Stansted Airport Future and the Railways

[lancededcena]

From a railway perspective, Stansted to me just does not serve Essex and Suffolk well at all. The only way to fix this in my opinion is to extend the line from Stansted Airport to Colchester via Braintree but thats very unlikely (most probably impossible) to happen. I'd have to drive (which I don't) or take a very expensive coach to Stansted.

It is way easier for me to go to Southend Airport via the railways rather than Stansted Airport which is closer and has more destinations than Southend.

 

[Bald Rick]

Stansted to me, of all the "London" airports seems one of the best located for road access, hence the number of coach services that serve it, especially as the rail options are far less comprehensive than say Gatwick

I think it’s more popular with coaches partly because the rail options are limited.

 

[mrmartin]

Regarding testing, you only need to do one rapid test now for most destinations (well, as of later this month). Which can be done at home and nothing to post back. I really don't think it is a big deal and they won't be expensive (£15-20 is my guess, probably less with competition as they only cost £1 or less wholesale).

This is a huge improvement on what was there only a few months ago - typically 1x PCR/rapid before flying to the destination, 1x rapid before flying back, then 3x PCR (day 2, 5 and 8) under test to release (plus obviously a 5 day quarantine).

I don't think one rapid test is going to put many people off.

 

[Techniquest]

From a railway perspective, Stansted to me just does not serve Essex and Suffolk well at all. The only way to fix this in my opinion is to extend the line from Stansted Airport to Colchester via Braintree but thats very unlikely (most probably impossible) to happen. I'd have to drive (which I don't) or take a very expensive coach to Stansted.

It is way easier for me to go to Southend Airport via the railways rather than Stansted Airport which is closer and has more destinations than Southend.

Considering just how rural and unpopulated most of the route between Stansted and Braintree is, building a railway there would be far too lacking in benefits to warrant being built. There's a reason why it closed in the first place!

Regarding testing, you only need to do one rapid test now for most destinations (well, as of later this month). Which can be done at home and nothing to post back. I really don't think it is a big deal and they won't be expensive (£15-20 is my guess, probably less with competition as they only cost £1 or less wholesale).

This is a huge improvement on what was there only a few months ago - typically 1x PCR/rapid before flying to the destination, 1x rapid before flying back, then 3x PCR (day 2, 5 and 8) under test to release (plus obviously a 5 day quarantine).

I don't think one rapid test is going to put many people off.

Really? I was not aware of this, that's very promising for my trip in March Maybe I will have the long awaited return to my World Frenzy series in January after all...

 

[lancededcena]

Considering just how rural and unpopulated most of the route between Stansted and Braintree is, building a railway there would be far too lacking in benefits to warrant being built. There's a reason why it closed in the first place!

I would argue that its not about the route that it takes and the towns it serves (although Great Dumnow would be a nice place to have a railway station again considering its a town of 8,000 as of 2011 census) but about the fact that Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford, Clacton and Harwich now have an easy and fast connection to the major international airport that serves East Anglia, no more taking coaches or connecting through London just to past through your own county. If Stansted wants to grow, having more choice of connections in my opinion would definetely help.

It could also ease the burden on the congested A120 between Braintree and Colchester too.

 

[leytongabriel]

National Express allow +/- 3 hours on the A9 to Stratford.

You must have had some bad luck. The National Express coach from Stratford beat off the Lea Valley stopping Stratford - Stansted train service which was more expensive and notionally at least, slower.

 

[TheBigD]

With regard to the rail service, does the fact that the XC sits in platform 2 for about 45 minutes each hour restrict the station? Pre covid the Norwich service arrives, followed by a London, and then follows the London out of Stansted, meaning 2 trains in platform 1 or 3 every hour.

Would a shorter turn around of the XC service help?

 

[Astro_Orbiter]

You must have had some bad luck. The National Express coach from Stratford beat off the Lea Valley stopping Stratford - Stansted train service which was more expensive and notionally at least, slower.

There isn't a slow stopping Stansted-Stratford service anymore, hasn't been for years, they now run Bishop's Stortford-Stratford. The Stanex takes about 45 mins with stops at Harlow/Stortford and occasionally Mountfitchet, and of course Tottenham Hale.
Its a slight pain therefore if you're travelling from Stratford to Stansted, in that the Stratford service comes out behind the Airport train (and the Cambridge) at Coppermill Jn, so you have to wait for the next one, which imo, if you were at Stratford and going to Stansted I'd probably hop on one up to Liv St and come back out.

 

[Bald Rick]

The capacity restriction is the single line section through the tunnel, which Pre Covid was effectively fully occupied in the standard hour.

 

[Techniquest]

I would argue that its not about the route that it takes and the towns it serves (although Great Dumnow would be a nice place to have a railway station again considering its a town of 8,000 as of 2011 census) but about the fact that Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford, Clacton and Harwich now have an easy and fast connection to the major international airport that serves East Anglia, no more taking coaches or connecting through London just to past through your own county. If Stansted wants to grow, having more choice of connections in my opinion would definetely help.

It could also ease the burden on the congested A120 between Braintree and Colchester too.

I'd agree on Great Dunmow, certainly the biggest settlement I saw on my ride through the area last month. Where such a station and railway could go now, and still attract plenty of business, I have no idea. There is a nice amount of new housing going up on the west side of town, a little past Tesco, but it still wouldn't be enough to attract a railway in my view.

Whether or not one could justify the new line based purely on giving Suffolk and Essex a better rail connection to Stansted Airport, I couldn't say as I'm not well enough informed to comment. I do agree on the A120 though, that road is quite busy.

