Stansted airport is calling on the government to use the new East Anglia rail franchise as an opportunity to adopt a joined-up approach to tackling rail and aviation capacity issues, which includes a 40-minute rail journey time between the airport and central London.
The airport has highlighted 12 key commitments it wants as part of the new franchise which comes into operation in October 2016 when East Anglia takes over the line.
The requests include:
- Working with Network Rail to reduce journey times between Stansted and London to 40 minutes by no later than 2019
- Identifying creative solutions for running non-stop services to and from the airport during the early morning/late evening and accommodating an additional Stratford service to meet growing demand in east London
- Introducing an early morning service (03.40) from London Liverpool Street to Stansted seven days a week by 2017 and increasing the number of services to Cambridge and beyond
- Exploring opportunities with Network Rail to extend operations to 24 hour, seven days a week
- Rolling out contactless payment and smart card technology on the Stansted Express within two years of new franchise
Stansted said it has the ability to serve more than 40 million passengers a year over the next 10 years.
Stansted managing director Andrew Harrison, said: “The new franchise provides a timely and significant opportunity for Government to bring together improvements to rail services and rail infrastructure in a way that will be hugely beneficial for passengers, and enable Stansted to play its full part in meeting the UK's capacity needs.
“In tendering the new franchise, it is important that the Department for Transport recognises the urgent need for improvements in rail connectivity to Stansted. The new franchise will enable the department to deliver improved rail infrastructure and improved train services in parallel, providing the maximum benefit for airport users and commuters alike,” he added.