1. Options for extending rail based systems to Kassel Calden Airport
Sintropher Action 7
Options for extending rail based systems to Kassel Calden Airport
LAS Claudia Sauer / / Seite 0
LAS Claudia Sauer / / Seite 0
LAS Claudia Sauer / / Seite 0

2. Introduction
As part of the work package 4 action 7 deals with the options of connecting regional airports to rail based public transport services. Kassel Calden is such an airport.
The findings-report summarises the Nordhessen activities, states the results of the different reports, shows conclusions and gives a short outlook on further activities.

3. Introduction
The findings report does not refer to or evaluate the chances and prospects of the airport itself.
It does not deal with the verification of the correctness of predictions about passenger and cargo growth.
All assumptions have been adopted without commenting them.

4. Questions to be assesed
How are the economic aspects to be assessed?
Is public transport important for regional airports?
Does it make economic sense to extend the RegioTram or Tram network to Kassel Calden airport
Can this strengthen (public transport in) Kassel and Norhessen?
What kind of public transport is needed for Kassel Calden Airport?
What can be learned?

5. Economic Aspects
To assess the economic aspects potentials, revenue expectations and costs have to be considered.
Potentials have been deduced from existing studies on the development of passenger numbers, cargo business and employment in the industrial estate connected to the airport.
To evaluate the costs, KVG has carried out a feasibility study calculating the financial impacts of different track designs and different operational concepts.

6. The Airport
Kassel Calden airport serves as local airport since the 1970ies. It is
situated about 13 kilometres northwest of the city centre
And owned by the
Federal State of Hessen (68 % of holding),
City of Kassel (13% of holding),
Landkreis (District of) Kassel (13% of holding),
Community of Calden (6% of holding).

7. The Airport – in 2008 25.000 persons started and landed at the airport
the volume of cargo amounted 650 tons
Most of the flight movements resulted from sporting activities
The airport site contained a commercial area in which 15 companies with about 600 employees were (and still are) situated

8. The Airport – The Future Strategy
In the light of the overall increase of air traffic (…) the stockholders of Kassel Calden Airport carry out a vast extension of the runway, the terminals and the commercial estate related to the airport which is to be completed in 2013.

9. The Airport – The Masterplan
Integration of Nordhessen into the European air traffic network
Improvement of regional traffic and transport infrastructure
Strengthening of Nordhessen as a location for business and industry
Creation of new jobs in Nordhessen and especially in the commercial estate related to the airport

10. The Airport – The Masterplan!

11. The Airport – The Perspective

12. Public Transport – The Potentials
The catchment area comprises eleven districts with about 1,9 million inhabitants.
The term “catchment area” in this case seems to be misleading because 30 % of the passengers will come from “without” the catchment area, meaning from other areas in Germany …

13. Public Transport – Analysis
Overall potential (how many movements related to the development of Kassel Calden Airport are supposed to take place, how will employees and visitors contribute to traffic connected with the airport)
Analysis of the public transport potential (where will passengers come from, how many passengers will come from where and what proportion is supposed to come by public transport) 

14. Public Transport – Analysis

15. Public Transport – Analysis
Formulation of requirements for the Conception of a RegioTram connexion
Evaluation of the different track layouts described in the feasibility study

16. Public Transport - Requirements
The potential of estimated rides per year in public transport is connected to certain requirements.
It is to be considered that most passengers will have to change to the RegioTram at Kassel Wilhelmshöhe or Kassel Main Station.

17. Public Transport - Requirements
both mentioned hubs have to be connected directly to the airport
the ride from Kassel Wilhelmshöhe to Kassel Calden airport must not take no more than 30 minutes
the TramTrain or tram service has to be coordinated with the national and supraregional services at the hubs
the TramTrain or tram station has to be in the terminal building and infrastructure must allow comfortable handling of bagage.

18. Public Transport - Conceptions
Operation of additional TramTrain lines low investment – high operation-costs
Alteration of existing TramTrain or Train lines high investment – low operation-costs
Extension of existing Tram lines average investment – average operation-costs

19. Conceptions: advantages and disadvantages
RegioTram layouts
do not cover any vast housing areas
as the potential of the airport is to be neglected they are not appropriate to win enough new passengers

20. Interception! At that point of the work one obvious point struck me:
RegioTram up to this point only uses the possibility to enter the urban space within the city of Kassel.
This capacity is completly neglected in the rural areas
which means a weakness.
The future of RT does not lie in expensive toy projects like tunnels under main stations but in bringing the service to the people that shall use it!

21. Conceptions: advantages and disadvantages
Alteration of existing train-lines
can be achieved at relatively low operating costs and make sure that bigger areas are directly connected to each other and the airport,
implicate prolongations of travelling time for those who do not want to go to Kassel Calden airport and affect the attractiveness of these lines,
may not only mean winning new passengers in the segment of airport traffic but probably losing passengers in other segments.