The capacity restriction is the single line section through the tunnel, which Pre Covid was effectively fully occupied in the standard hour.

I do wonder then, to free up capacity on it, whether it would perhaps be worth looking at running StanEx every 20 minutes instead. I suspect that would require a major timetable re-write nearer London though, and in any case the other airports get a more regular service so it would be ideal for StanEx to return to its turn up and go frequency.

 

[dk1]

With regard to the rail service, does the fact that the XC sits in platform 2 for about 45 minutes each hour restrict the station? Pre covid the Norwich service arrives, followed by a London, and then follows the London out of Stansted, meaning 2 trains in platform 1 or 3 every hour.

Would a shorter turn around of the XC service help?

That was an argument when NXEA where planning a through Norwich-Stansted service in 2011 using 170s. The only platform available was hogged by XC for at least 40 minutes in every hour which severely limited scope for schedules. Thankfully the bi-modes came along later & even on diesel they are permitted into all platforms at the airport.

 

[65477]

I have always lived about 30 minutes, by car from Stansted, so have used it as a railhead to travel from rather than a destination. My main complaint has been XC's fares. Most of the time a Stansted - Birmingham direct fare is much dearer than going via London. Even worse are fares to LNER destinations requiring a change at Peterborough.

As to comments about the Colchester to Stansted route. There cannot be much of a market as the 133 bus service has been repeatedly cut back to a minimal service. The issues about the A120 relate to the section east of Braintree where a by pass is bing built. The section between Braintree and Stansted is well below capacity.

 

[paul1609]

You must have had some bad luck. The National Express coach from Stratford beat off the Lea Valley stopping Stratford - Stansted train service which was more expensive and notionally at least, slower.

Sorry didn't post very well, what I meant to say was that if you book in advance on National Express A9 service they allow you to use the booking +/- 3hours of your booked seat.
I always use HS1 to Stratford and the A9 service for Stansted, its never taken me more than an hour on the coach.

 

[Mikey C]

I think it’s more popular with coaches partly because the rail options are limited.

It's also because it's relatively quick by road to get to as well. The M11 takes you a long way into London, and unlike most parts of London, there are still decent roads to continue your journey onwards, whether on the North Circular or A12 towards Stratford.

I always use the A6 coach to Stansted, catching it from Golders Green coach station.

 

[Horizon22]

When I said “Stansted is in trouble”, I didn’t mean that it would be under threat of closure.

What I did mean is that it will struggle to get back to preCovid levels, and the recovery trend will be worse than for other airports.

IIRC Stansted had a higher proportion of ‘inbound’ flows than Gatwick / Luton, ie the latter two are mostly Brits heading abroad (and returning) Stansted has more people from abroad flying in, before going back, often for work reasons. The propensity of Brits to fly away on holiday will of course be reliant on covid restrictions etc, but the propensity for foreign workers to fly here is subject ‘other factors’.

And don’t underestimate the impact the Luton DART will have. It knocks 15 minutes + (plus a load of hassle) off the central London to Luton terminal generalised journey time, and that will make it much more attractive for passengers at the margins, of which there are millions.



You won’t be flying from Stansted if you choose to go on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. (Unless your trip reports are expanding into the realms of Private Jets )

Indeed. Luton was an absolute nightmare in passenger experience terms going up / down endless escalators and then being marshalled onto a bus with quite a tight amount of space that struggles to get up the slip road! The airport itself seems like its under constant redevelopment so that's not a fun experience either but hopefully it will finally be resolved.

As for Stansted, it's a weird Express service in that its not really on a mainline, a benefit that Gatwick and Luton do have. The service also isn't that "express", as it seems to be rather varied at which intermediate service the train will also call at. That being said, there's normally a not inconsequential number of Ryanair / airport staff boarding at Bishop's Stortford or Harlow.

 

[65477]

its never taken me more than an hour on the coach

You seem to have been lucky. For a number of years I lived in a house from which you could see both the M11 and M25, regularly saw the congestion on the southbound M11. One day I decided that rather than take the Stansted Express into Liverpool Street and then the Central line towards Eppinng, I would take the coach to Stratford.

I passed our house and it too me nearly 4 hours to get back, such was the congestion at the end of the M11 and then onwards to Stratford. OK it was a one off and you can experience similar delays by train.

In the early 1990's as Stansted was being redeveloped I did some work, as a passenger representative, with Network South East on rail access, and we were informed that as the airport grew, there would be some quadrupling of the line up the Lea Valley and also some relief lines somewhere between Broxbourne Junction and Old Harlow. To date the only infrastructure changes seem to have been the bringing all four platforms at Harlow Town back into use, and thee TFL funded line to Meridian Water. A new bridge was also built at Broxbourne Junction but that was to benefit road users.

 

[Bald Rick]

A new bridge was also built at Broxbourne Junction but that was to benefit road users.

it also benefited rail users - that LX used to be regularly abused and often damaged by road users - that hasn’t happened since it closed, therefore fewer delays.

 

[mrmartin]

Sorry didn't post very well, what I meant to say was that if you book in advance on National Express A9 service they allow you to use the booking +/- 3hours of your booked seat.
I always use HS1 to Stratford and the A9 service for Stansted, its never taken me more than an hour on the coach.

With the cutback in frequency on the A9 I've been caught twice now where the flight is late, you miss your booked bus, but the rest are sold out for 1-2 hours. As you're on a 'standby' ticket people who have booked tickets take priority.

This is late at night though after the last Stansted Express has left; so people have no real options. Hopefully they'll increase the frequency late at night again because it is very touch and go atm.