Other UK airport stations and rail links

In its early days, Gatwick Express was a model of how to integrate air travel with rail. However, the concept has been slow to take off in other parts of the UK, because of the long time delays in construction caused by planning issues and the inevitable high costs.

Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, has enjoyed two rail services for the past 20 years: the dedicated fast main line Heathrow Express (formerly Heathrow Connect) from Paddington, and the London Underground’s Piccadilly Line extension to Terminals 1-3, 4 and 5.

Stansted Airport joined the air/rail club in 1986. Services to Liverpool Street and Cambridge are operated by Greater Anglia, with other regular services to the Midlands.

Manchester Airport station opened in 1983, and is served by Northern, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales heavy rail services as well as Manchester Metrolink.

Prestwick, 38 miles south of Glasgow on the Ayr line, has a station right next to the airport concourse. It opened in 1994, and has a regular 30-minute northbound service into Glasgow.

Birmingham International Airport has trains running close to it, but not directly, with regular services from International Station to New Street using Virgin West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern and Transport for Wales.

Luton Airport has a regular shuttle bus to the main station, and construction has begun on a £ 225 million DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit) fixed link that is due to open in 2021.

East Midlands Airport at Castle Donington, in Leicestershire, is four miles away from East Midlands Parkway station on the London-Sheffield Midland Main Line, which was opened in 2009 and only runs at 35% capacity.

Cardiff Airport at Rhoose has a shuttle bus to the nearby station, but it has an hourly service to the principal Welsh city and Bridgend, two hourly on Sundays.