Greater Anglia ramps up Stansted Express services with four trains an hour in weekday morning and evening rush hours
Peak-time Stansted Express train services are to be restored to pre-Covid pandemic levels.
The partial victory for the airport comes after pressure from its operator, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), and cross-party politicians in the East of England region.
Train operator Greater Anglia will ramp up departures from May 22 to meet increasing demand. Stansted Express trains will double to four an hour in the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays.
Trains leaving London Liverpool Street between 5.10am and 8.10am and between 4.10pm and 7.40pm on Mondays to Fridays will run every 15 minutes. Departures from the airport to the capital will run every 15 minutes from 6am to 9.15am and from 4.45pm to 8.15pm.
The service will continue to operate at a half-hourly frequency at off-peak times, but with new 12-carriage trains offering over 80% more seats than the eight-carriage trains they replaced.
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia’s managing director, said: "We’re pleased to be providing four trains per hour to Stansted Airport at peak times on weekdays from our May timetable change, benefitting air travellers and commuters alike, as well as other peak-time and summer season improvements aimed at encouraging even more customers to take the train.
“We’ll continue to adjust our timetable in line with emerging demand and look to make further improvements whenever practical, working with regional partners, such as the Stansted Airport team, on the case for additional services wherever appropriate.
“With new trains already on most of our services, we're transforming rail travel in our region, offering an excellent travel experience, more seats and a more punctual and reliable service," said Mr Burles.
Stansted Airport managing director Gareth Powell said: "The reintroduction of a four-trains-per-hour service between London and the airport during the morning and evening peaks is a positive step in the right direction. Now we need to build on that and secure the return of the full service across the whole day, which was in place before the pandemic.
“We're very proud to be the number one airport in the UK for public transport use by passengers and we look forward to working with Greater Anglia to maintain that impressive record, towards the return of an all-day, four-train-per-hour service at the earliest opportunity.”
Other timetable changes from April include additional weekday morning and evening peak services on the West Anglia route between Ely/Cambridge/Stansted Airport and London, including the additional Stansted Express services.
