'Invest in Stansted' says London business
Stansted airport's rail link should be upgraded to allow it to compete with Heathrow and Gatwick, according to a London business group.
London Firsthas published a report calling for £620m of improvements to bring two million passengers within an hour's journey of the airport by rail and coach, around the same level as Heathrow today.
The not-for-profit business organisation said the investment will bring estimated economic benefits of more than £1.2bn.
It could cut the journey time of the Stansted Express by almost a fifth to under 40 minutes, almost halve its delays and create new headroom to improve journeys for commuters as well as airport passengers.
The report suggests a route map for improvements to the quality of Stansted Express services from Liverpool Street over the next five to seven years.
An enhanced Stansted Express link that would spur competition between London's major airports and support the growth of Britain's international air links.
Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First said:
“We are at least a decade away from new runways serving London. We have no choice but to make more use of the assets we have to grow Britain's air links to global markets.
“Stansted has spare runway capacity. A rail link on a par with those to Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports, would spur competition, giving Stansted a better chance to attract new airlines and passengers. It's time to bring Stansted even closer into London's orbit and help it realise its full potential.”
London Firstwants a new Government taskforce with ministerial leadership to oversee the development, funding and implementation of better rail links to our major airports, starting with the creation of a world-class rail link to Stansted.
