A leading transport expert has highlighted the significant benefits better rail links could bring for the millions of passengers travelling to and from Stansted Airport during a speech at the airport.
Jim Steer, founder and director of global transport consultancy, Steer Davies Gleave, said that a new rail line between the airport and London Liverpool Street could reduce journey times to less than 30 minutes during his keynote address to delegates attending the 14th Stansted Airport Transport Forum.
He said that improvements would also benefit the East of England and its economy by enabling faster journey times and new direct services to key destinations in the region such as Canary Wharf, Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Ipswich.
Mr Steer said:
“A new rail line between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport and onwards to the east and north would significantly improve access times to around 26 minutes to the airport. London - particularly east London - will see significant economic and population growth over the next twenty to thirty years. The same is true of the corridor between London and Cambridge. To support this growth, we urgently need a strategic plan for housing and transport infrastructure. Rail infrastructure development, centred on Stansted, makes good sense and would increase the airport's competitiveness and have wider economic benefits for the East of England region.”
Mr Steer’s comments came in the same week as the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s announcement to form a taskforce to study options for improving London-Stansted-Cambridge rail links.
Stansted Airport’s Managing Director, Andrew Harrison, said:
“Unlike other London airports, Stansted has spare runway capacity today and significant room to grow in the future. It is vital that faster rail services are delivered between London and Stansted to ensure this potential is realised as soon as possible.”
Over 100 community representatives, local councillors and public transport professionals attended this year's forum which took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Feb 19. The annual event showcases the work that the airport and its partners undertake to improve surface access links to the airport and sets future targets to maintain Stansted’s position as the number one major airport in the UK for public transport usage. Speakers included Jim Steer; Stansted Airport's Managing Director, Andrew Harrison; Essex County Council's John Pope; Andrew Camp from Abellio Greater Anglia; and Tomas KreiJ, Head of Commercial Services at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport.
