London City Airport (LCY), in the Docklands area of East London, is the newest and fastest growing of London’s five public airports, with 1.5 million passengers in 2000. This is forecast to double in the next five years and reach 4.5 million in the longer term.
Sinclair Knight Merz have been commissioned by Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to carry out a comprehensive appraisal of a scheme to extend the Railway to the airport and to assist in regeneration of its catchment area. The scheme is being taken forward as a Public / Private Partnership (PPP) project.
The project review included:
- land use and development patterns around the airport and railway route
- the growth profile for air traffic
- travel patterns of airport users and employees
- existing and forecast modal splits at the airport and on the railway
- parameters for planning and operating powers and PPP contracts
- risk assessments and allocations between public and private sectors
Demand, traffic and revenue forecasts for the airport link were produced, using the EMME/2-based Docklands Public Transport Model (DPTM) and a specially developed spreadsheet sub-model. The resulting patronage, revenue and benefit streams were fed into a comprehensive appraisal framework. Outputs comprised financial, economic and commercial evaluations, private funding and risk assessments, and outlines of potential institutional arrangements and procurement strategies for the new rail link.