From the standpoint of the demand for transport generated by airport catchment areas, the order of priority for airport ground access is:
- connections with the major local city, which accounts for most transport demand (in this case, the city of Milan);
- connections with the metropolitan area surrounding the major local city or the “narrow” catchment area (within 60 minutes from the airport). In the case of the Milan airports, this area corresponds to greater Milan, the region to the south-west of Milan that extends to Piacenza, the most developed portion of the foothills (stretching from the Province of Varese to the Province of Bergamo), the provinces of Eastern Piedmont (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Novara and Vercelli) and Canton Ticino;
- connections with other medium and large cities located at larger distances but served by modes of transport (particularly high-speed rail) that offer travel times of less than two hours. In the case of Malpensa, such cities include above all Turin and lower Piedmont (Alessandria and Asti), as well as Genoa, Emilia (from Piacenza to Bologna), Florence, Eastern Lombardy (Brescia) and western Veneto (Verona).
Modes of passenger ground transport to Milan's airports
The airports are connected to their catchment area by various modes of transport.
There is no single optimal model for all situations, but rather various models that are suited, case by case, to the characteristics of the infrastructure network, the network of existing services and the airport itself. No study or analysis has shown any solid correlation between any characteristics of rail service to the airport and market share in airport ground transport. In fact, an airport's user base is so varied in terms of travel preferences and needs that it is impossible to develop a single optimal model to be replicated and scaled to suit all contexts. Some correlations may be identified between the type of trip and traveller and a preference for rail as the mode of ground transport, with the preference for public transport increasing the longer the trip and in cases where the travellers are non-residents.
Mode of ground transport used by passengers to reach Milan airports (%)
| Airport system | Malpensa T1 | Malpensa T2 | Linate | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRANSPORT MODE | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Collective transport by road* | 17 | 23 | 27 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 23 | 30 | 35 | 49 |
| Private road transport** | 72 | 65 | 61 | 72 | 64 | 66 | 72 | 66 | 64 | 70 | 64 | 51 |
| Rail transport*** | 11 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 13 | - | - | - |
| Other | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - |
| Sample | 4,998 | 4,981 | 4,487 | 2,659 | 2,423 | 2,321 | 1,015 | 1,124 | 1,010 | 1,324 | 1,434 | 1,156 |
*Urban and extra-urban buses and shuttle lines, rented buses, tour bus operators, hotel shuttles
**Own cars, cars driven by an accompanying person, rental cars, company cars, taxis, motorbikes, car sharing
***Malpensa Express from Milan’s Cadorna or Central Station
Note: the list of transport means has been updated. For comparison, the 2016 and 2017 data has also been updated to the new list. For more information on previous years, reference should be made to the 2017 NFS.
Source: Prepared using Doxa data - 2017-2018 SEA passenger profile
However, it is not possible to establish unequivocal, solid correlations between availability of service, travel time, cost, frequency, comfort and reliability of service and the success of the mode of transport, although these factors are undoubtedly crucial to the choice of mode.
The table shows the evolution in passengers’ means of access to our airports over the last three years, derived from customer satisfaction surveys. The results indicated a drop in the use of public road transport (down 10% across our airports, 50% at Malpensa’s Terminal 2, and 19% at Linate) in favour of private road transport (up 11% across the airports, and 19% at Linate), while use of rail transport to and from Malpensa remained stable.
Current and future accessibility to Linate airport
Linate airport is currently accessible solely via road, from both the city centre and outlying areas, through the Milan ring road system – the foundation for all major road infrastructure serving the local area and connecting to the national motorway system. Public transport options serving the airport include both a bus line and a shuttle bus service from the Central Station. The user base for Linate airport primarily consists of the entire central portion of the region of Lombardy. This area is characterized by significant road congestion due to the central role played by Milan in the regional economic system. Accordingly, various efforts to enhance the existing infrastructure system have been planned.
The key characteristic of both the road and rail ground transport systems that emerges from a review of the projects is that Milan is no longer the main centre of attraction, through which all flows to and from any other destination must inevitably be routed. Linate Airport can also benefit from this network scheme because a significant quota of "passing" traffic, currently concentrated in Milan, would use these new routes, thereby reducing the congestion that Milan’s road system suffers from now.
