Globaliser

Absolutely, and the same goes for public transport systems everywhere.

But here was an opportunity to make things very easy for a very common change: air <--> rail. But (like at a number of other airports in the UK) it will be more difficult than it need have been.

Maybe it's London's equivalent of the US' "all pax must clear immigration and customs at the first US port", regardless of where else they're going. Just as the US system sometimes seems to exude disbelief that an air passenger landing at a US airport might have the temerity to want to fly to another country without stepping foot in the US, London airports sometimes seem to exude disbelief that anyone who's got as far as the exit from customs might wish to go anywhere other than into London.

nobbyclark

And without wishing to drag us OT, but wanting to have a mini rant, both EA and GARL could have both been achieved for a fraction of the cost of the Edinburgh tram system if a station had been built close to the end of the respective runways. It didn't need an underground station or a separate terminal or any of the nonsense that was proposed. I'm sure the same logic could have been applied at LCY.

hcuk94

Today has reminded me why I'd like an LCY lounge. I know you all wax about it being fast and convenient, and yes, I agree, but today for example I finished my affairs in London early, long before my flight to GLA.
I ended up going to Canary Wharf and sitting in Jubilee Park with a cup o' Starbucks for an hour or so - but it would have been nice to just head to LCY and crash in a lounge for a couple of hours.

On an unrelated note, what on earth have they done to LCY security?! Not sure when it started, but they now have some crazy arrangement whereby you queue at individual desks to speak with a security agent and put all your belongings in trays etc. - and the security agent then puts the trays on the belt whilst you go around seperately. The problem is, as there are several desks, the trays end up in a totally random order and thus the queues the other side rack up as people wait for all their trays to get through. Seems rather inefficient.

UKtravelbear

someone else posted this image earlier in the thread but it's worth posting again

https://constructionetc.files.wordpr...nnaught-ga.jpg

would those requesting a Cross Rail station at LCY please say where they think it would fit?

Factor in that CR trains will be 200 m long and that platforms should be in a straight length and that the tunnels etc to Woolwich have already started construction.

A stop at LCY would have already been included if it was cost effective and feasible to construct. It was neither.

Calchas

Perhaps that could have been determined as a high priority early on during the planning rather than considering international connectivity as a vague afterthought?

Gagravarr

If you also installed LHR-style underground passageways with travelators, much as between the various bits of public transport and T1/T2/T3, then I don't see why it couldn't go just as the line straightens out on the map you've shown.

From the western edge of a station there, to the buildings at LCY looks under 250m, which seems fine to me compared to what you sometimes have to walk at T1/T2/T3, and significantly better than what you get a Manchester between the station and the BA terminal!

BahrainLad

The problem with EARL was that the options were either

- underground station, at vast cost, and actually almost impossible because of the gradient trains would have to negotiate to get out of the tunnel onto the main line

- mainline station at the end of the runway - but then you'd have people like Globaliser moaning that the station was in the middle of nowhere and miles from the terminal

Ditto GLA - you don't have to run the line into the terminal at vast expense, but if you don't you'd again get the moans!

The fact is that there are very few 'green-field' UK airport developments which have taken place since inter-modal connections became viewed as important. STN is the only one I can think of which, surprise surprise, has an integrated railway station.

Ironically the reason LGW has a integrated railway station is that the airport was built on the site of a racecourse, which had its own station from 1891 (like Kempton Park does today) with the aerodrome opening in the 1920s.

ajamieson

And of course the trams proved to be so much more cost-effective

Kevlondon

Getting back to the original thread, I think expanding LCY is a perfectly fine idea, but expansion would need to include some kind of lounges. BA & Cityjet are the biggest operators with the most scope for expansion, no reason why lounges couldn't be baked into any expansion plan for both airlines and their partners.

I started commuting out of City almost 15 years ago, when there were just 9 gates, a single security point, one restaurant, and as an Air France status passenger I got a free shoe shine and free car parking. Those were the days.... Luckily, as the airport has expanded over the years, the facilities have improved and there are more food & drink options, and less space wasted on fashion retail. The problem for me is that the main departure lounge has not really increased much in size, hence the need for lounges.

At the same time, BA really needs to rethink its priority boarding here - making it Gold only is unfair to Silvers, who enjoy that minor perk at pretty much every other airport.

Calchas

Almost everyone at that airport would qualify for lounge access and priority boarding.

alexwuk

Right - there's a reason BA Cityflyer pre-boarding is Gold/OW Emerald *only*

zkzkz

I'm not sure what the engine-out speed of a 318 is but assuming it's at least as good as a Gulfstream IV or V which is slower than a 757 for example then ETOPS 120 is all that would be needed to get to Bermuda. In fact if it can get to NYC without taking a ridiculous round-about route then it looks like it should be able to get to Bermuda too. In fact it looks like it would have to make a small diversion to stay within etops 120 to jfk but not to bda.
http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=lcy-bda...&EV=370&EU=kts

Ldnn1

BBC London News reporting just now that Boris has refused permission for the expansion plan, despite the approval from Newham. Yet again insisting that the only airport solution is Boris Island. Give it up Boris!

South London Bon Viveur

Poor show from the Mayor!

Calchas

Bah

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...-10137328.html