Connecting Robin Hood (Read 3,920 times)

[doncasterdart]

It seems to me that one factor against Robin Hood Airport is its lack of connectivity, its not on very big road so thats a turn off for potential car passengers and its a fairly long bus journey from Doncaster, and no other nearby big towns have a direct link, this poses the question...how to connect it?

I've had a few thoughts but I'll let someone elsse start the discussion hopefully, I'm no expert on building travel networks and even less so on aviation!

How would you connect Robin Hood?

[jakerton43]

When the Airport first opened there were services such as X29/X30/707/230. And now look at the amount of services that serve the Airport it self! To provide a direct link via Bus then have Stagecoach considered extending the X19 to the Airport to operate every 30 mins? It doesn't seem to be well used the Doncaster-Airport section of the route.

Service 91 operated by First isn't direct I wouldn't have said and it's usually unreliable, as from July it will now serve Carr House Rd during the daytime, which may not attract passengers??

The Airport doesn't seem as busy as when it was first opened.

[lysander]

Before the airport was built its relatively isolated situation was brought up as a likely problem. When Peel closed SCA as a part of the deal SCC was to receive some financial consideration ( said to be between £500,000 and £1 million) for this "early closure". SCC intended using the money to subsidise a direct bus service but, in the event, the compensation wasn't paid and the dedicated bus link never materialised.

Sheffield and Rotherham constitute the largest population centre in the City Region and neither is well served with the airport... which is suffering badly from reduced traffic over the last 5 or so years. FARRRS cannot make things any worse ...but passengers will use DSA if there is somewhere for them to fly to...at a reasonable price and at a reasonable time.

[duncan]

Jun 15, 2013 7:58:45 GMT doncasterdart said:

It seems to me that one factor against Robin Hood Airport is its lack of connectivity, its not on very big road so thats a turn off for potential car passengers and its a fairly long bus journey from Doncaster, and no other nearby big towns have a direct link, this poses the question...how to connect it?

I've had a few thoughts but I'll let someone elsse start the discussion hopefully, I'm no expert on building travel networks and even less so on aviation!

How would you connect Robin Hood?

The easiest way would be to move it somewhere where it could be of use. I for one recently flew and never even considered it because of its isolated position and journey times that make it a poor 4th choice. Building a posh access road will not make it any more attractive. Its still surrounded by cabbage fields and not much else.

[Deleted]

The runway is where it is there is no moving it it was built because of the long runway maybe if the old airport where the Dome is had still existed they could have built it there but there really is nowhere nearer the town centre, White Rose Way could have been another option if it hadn't been developed but the runway was the main reason to have the airport as it already existed.

It appears from an outsiders point of view that the airport just chugs along no one promotes it, no one really cares if it exists and there seems to be no plan for it's future it just exists.

Unless someone comes up with a viable plan why would anyone want to start a train service or a bus route for a project which doesn't seem to know where it is going the main development in the town at the moment is The Dome to White Rose Way and Woodfield which isn't helping the airport's area.

Hopefully the link road will bring more business and help cut the time for Sheffield/Rotherham traffic.

[craig79]

I think there's an obvious solution and i can't understand why it's not being pursued. I would build a parkway station on the East Coast rail line, where it crosses under the new FARRRS link road, not far from Junction 3 of the M18. A dedicated airport bus could then take people from the station to the airport. This is exactly how Luton Airport Parkway works. Which trains to stop there? I would split the present EC trains that stop at Doncaster, half to stop there, half to use the new station. That extends the airport's catchment areas to places like Peterborough, which would only be 40 mins away. Then, extend the Leeds/Doncaster, Hull/Doncaster and switch Sheffield/Adwick. it also has the added benefit of being a really useful parkway station for the M18 regardless of how well the airport is doing.

[doncasterdart]

I think the idea of the parkway is fantastic, but probably unobtainable, I suspect people would use the airport, if they could get there easily, and the current roads don't support that so the FARRRS scheme is also key to the development of the airport.

