Birmingham: Airport Master Plan 2018

[58terminus]

I very rarely use the railways these days but from what I understand the current network is massively under capacity with severe overcrowding and to upgrade it to the standard required would (as said above) cost almost as much as HS2. It seems as if a new line is needed and if you are going to build one then you might as well make it a high speed one.

Are not most rail users complaints about their experience on local/commuter services that they use every day? I don.t see how HS2 helps alleviate that..My other fear is that high speed will mean high fares so most of us will still be using New Street and whatever companies
have the franchises then.I guess it would mean these companies reducing the often sparsely occupied first class carriages and replacing with standard. Then they have to sell the seats. Fares become cheaper. more people use them,back where we are now..

 

[Jerry]

Are not most rail users complaints about their experience on local/commuter services that they use every day?

Apparently it will free up track on the non high speed lines for more local services.

 

[IanFarquharson]

Apparently it will free up track on the non high speed lines for more local services.

How can it free up capacity ?
Nothing changes on the local line - unless Virgin / Cross Country / London NorthWest reduce their services ?

 

[Jerry]

How can it free up capacity ?
Nothing changes on the local line - unless Virgin / Cross Country / London NorthWest reduce their services ?

From what I read a while ago it means that the higher speed services shift to the high speed line allowing more use of the slower speed line by local services.

 

[Coathanger16]

The current situation: fast intercity, slow commuter & freight all use the same lines. In order to fit all of these services in, large gaps have to be left after slow trains so the fast intercity trains don't catch them up, or they're required to have long stops at stations where there are through tracks so the fast intercity trains can pass by.

The idea behind HS2 is to move the fast intercity trains over to a new purpose built line. This would allow more services to operate on the existing tracks as they would all be operating at the same speed and hence could be spaced closer together.

Virgin recently lost the WCML franchise. The new franchise has been awarded to First Trenitalia West Coast Rail with the franchise covering the existing WCML intercity services (currently Virgin Trains) until HS2 opens, after which the franchise will run HS2 services.

Those against HS2, what would you suggest instead? And if your answer is to 'upgrade' the existing network, what 'upgrade' would that be exactly?

 

[58terminus]

Those against HS2, what would you suggest instead? And if your answer is to 'upgrade' the existing network, what 'upgrade' would that be exactly?

At the end of the day the vast majority of rail passengers are not travelling between big cities.HS2 will serve a purpose but will make no difference to most unless they decide to reduce the services the franchises currently operate between the cities and force people to use HS2.Most people are not bothered if it takes 90 mins or 1 hour to travel to London.
As for Birmingham's roll as an interchange that could be interesting if current inter city services are reduced to accommodate more local services.
Say Telford to Leeds. Currently one change at New St
Possibly in the future
Telford - New St
New St - Curzon St by tram (HA HA)
High speed Curzon St to Bham Interchange.. Change trains
High speed Bham Interchange to Leeds.

The current network for all it faults will have to keep operating as it is for some time whilst HS2 finds its market.
.It is a growing market and we cannot afford to do anything else.

 

[nancledre]

Birmingham Airport master plan?????
Perhaps there should be a new thread HS2

 

[Coathanger16]

Birmingham Airport master plan?????
Perhaps there should be a new thread HS2

Haha true! To be fair, there was an article about how scrapping HS2 could put BHX's masterplan in doubt so there is somewhat of a link.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Birmingham Airport master plan?????
Perhaps there should be a new thread HS2

As said, it all started because of speculation that the BHX master plan relies on HS2. Will keep an eye on it though and if it goes too far I'll move the conversation elsewhere.

 

[58terminus]

Will keep an eye on it though and if it goes too far

Unlike HS2

 

[jfy1999]

Have the details of the "higher growth" plan been posted here yet? It includes the following -

Our forecast is that 94 narrow body equivalent stands will be required for 24 million passengers per year in the high case, which is 25 more than under the base case scenario at a similar annual utilisation of 260,000 passengers per stand. We have given careful consideration to how the apron might be expanded to accommodate this growth. The conclusion we have reached is that extending the apron southwards into the area of the car hire village, car park 4 and car park 5 represents the only practicable option if very significant disadvantages are to be avoided.

 

[Nethercote2019]

I thought I saw increasing aircraft parking space was the last item to be carried out

 

[IanFarquharson]

The 80's stands will be re-modelled very soon

 

[rollo]

Negatives

The picture of the HS2 people mover is horrific and more like something that I'd expect to find in Stechford station. With the master plan making such a fuss over a predicted increase in business travel and how vital it is to have smooth connectivity onto the high speed network are people really expected to exit the building then haul their luggage to the platform?

The people mover needs a similar set up to the current air rail link where it is integrated into the building, speed is key if we really want to capture some of the London market and this seems severely disjointed. What makes it even worse is they are planning to funnel T2 arrivals into T1 immigration yet the new arrivals area is shown as T2?

I really hope that it is just indicative but a new terminal to the south, or even an extension of T2, could have accommodated this along with some more much needed terminal space.

Following the recent discussions regarding the new people mover found this posted by Ray in Nov 2018. I spy an escalator!

 

[IanFarquharson]

I understand the latest masterplan will be unveiled at some time this year but maybe later in the year.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Following the recent discussions regarding the new people mover found this posted by Ray in Nov 2018. I spy an escalator!

The more I look at it the worse it gets 🤦‍♂️

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Following the recent discussions regarding the new people mover found this posted by Ray in Nov 2018. I spy an escalator!

Wait for MKII with lifts!

 

[rollo]

I'm half expecting a rope ladder!

 

[Ray Finkle]

With HS2 getting ever closer it feels like yet another opportunity is going to be missed.

I appreciate that we were never going to get the brand new, two runway airport that Mr Kehoe wanted but I really hoped that we'd at least see T2 redeveloped/rebuilt with the people mover fully integrated into it.

I can cope with the Jet2 holding pen as it's there to serve a purpose and nothing more but that image of the people mover is just horrendous 🤦‍♂️

 

[nwoody2001]

Can someone please explain to me this fascination about the people mover needing to be integrated into a terminal building?

Looking at the likes of Manchester Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Luton Airport etc... all of which have new train, metro, tram stops all built to them and none are integrated into a terminal building! As if to suggest that people will not use HS2 to get to the airport because the people mover doesnt deliver them into the terminal building and pretty dramatic and unlikely...

Itegrating a people mover into T2 will probably constrain the airport options on wha to do with T2 and options to expand also!