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It would be better to use DSA airport facility to encourage modal shift in transport used by passengers accessing other nearby regional airports that are actually open.
(Securely) Park/express bus (and/or train)/Fly. Make it easy to travel with luggage (a failing of most other public transport), as near to door to door as possible, minimising luggage handling.
Likely would cost less in public money.
The only other vaguely sensible use would be as a freight airport (competing with e.g. Coventry) for all the ecommerce parcels from Asia.
If someone wants to throw money at it, let that be the owner of some European international airport (e.g. Schipol) as a way to abstract customers from using London or Manchester airports for long haul (and neatly bypassing part of Air Passenger Duty), with frequent(ish), cheap(ish) flights to the host hub airport including baggage interlining. Again with convenient long term parking.
@MilesT The devolved parliaments have regional air policies that England lacks. Having local councils as owner/operators is a last resort measure.
KLM do serve the UK regions better than most for long-haul but a connecting flight does not evade any UK-APD.
Anyone know why Bakerloo wash cannot be used from the depot direction?
Having been on the Bakerloo yesterday, the dirty exteriors are the least of the fleet’s problems. The insides are absolutely plastered in graffiti, never seen anything like it. For some reason, it’s not being removed.
Simon Adams: The Central line’s train interiors have been plastered badly with graffiti too and its also not being removed. Both Bakerloo and Central are clearly on a par in that respect. Unlike the Bakerloo TfL can at least keep the exterior of the Central line trains reasonably clean!
Doncaster/Sheffield airport
What is it with politicians (Excepting Sian Berry it seems) & airports & air travel?
They seem to go all wobbly at the knees when flying is even mentioned, as if this was still the 1930’s & “air shows”
I think it’s worth re-quoting her from that article: “How does the relentless backing of the aviation industry benefit the average person rather than just airport bosses and very frequent fliers?” – Quite
“Moorgate” – utterly compelling … but also terrifying.
People might be advised to listen in segments, with long breaks between, to adjust to the sound-images from the past.
Now for part 2
@Greg T The rationale/belief is usually given as expanding airports (or new airports) to increase flights improves economic activity. But I’ve not seen any actual economic argument. My wife stopped subscribing to The Economist years ago, but even then I don’t recall reading about such a correlation. I do wonder if there are economic studies that demonstrate the correlation between increasing the numbers of flights and increased economic activity (beyond increased numbers of airport workers and flight crews).
By the same token, adding new train (& often bus) services and lines have been demonstrated to increase economic activity. The best known example I can recall is Germany’s Ruhr region, which has a fully integrated public transport fare regime, which has led to a high economic output (per capita) i believe, relative to similar regions in other countries with fewer lines & less service.
@LBM – The entire regulated economic model for UK airports, certainly Heathrow & Gatwick, is absurd insofar as they are incentivised through an underlying “cost-plus%” revenue regime to maximise their costs, including as a final kicker the costs of armies of cost-accountants to justify those costs! This in turn leads to [Snip. LBM] subcontractors with snouts in this trough who benefit hugely from the inflated costs and are prepared to invest in major political lobbying to support their profits. Think HS2 Bat Tunnel on a grand scale…
LBM + B&T
YES, well …
This article from the “New Statesman”puts a view about the almost-absolute resistance by HM Treasury to help finance railways, whilst spluging vast amounts on airports & things like the “Lower Thames Crossing”.
“Level Playing Field” – what’s one of those then?
@GregT see the Roberts Report
https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/major-report-proposes-cheaper-public-transport-alternatives-to-lower-thames-crossing/