How could connectivity be improved at London City Airport?

[ijmad]

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-on-elizabeth-line-map-osi-indication.208475/

Background from the other thread, we were talking about building a Crossrail station for LCY and wondering if there were other options.

• DLR trains running from Canary Wharf to London City Airport via Poplar could likely be squeezed into the current timetable.
• Link bus was suggested but there is some road congestion in the area

If congestion was a factor they could probably build an elevated people mover through ExCeL's car park and over the dock for less than the cost of a Crossrail station. Maybe even see if ExCeL and Hilton would chip in. Some of them work out at less than £20m per mile. The Luton DART's total cost is around £200m.

 

[zwk500]

If congestion was a factor they could probably build an elevated people mover through ExCeL's car park and over the dock for less than the cost of a Crossrail station. Maybe even see if ExCeL and Hilton would chip in. Some of them work out at less than £20m per mile. The Luton DART's total cost is around £200m.

A dedicated people mover would rely on City Airport remaining in business for a long time to recover the benefit, which is no sure thing. If the congestion at road junctions is serious enough to impact on the bus then some combination of Transponders, filter lanes and traffic lights would be a lot less money, and would be up and running in months rather than years. A pedestrian walkway on your proposed line (with additional links) might be able to make a business case as it would serve a wider area for a lot less money, both capital build cost and long-term maintenance.

But this is getting rather far from the topic of whether City Airport should be shown as an interchange with Crossrail.

 

[ijmad]

I suppose my point was that the Crossrail station seem eye-wateringly expensive and disruptive, so why are they hammering on about it in the face of other good options if their ultimate goal is to get better connections to the Airport

 

[Taunton]

If the congestion at road junctions is serious enough to impact on the bus then some combination of Transponders, filter lanes and traffic lights would be a lot less money, and would be up and running in months rather than years.

I guess you maybe don't know the locale but the roads in question are narrow and have no scope for additional lanes.

The road congestion there, which can become significant, is a backup from the airport terminal frontage along the approach road and back into the general road network, even disrupting those bus routes which don't go up to the airport. Incidentally, hardly anybody goes to/from this airport by bus. Sometimes you see people heading for the airport with luggage getting out of taxis stuck in the approaches, and setting off on foot to the terminal. It has become notably far worse with the development of Uber, which seem to take for ever at the terminal compared to ranked up black taxis where you just get in and go. People all trying to spot their Uber, Uber drivers trying to spot their passenger, none of the drivers who ever seem to have been to the airport before, etc, it's nowadays a chaos. Exacerbated of course by them all hanging around obstructing things on the approaches, half on the pavement, etc, waiting to be selected for a "ride".

 

[zwk500]

I guess you maybe don't know the locale but the roads in question are narrow and have no scope for additional lanes.

You're quite right, I'm not familiar with the area.

The road congestion there, which can become significant, is a backup from the airport terminal frontage along the approach road and back into the general road network, even disrupting those bus routes which don't go up to the airport. Incidentally, hardly anybody goes to/from this airport by bus. Sometimes you see people heading for the airport with luggage getting out of taxis stuck in the approaches, and setting off on foot to the terminal. It has become notably far worse with the development of Uber, which seem to take for ever at the terminal compared to ranked up black taxis where you just get in and go. People all trying to spot their Uber, Uber drivers trying to spot their passenger, none of the drivers who ever seem to have been to the airport before, etc, it's nowadays a chaos. Exacerbated of course by them all hanging around obstructing things on the approaches, half on the pavement, etc, waiting to be selected for a "ride".

Difficult issue to solve as digging down will encounter the water table, building up will struggle for foundations. Perhaps an intermediate solution could be stricter enforcement of drop-off only against Uber drivers, and organsing somewhere within reason (the Excel?) for them to wait until they're called. Of course, a good connection to crossrail could see a reduction in car traffic to the airport... We can dream.

 

[leytongabriel]

There's a lot of people in East London who are not sorry that there are fewer flights than usual at present and a campaign group has linked up with anti Heathrow expansion folk to protest about new flight paths and expansion by stealth of City Airport. So it may be less easy to increase the air traffic, which might justify these connections in the future, with a nod and a wink from Newham Council.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-on-elizabeth-line-map-osi-indication.208475/

If congestion was a factor they could probably build an elevated people mover through ExCeL's car park and over the dock for less than the cost of a Crossrail station. Maybe even see if ExCeL and Hilton would chip in. Some of them work out at less than £20m per mile. The Luton DART's total cost is around £200m.

Need to rebuild the terminal first - it's way too small. Hasn't been a nice airport to use since they increased the number of gates from 10 without expanding the terminal - before then it was quite civilised.

 

[ijmad]

Need to rebuild the terminal first - it's way too small. Hasn't been a nice airport to use since they increased the number of gates from 10 without expanding the terminal - before then it was quite civilised.

They are doing that anyway