Stansted Airport’s new managing director is at odds with the Government over ramping up express train services into London.
Gareth Powell said he was ready for the Department for Transport (DfT) to “push the button” and restore Greater Anglia’s pre-pandemic timetable of four services an hour.
But a spokeswoman for the Government said it was waiting for “a positive financial case from the airport”.
As a result of Covid-19 restrictions, the frequency of Stansted Express trains between the airport and the capital halved from four to two per hour.
In a speech to an audience of more than 100 transport experts, business partners and community groups at Stansted’s annual Transport Forum, Mr Powell said that the service needed to be increased to ensure passengers chose sustainable travel options and to support the airport’s ambitious growth plans.
He said: “The Government’s decision to cut the Stansted Express from four trains to two trains per hour, owing to reduced passenger numbers and the financial impact of Covid, was perfectly understandable at the time.
“Now the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, we’re fast returning to 2019 volumes and we therefore need a higher-frequency, more convenient rail service, the likes of which serve the other major London airports.
“This will also enable us to deliver the most sustainable recovery possible, encouraging more passengers back onto trains and out of private cars, in line with a key pillar of the Government’s recent aviation strategy.
“We achieved the highest public transport modal share of any major UK airport – more than 50% of passengers travelled to or from the airport by public transport in 2019. That’s an impressive record and one I intend to protect.”
The latest CAA modal share data shows an 11% decline in the use of rail as a proportion of all trips to the airport compared to 2019’s figures.
That year, Stansted served 28 million passengers, making it the third busiest airport in London and the fourth busiest in the UK, with 200 destinations across 40 countries.
After the event, Mr Powell said: “Our plans and ambitions for sustainable growth, including the whole aviation sector achieving net zero by 2050, are clearly matched by our business partners, as we have heard loud and clear today.
“National Express and Greater Anglia are committed to doing all they can to support our sustainability agenda and drive down emissions as much as possible, while our work with Arcadis to develop a ULEV (ultra-low emission vehicles) strategy for the airport will be critical to our success.
“All our partners are primed and ready to do their bit – we know Greater Anglia, for example, have the infrastructure, quality rolling stock, the necessary resources and high passenger demand. We just now need Government agreement to push the button on four trains an hour.”
A DfT spokeswoman said: “Changes to the Stansted Express services, which recently benefited from brand new 12-carriage trains with more seated capacity and extra peak-time services, will be dependent on passenger demand and a positive financial case from the airport.”
A Greater Anglia spokesperson said: “We are working with Stansted Airport to ensure we provide the appropriate service level for customers travelling to and from the airport by rail. We are also discussing future service levels, to help decide the points at which additional services could be introduced, subject to approval from the Department for Transport.”
