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Sen. Charles Schumer yesterday proposed building a direct rail link from lower Manhattan to Kennedy Airport, using part of the $20 billion in aid the federal government gave the city after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The project, which would cost up to $4 billion, would not require dipping into city or state coffers, Schumer said in a telephone interview after announcing the proposal at a business group breakfast.
"The real problem with downtown ... [is] it has a very weak transit system," Schumer said in an interview.
With the new system, he said: "I see business people going out to Kennedy. I see residents going out to Kennedy. And lots of Long Island people going into the city."
The announcement came as Port Authority officials prepared for today's opening...
