Stobart starts work on railway station

Stobart has started work on a new railway station at its London Southend Airport, which it hopes to link with services to Carlisle Airport.

The new station will link the Essex airfield by railway to the site of the London 2012 Olympics and to London's Liverpool Street station.

The London Southend Airport is a key link for haulage giant's bid to run passenger flights from Carlisle to Southend which could see people travelling from Cumbria to the centre of London in under 90 minutes.

Stobart, which owns Carlisle Airport, plans a new head office and distribution centre plus alongside a new terminal. The £25m scheme was approved in December 2008.

Within an interim management statement released last month, Stobart said the development of the Carlisle Airport Group distribution centre will commence in spring of this year and the airport operations are in line with management expectations.

Stobart hopes eventually to run flights from Carlisle to Southend and on to southern Europe.

The new railway station at its London Southend Airport is part of a number of improvements to Southend including an extended runway and a hotel.

Birse Rail has been chosen as principal contractor on the job. Work is expected to be complete by the end of July.