North/South divide, trams trains - all nothing to do with the topic of this thread.
I'd appreciate it if you stopped wasting my time and STICK to THE topic.
I wish to support those who have been talking about trams and trains and connectivity and the regional economy etc; they are correct to say that topics like this are highly relevant to the discussion about MAN and its place in the UK airport system...
Forsooth, MAN Airport has a Ground Transport strategy which talks about trams and trains, as well as buses, coaches and cycles and footpaths......
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/alldocs/1CFD0FFD6000513E80257393003BBAA2/$File/Grndtrans-screen.pdf
A bit long in the tooth now but maybe there will be a revision soon if anyone at the Airport is reading this.....
It contains amongst many other things the following
The profile and characteristics of the passenger market are highly relevant to the planning of surface access. It is important to understand the demand profile in order to better understand passenger behaviour and develop targeted strategies that influence travel mode choice.
Air transport is a dynamic business and airlines and airports are currently undergoing a period of radical change. This is in part driven by the continued growth of low cost carriers and consolidation in the charter market. This is an ongoing trend. In 2002 the split between scheduled and charter traffic was almost 50/50; by 2005 this was 60/40. By 2015, we expect that scheduled
services, predominantly driven by growth in low cost carriers, will make up 75% of our business. This has important implications for our surface access strategy as our own research shows that passengers travelling on low-cost airlines have a higher propensity to choose public transport, where as only 6% of charter passengers use public transport.
The main objectives of our Ground Transport Plan are to:
• Significantly increase public transport use
• Reduce dependency on the car
• Manage and mitigate road traffic growth
• Maintain and enhance the Airport’s accessibility
On Metrolink - that's the tram for those who don't know - it says
The extension of Metrolink to the Airport is a pivotal element of our Ground Transport Strategy – particularly for employees where we forecast an 8% mode share by 2015. It will complement our heavy rail services and penetrate areas of highest employee density, enhancing the accessibility of the Airport and offering opportunities for employment for residents of Wythenshawe, Chorlton and Trafford. It offers the potential to secure a major shift away from employee car use with significant savings in emissions, congestion and pollution.
Oh - and other airports have these too - here's Gatwick's which is more up to date and there's talk of trains in there...
http://www.gatwickairport.com/Public...s_2012_web.pdf
The state of regional economies is integral to the future of ANY airport, not just MAN and so any discussion of the merits of other regions, especially those who may be getting an unbalanced tranche of infrastructure investments is indeed relevant. Major inputs to forecasts of future traffic will include the state of the national and regional economy and the attractiveness of other airports to take traffic from local catchments
MAN's Master Plan states
Aviation is one of the key drivers of regional economic growth.
and
There is a very close connection between the economic prosperity of
Greater Manchester and the North West and the success of Manchester Airport
So anyone who doesn't look at the state of an airport in the round taking into account all the factors - physical including access, economic including demand, finance, environmental etc is deluding themselves. This includes such things as infrastructure spending in others areas where airports are competing for business as well as the political and regulatory arena where the "London-centric" concentration of policies and investment are becoming ever more to the fore - some good examples have been cited here already.
Luckily on this thread we have a few individuals who are prepared to argue their points cogently and respectfully and I would submit that these topics are entirely relevant to a discussion about Manchester - or any other regional UK airport for that matter.