December 12th - Southend Airport Stn Opening

[Neilandrewhall]

On December 12th Southend airport station, is opening does anyone no what time?

as would love to go down and see the opening and spend the day in Southend?

If anyone has any news Please keep it to this post Thankies

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The station is still on schedule to be opened on 12th December, having been forecast as opening earlier (September) or later (January) in the past.

The station, by way of service, will become operational with the stop of the Southend Victoria-Liverpool St service on the Sunday morning; I would guess that to be at 0630-ish.

I doubt they would have an opening ceremony that early, so I would say keep your eyes peeled for info on Nat Ex's website, or from station information posters etc, I would say the official opening (cutting ribbons etc) would be on the Saturday, Sunday daytime or Monday, but that's just my guess from past station openings.

Two important things to note is that it is not listed in the relevant new December timetables on NXEA's website, and that it will be managed by Stobart, not National Express East Anglia.

The station/airport to Southend town centre is quite far BTW

Hope this helps, basically just check the Southend Airport and NXEA websites!

 

[Nightrider]

I,ll admit i googled this station after reading your post.

It brought back vague memories of a holiday to Ostend i took back in 1978.
Glasgow Central to Euston by sleeper and then train out to Southend, take it i got a bus out to the airport.
Any idea who the airline was that did Southend/Ostend route back then???
Thought Southend Airport was only used for cargo these days.
Has that changed?

Strange holiday, a bit like going to Dover for a week.
Well almost.

 

[Neilandrewhall]

I,ll admit i googled this station after reading your post.

It brought back vague memories of a holiday to Ostend i took back in 1978.
Glasgow Central to Euston by sleeper and then train out to Southend, take it i got a bus out to the airport.
Any idea who the airline was that did Southend/Ostend route back then???
Thought Southend Airport was only used for cargo these days.
Has that changed?

Strange holiday, a bit like going to Dover for a week.
Well almost.

The airport at Southend Airport is being build, the only station for Southend Airport until December is Rayleigh and then you have to walk!. But now there is going to be a station - God Knows what time it is going to officially be opened

 

[Fred26]

The airport at Southend Airport is being build, the only station for Southend Airport until December is Rayleigh and then you have to walk!. But now there is going to be a station - God Knows what time it is going to officially be opened

Errr... Rochford is the closest station at the moment.

The airport has flights to Jersey and Guernsey at the moment, though that is due to expand, as a longer runway is being built. Flights across Europe are planned.

 

[iphone76]

Looking at the new December 2010 timetable the station doesn't feature, however it looks likes the timings have been built in as it now takes 8 mins from Southend Vic to Rochford rather than the current 6.

I'm sure I read somewhere the opening is being pushed into 2011.

http://www.nationalexpresseastangli.../train_timetables/new_december_2010_timetable

 

[W-on-Sea]

I think once upon a time (long ago - when there were sufficient passenger services to warrant it) there were rail-air link buses from Rochford station to the airport.

At present the only regular scheduled passenger flights are to Jersey, and there is only one a week, on Saturdays, and only during summer time!

Eddie Stobart (of the lorries) bought the airport last year (I think it was) and have been instrumental in trying to attract more passenger (and freight) services to the airport; the Irish company Aer Arann have announced that they will be starting flights to numerous destinations in Ireland from the spring. (Although economic conditions may intervene, I suppose..).

As I understand it there will still be some restrictions on the types of planes that can use the airport, even with the runway extension - the railway runs past one end of the runway, and there's a Grade I listed Norman church (in Eastwoodbury) very close to the other end.

 

[Neilandrewhall]

Trying to figure out what time the station is going to be open will it be at first workings

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Trying to figure out what time the station is going to be open will it be at first workings

It will open regardless of ceremony etc when the first train is meant to call on the Sunday morning - the station curiously is not listed in the new timetables - on NXEA's website just look for the new Southend timetable, and add two/three mins to the Rochford times for the first train to London, and take two mins off for the first Southend train...

Hope this helps, looking forward to visitng the station and seeing photos when it opens, but I doubt I'll be there at 0500 on a December Sunday morning!

The station looks good - big building, booking office, waiting rooms, lifts etc, obviuosly managers Stobart are ambitious!

 

[87015]

Trying to figure out what time the station is going to be open will it be at first workings

If you look at the NXEA website the engineering work timetables suggest it won't be open until well into the New Year, revised timetables as far as loaded up clearly show no trains stopping into January.

Trust shows trains stopping from the 0620 ex Southend on the first Sunday of the timetable, but I'm pretty sure its yet another case of don't trust trust (or 'rail' the other fountain of dud gen!!)

 

[Flying Snail]

I think once upon a time (long ago - when there were sufficient passenger services to warrant it) there were rail-air link buses from Rochford station to the airport.

At present the only regular scheduled passenger flights are to Jersey, and there is only one a week, on Saturdays, and only during summer time!

Eddie Stobart (of the lorries) bought the airport last year (I think it was) and have been instrumental in trying to attract more passenger (and freight) services to the airport; the Irish company Aer Arann have announced that they will be starting flights to numerous destinations in Ireland from the spring. (Although economic conditions may intervene, I suppose..).

Stobart are now a minority shareholder of Aer Arann, from the timing it would be a safe assumption that signing a deal to develop routes to Ireland and elsewhere in Europe from Southend was integral to their investment which effectively bought the airline out of court-sanctioned administration.

 

[jopsuk]

I've heard tale this station will be staffed and operated by Stobart (rail division), not NXEA.

 

[S19]

I've heard tale this station will be staffed and operated by Stobart (rail division), not NXEA.

Vacancies for station staff were on the Stobart Group website a couple of months ago, so what you hear is correct...