London Stansted to trial overnight trains for first time this summer

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

From The Independent, via MSN

Stansted Express will trial overnight train services connecting the airport to central London this summer.

Between 3 July and 25 September, additional rail services will run each Friday night into Saturday morning.

During the trial, trains will run approximately every 30 minutes between 11.50pm and 5am from Stansted airport and Tottenham Hale or London Liverpool Street station.

The journey between Stansted airport and Tottenham Hale takes travellers around 36 minutes.

From Tottenham Hale, passengers can take the Victoria line Night Tube for onward travel across London.

Operator of Stansted Express, Greater Anglia, said that joint planning with Network Rail Anglia had allowed the trial to “understand customer demand for overnight airport rail services”.

Greater Anglia was nationalised last autumn ahead of the formal establishment of the government’s Great British Railways in 2027.

The rail minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: “These overnight Stansted Express services will make a real difference to people arriving late or travelling for early flights – connecting them straight into London via the Night Tube. Alongside contactless ticketing at every London airport, we're building a railway that works for passengers and drives growth across the country.”

Contactless pay-as-you-go was introduced at Stansted airport in March to make travel to the aviation hub “simpler and more flexible”.

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s managing director, said: “The overnight trial of Friday Stansted Express services is a welcome development, and one which I’m sure will prove to be popular with airport passengers and staff, providing more choice, convenience and connectivity when accessing the airport.”

Standard Stansted Express tickets will be valid for the late-night services, with Railcards and discounts applied as usual.