other railroads (Pere Marquette, Erie, Hocking Valley, and Chesapeake and Ohio). They built the famous Terninal Tower downtown (now called Tower City), which housed Cleveland Union Terminal. They tried to standardize locomotive designs between their railroads with their Advisory Mechanical Committee and among others developed a very successful Berkshire type (2-8-4) that with some variations was used by all of their railroads except the Hocking, and examples of which still exist for several, and two, NKP 765 and PM 1225 still operate.

[@fernbedek6302]

Ottawa used to have a single frequent bus from downtown to the airport. When the current rail expansion is done it will take 3 trains to get downtown.

[@noelgenoway9360]

Vancouver, BC - Canada Line is amazing! Super easy, not to expensive and frequency is great!!

[@CityNerd]

It is so good.

[@thomaskotowski6308]

its worth noting, there are two lines that run to SFO. red line has 4 trains an hour, and yellow has 4. for 8 trains from SFO (and both go to downtown SF & Oakland).

[@lyndakorner2383]

Hollywood-Burbank Airport has a Metrolink regional-rail station that is connected by moving walkways.

[@brbarbieri93]

Cleveland is such an underrated city - world class museums, all the major sports, and surprisingly convenient rail system

[@xlxl9440]

Yes!!! Cleveland is a hidden gem!!

[@295g295]

"all the major sports" but no NHL

[@mentonerodominicano]

Glad Midway made the list, but that walk from the terminal to public transit hub is a work out! So is Seattle, as you pointed out, and that airport can get a little confusing.

[@harshilpatel684]

Quirkiness airport rail connection I've ever used was Vilnius which has a very infrequent service, 1tph non clockmaker, but takes under 10 mins to the central station when a little 1 car train does show up

[@atlutd_kyle]

I flew into SLC last month and the new terminal is basically right on top of the light rail stop so it’s probably a 2 min walk max now which is great

[@gerrypower9433]

Philadelphia PHL has tight integration with our Regional Rail trains to downtown. Unfortunately service is probably too infrequent to get on your list. And the airport trains stop at the 30th Street Amtrak station, not at City Hall 15 blocks further east. Did I mention the service has been running about 50 years?

[@jm-bv1wh]

Rail service to PHL is every 30 minutes, which is frequent enough for an airport connection. After the stop at 30th St. the train continues on into Center City, with stops at Suburban Station and Jefferson Station (formerly Market East/11th St.) Both Center City stations are centrally located and are about a 5 minute walk to City Hall. The service has not been running for 50 years - closer to 40 years.

[@ZakhadWOW]

THe infor for Salt Lake CIty needs to be dramatically updatd, since the entire old airport is gone and the new one is online, including the extension to the Light Rail line that does bring it closer into the Baggage area, etc

[@MikyleChristian]

Having pretty recently used the Miami connection to Downtown/Brickell it was super easy, pretty fast and for $2.25 just makes the most sense. It was shut down for forever but I managed to schedule my trip the day it opened back up by accident. My only complaint was that it was a little hard for me to find at first and it's probably not the shortest walk from baggage carousel.

[@MongoosePreservationSociety]

Nice

[@aerobeatle426]

I know you didn't really include fares in the rankings, but SLC just announced recently that all transit to/from the airport will be free when you show your boarding pass/itinerary.

[@CharliePhilippe1990]

What are your thoughts on transit to YTZ? It's the only airport that I can think of in North America where you can walk to the terminal, there's a free shuttle downtown (paid for by an airline, but free to all) and the tram is a 2 minute walk away from the terminal. The tram costs $3.20CAD and runs more intensively than most airport trains.

[@alexanderhickey1427]

Just happy Dallas got mentioned

[@amfm889]

Oh yeah, Seattle. Seattle and Vancouver extended their systems to their respective airports at about the same time. The difference is that Vancouver's Skytrain goes *straight to the terminals.* Link's SeaTac station is indeed a hike from terminal to platform, including a lovely walk through the massive airport parking garage- exposed to the open air on one side, which is oh-so-comfortable in the winter, and when the rain blows sideways- they only installed windscreens *years* after the line opened. So, dishonorable mention, indeed.

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

agreed. i know they say that it makes it easier to extend in the future but that's just an excuse really. there are options they could have taken but as it stands not parking your car is a better option