Developments envisaged for road accessibility for Milan Linate
| ROAD SEGMENT | DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKS |
|---|---|
| SP14 Rivoltana & SP415 Paullese | Developments & upgrades. |
| SP160 & SP15b link road | Developments & upgrades. |
| San Bovio-Longhignana section | Development of SP15b & SP160. |
| Pedemontana Lombarda Motorway | Piedmont completion. |
| IPB | Pedemontana- BreBeMi inter-connection. |
| Cassanese Bis | Completion Direction Cassanese Bis. In the absence of an adequate connection between the Cassanese Bis and the SP14 Rivoltana, this action shall have little impact in improving Linate’s accessibility. |
Source: Pwc, 2018
Additional capacity would be released on the current road system, improving the level of service on the access routes to the city centre in addition to access to the immediate and surrounding areas (particularly Linate). Works are currently underway to connect Linate with Milan’s Metro system (the M4 line) and include the construction of a station directly linked to the passenger Terminal. This work will further improve the quality of the services offered by the airport, whilst at the same time improving the integration of the airport structure into the urban fabric. Such features of Milan’s urban transport system (an efficient Metro line, a loop metro-style rail system linked both to the high-speed network and the regional railway networks, an efficient and broad overground public transport system) will ensure, and are, indeed, the prerequisites for an objectively successful airport rail link service.
Developments envisaged for rail accessibility for Milan Linate
| Section | Description of the works |
|---|---|
| Start-up in 2022 forecast for Milan metro line 4 (San Cristoforo FS-Linate) or “Blue Line” | The line will extend across the city for approximately 15 KM from west to east, optimizing not only the airport connection but, more generally, also that with the entire metro and urban rail system. |
Source: Pwc, 2018
Current and future accessibility to Malpensa airport
Malpensa is indeed 50 km from the centre of Milan. All the main European airports are located at an average distance of between 10 to 20 km from their city centre of reference, with rare exceptions such as Munich (36 km), Oslo (50 km) and Rome Fiumicino (23 Km).
Developments envisaged for road accessibility for Milan Malpensa
| Road segment | Description of the works |
|---|---|
| A4 | A southward extension of the SS 336 section, beyond the Magenta link road to the A4 Milan-Turin motorway, towards the Tangenziale Ovest (West Ring Road) with branching to Vigevano. The final plan for this link was recently approved and involves 17.6 KM of road works, which come under the overall improvement and development plans for road links to Malpensa Airport. |
| A8 | A link road at Gallarate between the A8 motorway and the national SS 336. By-pass to the Sempione SS 33 between Rho and Gallarate. Inversion of the Lainate toll booth. Full upgrade of the motorway entry slip roads with subsequent closure of the current Lainate and Arese entry slip roads. Construction of an underpass at the junction between the A8 and A9, North of Lainate. |
| A1 | Creation of a fourth laneway on the A1 Motorway on the road segment between Milano Sud (South Milan) (at the interconnection with the A50 Tangenziale Ovest) (West Ring-Road) and the Lodi slip road. |
| Milan-Rho-Monza North Ring Road | Motorway Development of the existing Rho-Monza road link at the A8 (Baranzate)-A52 (Paderno, Dugnano) segment, with the construction of a two-lane roadway in both directions, plus emergency hard shoulders and a parallel road for local traffic. |
| SS 341 | By-pass to the SS 341 from the A8 to Vanzaghello. |
| Bridge over the Ticino | A bridge over the river Ticino, currently under construction; |
| Lambrate slip road | These works are the closest to the city of Milan itself and serve to connect the BreBeMi motorway with it. |
Source: PWC, 2018
Road access is currently the most prominent system for access to Malpensa Airport. Private vehicles use two existing motorways (the A8 and A4, the latter connected through the Malpensa-Boffalora motorway segment) with another under construction (Pedemontana).
Other private transport systems include hotel shuttles or tourist coaches. The road system is used by a plethora of both collective public transport systems, as well as individual transport systems: airport bus services, taxis, NCC (chauffeured car-hire), and car-sharing options (e-Vai, DriveNow). In the coming years extensive infrastructural investments are scheduled for the Lombardy rail network, whose conclusion should have a positive impact on the quality of connections with the Milan airports, both in terms of journey time reduction and ease of access.
