MARCH/APRIL 2014
Rail AIRPORT LINKS
ALTHOUGH IMPROVED RAIL ACCESS to Heathrow could still be decades away, improvements are now under way at Gatwick and there is already good rail access to many regional airports.
The High Speed 2 (HS2) line from London to Birmingham will not include a link to Heathrow unless there is a change of heart when the Airports Commission delivers its full report next year. The government wants to include this link in phase two when the line is extended northwards to Manchester and Leeds, by 2032/33. When HS2 opens to Birmingham in 2026, connections for Heathrow will be made at a new interchange station in west London into the Crossrail network. HS2 could eventually wipe out the need for many UK
domestic air services, but in the meantime Heathrow Express and the slower Heathrow Connect service from Paddington offer the only rail access to the airport. Gatwick airport station is being rebuilt and expanded
and they are not allowed to pick up passengers at some stations dominated by the incumbent operator. Another open-access operator, Wrexham and Shropshire, has already fallen by the wayside, partly because its trains from Wrexham, Telford and Shrewsbury had to take a slow, roundabout route to
would say only this: “The Department recognises the role that open-access operators are playing in the rail industry and the service they provide to their passengers. We support a whole network approach, and look forward to reviewing the GTMC’s report in full.”
“There are clear benefits for business travellers in terms of cost, connectivity and productivity from open-access operators”
avoid competing with Virgin by picking up at Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
A survey of 1,000 business 78
travellers conducted by the GTMC found that 74 per cent expressed support for two rail companies competing on the same route. Its open-access report looks at political as well as practical issues. But it notes the DFT’s admission that if franchised operators are not offered exclusivity, they will not be prepared to bid so much for the franchise and the Treasury will suffer. When asked to comment on the report, a DFT spokesman
There is certainly support from MPs for open access, including Conservative Paul Maynard, whose Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency would welcome direct trains to London that have been missing for many years. “There are clear benefits for business travellers in terms of cost, connectivity and productivity from open-access operators competing against incumbent franchisees,” he says. “The ability of open-access operations to provide direct connections for towns that have
at a cost of £50 million. The non-stop Gatwick Express service operated by Southern runs every 15 minutes, with a 30-minute journey time to London Victoria, and smart ticketing may be introduced. Trains to the City are provided by First Capital Connect, and Gatwick also has direct connections from many parts of southern England. Stansted Express is part of the Greater Anglia franchise, but the journey time is poor compared to Gatwick, which is a similar distance from the capital – it takes 52 minutes to complete the journey from Liverpool Street, and Stansted is also served by Cross Country trains from Birmingham, Leicester and Peterborough. Birmingham is the best served regional airport, with Birmingham International station used by Virgin, London Midland, Cross Country and Arriva Trains Wales. Direct services operate from London, Manchester, Southampton and many places in the West Midlands, with Glasgow and Edinburgh added from last December. Manchester airport has gained a greater frequency
of direct trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh by First Trans Pennine Express, using a newly electrified route. Manchester also has direct trains to many cities in the North West and North East. Other airports linked to the national rail system include Southampton, Glasgow Prestwick and Southend. Bus links from nearby stations are provided to a number of airports, including Luton, East Midlands and Liverpool.
Manchester airport
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