Stansted Airport Tracked Transit System to close.

[NorthernSpirit]

Stansted Airport’s Tracked Transit System which is the airside automated people mover is to close as the airport is to expand, this would mean that the last five Adtranz C-100 in service anywhere and the four Bombardier CX-100’s APM units would be retired from service.

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2023/09/27/plan-in-for-stansted-airport-terminal-extension/

Manchester Airports Group has submitted plans to extend the Norman Foster-designed terminal at Stansted Airport.

Planned three-bay terminal extension northwards

The operator aims to extend the terminal space by around a quarter replicating the existing terminal building design. According to newly published planning inspectorate documents, the existing building will be extended by 54m towards the airfield side along its 306m existing length. Its north extension will be built on land currently occupied by the Track Transit System, which will be replaced with new sky walkways to the three satellite terminals at the airport.

Designed by Pascall+Watson and Mott MacDonald, the expansion will provide a more spacious departure lounge for more shops, bars and restaurants, as well as increased baggage system capacity and an enlarged security hall. London Stansted has been one of the fastest-recovering airports following the lifting of international travel restrictions last year, serving more than 26 million passengers in the last 12 months. Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s managing director, said: “The speed with which we’ve seen Stansted bounce back after the pandemic shows how important our airport is in the UK’s aviation system. “We have used the last few years to conduct a thorough review of the options for the next phase of investment, and it’s clear that extending the terminal is the best way of delivering improved service and new capacity.”

Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stansted_Airport_Transit_System ) states closure in 2026 but the link provided, same as the one above, doesn’t specify a date.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Good news. The thing is a pain because (a) it makes time to gate unpredictable, and (b) it prevents you returning from the gates to the main terminal e.g. if your flight is delayed.

Walkways with travelators would be a vastly superior replacement.

 

[riceuten]

Good news. The thing is a pain because (a) it makes time to gate unpredictable, and (b) it prevents you returning from the gates to the main terminal e.g. if your flight is delayed.

Walkways with travelators would be a vastly superior replacement.

I’ve never worked out if it is indeed possible to walk to the gates concerned. I certainly remember nearly missing flights when it broke down and there was a massive queue backing up to immigration. Indeed some people on my half empty Ryanair Xmas flight to Hahn must have missed it.

 

[SamCam]

The people mover is only used to access one of the three gate buildings as it is. Unless the main terminal building is being extended towards that third gate building, it's going to be a rather long corridor to walk along (even with travelators). What are the chances they instead replace it with shuttle buses...?

 

[Cloud Strife]

I’ve never worked out if it is indeed possible to walk to the gates concerned. I certainly remember nearly missing flights when it broke down and there was a massive queue backing up to immigration. Indeed some people on my half empty Ryanair Xmas flight to Hahn must have missed it.

It is possible to walk to all of the gates, yes. There are walkways under the terminal that can be used as alternative routes when the transit system is shut, and they are designed to ensure separation between departing and arriving passengers. I could be wrong, but I think the route to Sat 2 involves crossing an internal road, which is why it's not normally in use. Next time you go to Stansted, have a look at the APV gates (90-93), you'll see that there are signs stored there for when the transit isn't in use.

The people mover is only used to access one of the three gate buildings as it is. Unless the main terminal building is being extended towards that third gate building, it's going to be a rather long corridor to walk along (even with travelators). What are the chances they instead replace it with shuttle buses...?

It won't be that long. The original plan is to extend the terminal out towards the runway, and split level corridors will be used to separate departures and arrivals with new (or refurbished) corridors between the terminal and the satellites. From what I understand, the concept has changed a bit, so that they will build an 'extension to the extension' in the area of the current walkway to gates 81-88, which will be used as new APV gates (or 'bussing gates') as well as being the point where you'll go to reach Sat 1 and Sat 2 on foot. The existing APV gates will also be removed (pity, this is a wonderful quiet place to wait for a flight and those gates aren't heavily used).

This plan also seems to confirm that MAG has no interest in building Sat 4. Capacity won't be massively increased with this plan, although the new immigration/baggage reclaim facility planned might have enough space to allow for transit connections. There are murmurings that Ryanair in particular are quite unhappy about the lack of transit possibilities at Stansted, as quite a lot of passengers self-transfer in Stansted and they could earn well on a seamless transfer experience rather than the current mess.

It's a pity that the hotel was built to the east of the terminal, as it would have been far more logical to go with the original plan and build the terminal out towards the east, allowing for Sat 3 to function with a short walk from the departures lounge.

The transit mover is use for both Sat 1 and Sat 2 by the way, and it could run to Sat 3 too, but that was dropped when it became clear that Sat 3 would be overwhelmingly used by Ryanair who had no interest in the system. As far as I know, the plan was for the system to serve all four planned satellites, with trains either running in a loop or as they do now. The concept was actually quite clever, as it allowed for passengers to be transported between the terminal and the satellites while ensuring separation between those departing and arriving. The issues that the existing transit system has are mostly caused by the failure to build the system to completion rather than the system itself.

Having said this, the transit system was also designed for an era in which 100-120 seat planes were the norm, rather than 200-240 seat intensively used monsters of today. For that reason, the transit system is unlikely to be able to cope in the years ahead. Walkways are also simply cheaper.

As an aside, the railway station at Stansted Airport was also designed with an eastern extension in mind.

 

[Snow1964]

Just been confirmed the terminal is being expanded by a third as part of a £1.1bn investment, assuming the expansion matches the plans earlier in thread, will be end of transit system

Work expected to take 2-3 years

More than 5,000 jobs will be created as a result of a 5-year, £1.1 billion investment in London Stansted Airport, welcomed today (14 October 2024) by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.

The plans were unveiled by the Prime Minister at the flagship International Investment Summit in London and will see Stansted unlock the potential of its runway through the extension of its existing terminal.

The funding will expand the existing terminal by a third, securing new air routes to key business and holiday destinations – boosting local supply chains and further cementing the UK’s place on the international stage.

The investment consists of £600 million for the terminal extension, alongside another £500 million to improve the existing terminal and wider airport estate.

It will also deliver Stansted’s 14.3 megawatt on-site solar farm, which will support the airport’s current and increasing electricity demands. It follows the recent creation of a new electric vehicle charging forecourt at the airport.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), owner of London Stansted, is in the final stages of the procurement process, with construction expected to begin in 2025. The project will take between 2 and 3 years to complete.

This scheme will significantly improve passengers’ experience at each stage of their journey from check-in to immigration. It will deliver a larger security hall, an airfield taxiway upgrade and an overhaul of gate rooms, boosting capacity and comfort for passengers before boarding.

The expansion plans already have planning permissions to begin construction and are in line with previously agreed passenger and flight numbers.

£1.1 billion investment to expand Stansted Airport welcomed by ministers

Funding will expand Stansted Airport terminal by one-third, helping to support UK businesses and the aviation sector.

www.gov.uk