Airport passengers to benefit from new Greater Anglia franchise

London Stansted has welcomed the news that Abellio Greater Anglia has won a new Government franchise to provide more services between the airport and Cambridge.

As part of the new contract agreed with the Department for Transport, rail passengers will benefit from refreshed rolling stock and twice as many weekday off peak services between Stansted Airport and Cambridge on the Greater Anglia Network.

Commenting on the announcement, Stansted Airport’s Managing Director, Andrew Harrison, said the new franchise was good news for airport passengers and the region:

“We are delighted by today’s announcement from the Department for Transport and Abellio Greater Anglia to introduce a new off peak Cambridge – Stansted Airport service from July. We have been campaigning for better rail connectivity to Stansted for years and this service formed a key plank of the airport’s rail vision which we launched in 2012.

“Cambridge is a world leading centre for innovation and bio-medical research, and a new half hourly service to the airport will make Stansted more accessible to the City, opening up over 160 international destinations in just a short journey time of 30 minutes.

“We now need to move ahead urgently with improvements to rail links to London through the introduction of faster services that will underpin our drive for growth at Stansted – a priority that was recognised by the Airports Commission. This is a key issue for the region as well as the airport, because a better rail service will bring huge benefits for commuters, and support economic regeneration and thriving industries up and down the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor,” he said.

Colin Stanbridge, the Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:

“The doubling of weekday services to Stansted Airport is a very welcome boost for both passengers and the airport. By making it easier for people to get to Stansted, not only will the passenger experience improve but it will hopefully attract new airlines to fill Stansted’s spare capacity and so grow the number of routes serving London. However, the journey time to Stansted is still too long and variable compared with other London airports. The only long-term solution to delivering world class rails services to Stansted is to four track the line between Copper Mill Junction and Broxbourne – increasing capacity, building resilience and improving journey times.”

Below is a link to the press release issued today by the Department for Transport announcing details of the Greater Anglia franchise agreement:

• Government Press Release – New Greater Anglia Franchise