Stansted Express service increase welcomed
Rail operator Greater Anglia is boosting Stansted Express rail services as a result of the airport's strong recovery from the COVID pandemic.
The number of trains between London Stansted and Liverpool Street will double to four an hour during the morning and evening weekday peaks, from Monday (May 22).
Passenger numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 25 million passing through the terminal in the last year.
2.4 million passengers used the airport in April alone, its busiest month since September last year, and demand is expected to continue to rise moving into the summer.
Although the airport welcomes the increase, it continues to make the case for the return of the full service, that was in place before the pandemic, to support the most convenient and reliable rail service possible.
London Stansted’s Managing Director, Gareth Powell, said:
“The reintroduction of four trains per hour between London and the airport during the morning and evening peaks is a really positive development.
“London Stansted has been the fastest recovering UK airport, so it's great Greater Anglia are able to provide a fast, turn-up-and-go service for our passengers, staff, as well as local commuters.
“This will not only encourage more passengers back onto trains and out of private cars to enable the most sustainable growth possible at the airport, but it will also make us more attractive to airlines looking to access the UK and invest in the London aviation market.
“We are very proud to be the number one airport in the UK for public transport use by passengers and we look forward to continuing this impressive record and developing further timetable enhancements with Greater Anglia in the future.”
The new timetable will see weekday trains run every 15 minutes from Liverpool Street between 5.10am and 8.10am and between 4.10pm and 7.40pm.
Trains from the airport to Liverpool Street will run every 15 minutes from 6am to 9.15am and 4.45pm to 8.15pm.
While the service will still operate at a half-hourly frequency during off-peak hours, the new state-of-the-art 12-carriage Stadler trains offer over 80% more seats than the 8-carriage trains they replace.
Greater Anglia has also introduced these trains across its regional network, from Stansted to Cambridge and Norwich, replacing older rolling stock and significantly improving the passenger experience.