Federal Circle (AirTrain JFK)

Federal Circle (originally Station C Federal Circle) services primarily the airport rental car facilities. Unlike many airports that have built large Consolidated Rental Car facilities accessible by airport automated trains that are inside parking garages, the rental car facilities that surround this station are all small humble parking lots with single story buildings and each rental car company having its own small building surrounding the station.

Federal Circle itself is a traffic circle bisected by the Van Wyck Expressway just west of the station. The station also services as the transfer point to all hotel shuttles that have been kicked out of the central terminal area in an effort to reduce traffic. The cargo area shuttle also leaves from this station.

Federal Circle is the one AirTrain station with multiple platforms. This is because the Lefferts Blvd and Jamaica Trains individual branches come together directly north of the station at a flying junction and there wouldn’t be space for this flying junction if the station had the normal AirTrain island platform. This means Howard Beach and Jamaica-bound trains stop on the lower (middle) level, and AirTrains to Airline terminals stop at the upper level. In terms of sides of the platform all trains still stop on the left side of the platform in the direction of travel (the station tracks aren’t stacked).

Passengers enter a simple, climate-controlled station with bus loops on each side of the ground-level entrance area. An elevator up to two landings, one at each platform, at either end of the station building and a single bank of escalators leads up to the middle level for Jamaica and Howard Beach Trains with an additional set of escalators leading up from this level to the upper level for trains to all Airline Terminals.

When the station first opened the middle platform was cryptically as AirTrain to Stations A, B, D not the names of the non-airport terminal stations, the A,B,C,D names were retired around 2010. As of 2023 most platform permanent wayfinding signage directing passengers to the two platforms have been replaced by LCD screens that provide digital wayfinding. This has been done because of the extensive construction going on in the terminal area of the airport that has drastically reduced the frequency of the AirTrain, such as when I visited in November 2023 only Jamaica trains were running through service to and from the airline terminals with Howard Beach (and Lefferts Blvd) serviced by a shuttle train from this station. Depending upon the single-tracking needs of the AirTrain this allows less confusion and more flexibility.
Photos 1-7: January 9, 2005; 8-13: February 1, 2013; 14: April 11, 2014; 15: October 11, 2014; 16-20: November 24, 2023;

A hanging platform sign at Federal Circle, This is the design of station signs, with terminal substituted at the terminal stations

Looking out of Federal Circle on the trackless side of the Jamaica/Howard Beach-bound platform. These trains are on a lower level.

All AirTrain platforms can fit up to 4 cars, all platforms are also enclosed with platform screen doors. There is a display like this over every door which gives service information and says the destination of the train in the station or how long the wait is for it. Normally trains have two cars only, this is the message saying to move down the platform to board the train.

Looking down the lower-level platform at Federal Circle.

A Jamaica-bound train waits to leave Federal Circle

A Jamaica-bound train switches onto the Jamaica-bound tracks, beyond Federal Circle

The escalators between the two levels at Federal Circle

On the upper level all terminals platform. The design (with escalators in the middle of the platform) like an island platform is needed because the lower-level platform for Jamaica/Howard Beach is on the opposite side of the stacked station

The Station sign above the escalators that now have tiny Federal Circle Text as we look past the one bank of escalators to leave the upper-level platform

A station entrance under white tents providing more shade

The wye just north of the station, notice the ends of the beams that become the Jamaica-bound track on the upper level (just before its switch) and the end of the Terminal-bound track from Howard Beach on the lower level

Looking up to multiple sets of signs with new digital signs for each platform and a regular sign (the color of the AirTrain to All Terminals should be Yellow - it involves how to get to an airplane, not green which is the color of signs on how to leave the airport) just above. The digital signs are designed for track changes due to track work

At the bottom of the escalators connecting the two levels

Looking out at an Airline Terminals-bound train on my way to the airport to catch a very early morning flight (to Seattle)

A rare 3 car AirTrain, all wrapped for British Airways, running in shuttle service to Jamaica because of the AirTrain in the terminal area being closed and requiring shuttle buses (at least they didn't charge the $5 AirTrain fee)

A very crowded Federal Circle Station because only Jamaica trains are running to and from the terminal area, with passengers required to transfer to a shuttle train to Howard Beach here

Entirely digital signs for the station platforms with one displaying a message

An AirTrain information panel with a digital airline directory, and digital map due to the all the service changes due to the AirTrain loop in the central terminal area being split into two due to Terminal One Construction

Sanctions surround the escalators, allowing levels to be closed off (and to prevent SmartCartes on escalators)