22. Conceptions: advantages and disadvantages
Extensions of Tram lines
chance to connect wider settlement areas to the network so that municipalities benefit most,
are cheaper than TramTrain or Train tracks,
But Trams are slower than Trains,
and that their interior is not designed for travellers with a lot of luggage.

23. Tram- or RegioTram Extension – Costs and Benefits

24. Annual Costs in Million Euros
Tram- or RegioTram Extension – Costs and Benefits
Annual Costs in Million Euros
Revenues
Balance
Capital Costs
Maintenance
Operation Costs 1
1,600
0,500
4,500
0,393
-6,207 2
1,100
0,300
5,300
-6,307 3
2,700
0,700
2,400
-5,407 4
1,500
-4,507 5
2,000
1,200
-3,507

25. Tram- or RegioTram Extension – Costs and Benefits
All layouts seem to be economically disproportionate ...

26. Cost – Benefit - Analysis
Where would additional revenues come from?
Housing areas?
Employees? …

27. Cost – Benefit - Analysis
What would lower the costs (for taxpayers)?
Savings by reducing the bus-service?
Joint ventures? …

28. Conclusions – (Answers?)
How are the economic aspects to be assessed?
If the connection of a regional airport is seen as an important contribution to strengthening the airport as a location factor and for inducing employment growth and structural development, economic aspects have to be regarded not only for public transport itself but for all the developments public transport might support.

29. Conclusions – (Answers?)
How are the economic aspects to be assessed?
It is difficult to deal with an airport that does not yet exist and with forecasts, no one believes in …
If the decision is based on economic assessment in the above mentioned wider context, the analysis is a good basis to calculate the financial requirements of the project.

30. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Is public transport important for regional airports?
Most regional airports have a huge catchment area and predominantly host charter flights to holyday destinations.
Flights start early in the morning or late in the evening, passengers come from far away, demand has a seasonal emphasis, in consequence cars are the most common means of transport.
Parking charges are an important source of income for many regional airports.

31. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Is public transport important for regional airports?
The connection of Kassel Calden airport to the RegioTram Network will not contribute significantly to an enhancement of the attractiveness of the airport and thus not help to bring more passengers.
The “only” effect would be to increase the proportion of PT-users among the passengers.

32. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Is public transport important for regional airports?
Our answer is „no!“ (For airports where people start for their holydays …)
But:
This might be completely different in the case of Blackpool (or Palma de Mallorca), because most people would arrive there, their destination would be Blackpool (what else …) and it would be easy to unite that current …

33. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Does it make financial / economic sense …?
with regard to the mere cost-benefit-ratio it does not seem so …
But there might be the potential to improve the accessibility in PT of the municipalities along the alignment.

34. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Does it make financial / economic sense …?
Extending the network by connecting these settlement areas would be a location factor for the municipalities,
would enhance the use of public transport in the area
and could have economic impact in helping to cut down the costs of the bus network.

35. Conclusions – (Answers?)
Does it make financial / economic sense …?
Seen only from the economic point of view, the answer to the question clearly is “no”.
Seen in a wider political and strategic context the extension can make sense
but it is explicitly to be stated that the financial costs will be outstandingly high.

36. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What kind of PT is needed …?
With regard to economic considerations it seems appropriate to abandon the plan of building up a rail based line.
The development of passenger numbers shold be closely watched.
For the moment a bus line should be built up as a fast, flexible and propitious feeder that also improves PT in the municipality of Calden.

37. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
The construction of regional airports often does not base on economic considerations. Mostly political necessities play by far the most important part.
This may lead to controversial public discussions with different actors that have various interests.
Most probably one side will overestimate potentials and another will underestimate them.
Different actors normally are interested in very specific questions

38. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
It is a lot easier to assess potentials, risks and chances when reliable data are available. Analysing potentials of an airport not yet in operation is difficult.
Customary studies that analyse the developments of regional airports basically deal with flight passengers and air traffic.
These studies should be extended and more research on questions of local, regional and supraregional mobility connected to passenger traffic should be implemented.

39. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
Passengers of regional airports come from far away and use cars and national trains.
Therefore fast connections between the airport and the big railway hubs are most important.
Public transport will not help airports to win more passengers.

40. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
In the narrow context the potentials of regional airports for public transport normally do not justify expensive extensions of rail bound networks.
In a wider context the connection of a regional airport to a regional rail network can be seen as a location factor and may induce employment growth and structural development.

41. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
Economic aspects can be regarded not only for public transport itself but for all the developments public transport might support.
If an extension of a network also can improve the accessibility of rural municipalities in public transport and thus
strengthen municipalities, public transport and might help to cut down bus network costs.

42. Conclusions – (Answers?)
What can be learned …?
In our case it seems better to start with a cost effective bus line than with expensive investments for a rail bound connection.
If the development justifies it, tracks can be built later, too.

43. Thank You for listening to KVG!