Since the Sheffield/Rotherham Tram Train has got underway a tram route to the airport from the Lincoln line (just off the north edge of the airport) with a few stops would help. A tram train from Sheffield Centre to Meadowhall(Stopping) and then Rotherham, Doncaster and Robin Hood Airport, this requires barely any investment as the infrastructure is built except for OHLE(battery power?)

[craig79]

Wouldn't the Lincoln line also need electrifying to do that, plus also the link into the Airport? It would also be very slow, maybe an hour from Sheffield.

[duncan]

Jun 15, 2013 14:32:02 GMT @busboy1 said:

Hopefully the link road will bring more business and help cut the time for Sheffield/Rotherham traffic.

Not in a month of Sundays. Its out in the wilds with limited choice and little prospect of it ever changing. As I said, a new road will change non of the above.
I can get to East Midlands in 45 Minutes if I want to fly or at a push Manchester is about an hour away.Both offer as many flights as I could ever need.

[lysander]

It is true that the airport's major asset is a long , recently modernised runway (lengthened for the V bomber force) Another asset was a large land bank. The whole lot cost Peel just £11million and they quickly planned a substantial , job and grant creating, Business Park as well as housing and other facilities with the Airport as its focal point.A Public enquiry heard much evidence... some of which made the point that the proposal was "an airport too many"...It simply wasn't needed and would struggle. Events have shown this to be the case with passenger numbers being only a fraction of those forecast and freight struggling to make an impact....apart from some substantial "one off" operations.

In 2005 its first year of opening the airport quickly achieved its forecast numbers but immediately after year 3 the growth started to lag behind forecasts....Before the recession started it was already well below forecasts and numbers have plunged even more with new record lows being regularly recorded!

There does exist a large very optimistic plan which was drawn up in 2009. Until services and passenger numbers increase it is most unlikely that funding will be found for a rail station and much faith is being placed on FARRRS which, incidentally doesn't actually get as far as the airport but will save anything from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on whom you listen to, on a typical journey from Sheffield.

My view is that money ( preferably from Peel) be found for an airport link bus, such as operates from Nottingham to EMA.

[Deleted]

If you look at the map the link road roundabout, the railway line and the airport are not that far apart.

goo.gl/maps/UyxVB

There is potential to link all three plus you could potentially open up the coal line through Armthorpe it just seems no one wants to say "yes let's do it" it seems everyone is scared to take that step forward and doesn't want to be the one who puts the money up.

[lysander]

I remember using the temporary station which was built to reduce the pressure on local roads for Finningley's Battle of Britain days. It took decades for a rail link to be provided at a much busier Manchester Airport ...with a portfolio of services far in excess of those currently at DSA....and Network Rail ,I am sure, would need some very strong evidence of usage before investing in what might well be another DSA "white elephant". I agree, it needs a real act of faith to provide the investment and signs aren't good, with Vantage ( YVAS) pulling out after just 18 months involvement leaving Peel Airports with the two loss leaders of Teeside and Doncaster and with the latter, according to their accounts, having substantial financial liabilities and with no quick answer in sight.

The Airport has already received massive public investment and according to some sources has received more EU grant money than any comparable airport in Europe. Built with the lo- co market in mind as exemplified by Peel's experience with Liverpool, the fact that apart from a small Ryanair presence no Western European lo-co airline makes much use of it must be a substantial disappointment to Peel.

[Deleted]

A proper link direct from the M18 was essential right from the beginning, the lack of which has led to the inevitable under use of the airport.
The new link road seems more like Doncaster council jumping on an opportunity to link Rossington to the motorway network than a serious attempt to serve the airport hence it stops 2 miles short of the airport and dumps people onto the existing road network at Parrotts Corner.

The x19 should in theory provide a good bus link but when it gets within sight of the airport it sets off on a tour of Finningly rather than going straight in on the access road

I really wanted to see this airport flourish but with no government and council support itseems doomed to failure

[lysander]

The Government and EU have supported the airport development, substantially, with grants. Doncaster MBC has made financial grants and the City Region is supportive.....One might argue that the £ multi-million Peel group might have spent more on the local transport infrastructure!

[Deleted]

private money may well pay for roads but it takes actions by council and government to actually build them, whatever they have said by way of support they clearly haven't built the required access road