COMMENT: Trains and ”Planes
Southampton is all that a small regional airport should be for the airline passenger. Clean, tidy, easy to use, and quick to pass through. With a catchment area of 10m passengers, that is potential users within 90 minutes surface access of the airport, it is now fast approaching a rolling year throughput of 1m satisfied clients. There is relatively cheap parking next door to the terminal and the long term car facility is a couple of minutes away on a regular courtesy bus. The catering is currently being refurbished and for the business traveller a BA executive lounge provides for quiet contemplation and a drink.. FLyBE will have one of their own for the summer. Whilst landside, with minimum walking, security delays do not present a problem.
Southampton sits at the junction of two motorways making it easy for drivers and is also the site of the local Parkway station. It is here where it fails the test (in a not dissimilar way to Gatwick where the railway station is poor and totally out of date ” and fails for the same bureaucratic reason as Southampton ” read on). The airport still has not solved the problem of rail access, which is splendid southbound (ie from London) but awful in the other direction. There is an ancient bridge at the other end of the platform. For those with a heavy suitcase (and not just the elderly) getting across to the other side of the track is nigh on impossible and relies on the help/assistance of others. The airport will collect and deliver disabled passengers. The airport, quite rightly, says the problem is the train operator and they say it is Railtrack”s, or its successor”s responsibility. In the meantime the fare paying passengers suffer. Perhaps BAA should put its hand in its pocket and help.
A new railway/airport interface can work. Manchester for example, and similar construction at Newcastle and Stansted. But it needs all parties to work hand in hand to succeed. At Southampton the remedy is simple and cheap. A standard prefabricated bridge with both ramp and steps at each end. It could be up in four weeks.
Southampton could be award winning as Britain”s best regional airport. Until the passenger rail access is sorted out those that give these prizes should take the airport off their list. http://www.baa.com