Stansted Express facts for kids
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A Greater Anglia Stansted Express Class 745/1 train at Liverpool Street station in 2021
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| Franchise(s): | Part of Greater Anglia 15 October 2016 – 2025 Part of Abellio Greater Anglia 5 February 2012 – 15 October 2016 Part of National Express East Anglia 1 April 2004 – 4 February 2012 Part of West Anglia Great Northern 5 January 1997 – 31 March 2004 |
| Main Route(s): | Liverpool Street – Stansted Airport (West Anglia Main Line) |
| Fleet size: | 10 Class 745/1 FLIRT |
| Stations called at: | 5 |
| National Rail abbreviation: | SX |
| Parent company: | Greater Anglia |
The Stansted Express is a special train service that connects London Liverpool Street station directly to London Stansted Airport. It's like a fast shuttle for people traveling to and from the airport. This service is part of Greater Anglia, which is the company that currently runs trains in the East Anglia area.
Contents
History of the Stansted Express
The Stansted Express started because London Stansted Airport was getting a new, bigger terminal in 1991. More people would be flying from there, so a fast train link was needed. In 1986, the railway lines were extended and a new branch line was built just for the airport.
The first trains for this service were called Class 322 units. They were operated by a part of British Rail called Network SouthEast.
Later, when British Rail was split up into many private companies in 1996, the Stansted Express became part of different train companies. First, it was run by West Anglia Great Northern. Then, in 2004, it became part of the East Anglia franchise, run by One Railway (which later changed its name to National Express East Anglia). Since February 2012, the service has been run by Abellio Greater Anglia, which is now known simply as Greater Anglia.
How the Stansted Express Works
The Stansted Express is a quick way to get to the airport. Unlike some other airport trains, it makes one stop between London and the airport. This stop is at Tottenham Hale, where you can change to the London Underground's Victoria line.
The journey from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport usually takes between 47 and 56 minutes. Trains leave very often, usually every 15 minutes, so you don't have to wait long.
You can buy different types of tickets for the Stansted Express. There are regular one-way (Single) and round-trip (Return) tickets. You can also get discounts if you book early, or if you travel with a friend (called WebDuo), or in a group (called GroupSave).
A cool thing about Stansted Express tickets is that they often come with "2FOR1" offers. This means you can get two tickets for the price of one at popular London attractions. Places like The London Eye, Madame Tussauds, the Sea Life Centre, and Thorpe Park resort sometimes have these deals.
It's important to know that you cannot use your Oyster card or contactless payment cards for the full journey to/from Stansted Airport. However, you can use them for travel between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale.
Train Stops and Frequency
During weekdays, the Stansted Express usually has four trains every hour. These trains always stop at Tottenham Hale. Some trains also stop at Harlow Town and Bishop's Stortford. One train per hour also stops at Stansted Mountfitchet.
Trains Used on the Stansted Express
Over the years, different types of trains have been used for the Stansted Express service.
Current Trains Used
The Stansted Express now uses modern trains called Class 745/1 FLIRT trains. These trains are electric and can travel up to 100 miles per hour (161 km/h). There are 10 of these trains, and they started being used in July 2020.
These new trains were part of a big plan to add more than 1,300 new train carriages across the UK. Before the Class 745/1s, the service used Class 379 trains, which started running in 2011.
Past Trains Used
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The very first trains on the Stansted Express were the Class 322 electric trains. These were used until the year 2000.
After that, the service started using Class 317/7 and later Class 317/8 trains. These trains were also electric and could go up to 100 miles per hour. The Class 317 trains were used until 2011, when the newer Class 379s arrived. Most of the Class 317/7 trains have since been taken out of service.
Images for kids
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A Class 317/7 train at London Liverpool Street.
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A Class 317/8 train at Stratford.
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A Class 322 train.
See also