Surface accessibility – definition of the benchmark panel for Milan Malpensa
| Airport | City | Distance from city [km] | Passengers year (2016) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Malpensa | Milan | 52 | 19,311,600 |
| Eleftherios | Athens | 41 | 20,016,998 |
| Stansted | London | 57 | 24,317,100 |
| Arlanda | Stockholm | 41 | 24,700,000 |
| Gardermoen | Oslo | 50 | 25,800,000 |
| Franz Josef Strauss | Munich | 36 | 42,278,000 |
| Rome Fiumicino | Rome | 23 | 41,575,280 |
Source: Pwc, 2018
With regard to the quality and quantity of rail links, the “fire power” solution expressed by Trenord in its proposal to connect central Milan and Malpensa airport is undoubtedly significant. The offer consists of 146 daily return trips, of which 68 to/from Milan’s Central Station, and 48 to/from its Cadorna Station, implying an overall frequency of 4 trains per hour. The minimum journey time (37 minutes) is wholly adequate and competitive in terms of international standards (the centre of Munich has two different airport link services respectively taking 43 and 53 minutes). All the routes will operate with new rolling stock designed specifically for an airport service, with good services and high levels of comfort. With the introduction in 2016 of the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 link, rail access to Malpensa drastically improved, thus significantly increasing the potential user base, resulting in rail services becoming more cost-effective than any other means of transport to access T2, despite an extensive amount of negative externalities, and it now transports over 7 million passengers per annum.
Surface accessibility – Benchmark between Malpensa and selected European airports
| Airport | Regional train | Suburban train | Express train | Scheduled bus | Bus TPL | Metro | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Malpensa (Milan) | Trenord (Malpensa Express) Every day Cost of 13 € |
- | Air coach Motorway Terravision All 8 € |
S.A.C.O. (from Gallarate & Somma Lombardo) | - | 45’/55’ | |
| Eleftherios (Athens) | - | Suburban rail service - hourly Cost of 10 € |
- | - | Bus (X95S line), Every 15’. Cost of 6 € |
Metro Line 3 Every 30’ Cost di 10 € |
35’-45’ |
| Stansted (London) | - | - | Stansted Express Every 15’ Cost of 18.9 € |
National Express Every 20’-30’ Cost of € 11.4-12.5 |
- | - | 55’-70’ |
| Arlanda (Stockholm) | - | Pendeltag SL, every 30’ Cost of 17 € |
Arlanda Express Every 19-20’ Cost of 30 € |
- | - | - | 35’-50’ |
| Gardermoen (Oslo) | NSB - Norwegian State Railways with 2 trains per hour Mon-Sat. and 1 hourly train Sundays Cost of 10 € |
- | AV Flytoget Airport Express Train System Every 10’ -20’ Cost of 19 € |
SAS Flybussen Flybussekspressen Every 30’ Cost of 17 € OSL Ekspressen Hourly Cost of 24 € |
- | - | 40’-50’ |
| Franz Josef Strauss Airport (Munich) | S1 and S8 S-Bahn Lines connecting the airport with the center of Munich, every 10’ |
Flixbus Cost of € 5 Lufthansa (Munich central station) Journey time 45’ Frequency: 15’ |
30’-40’ | ||||
| Rome Fiumicino (Rome) | Regional train connecting the airport with the Stations of Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana and Tiburtina Frequency: 15’ Cost of 8 € |
Direct Leonardo Express train (frequency: 30’ Cost of € 14 ) Frecciargento Trieste-Fiumicino |
Terravision and Atral from Rome Termini Schiaffini Travel, SIT Bus Shuttle from the Vatican and Rome Termini Cotral from Rome Termini, Rome Tiburtina, Cornelia and Magliana T.A.M. Bus from Rome Ostiense and Termini |
35’-40’ |
Source: Pwc, 2018
The only other case in Europe with a highly successful rail-to-airport transport system approximately 50 km from the city center is Oslo, with its high-speed express service (up to 210 km/h, at times 250 km/h), and high-frequency trains (a train every 10 minutes, with trip times of 19 to 22 minutes). The development of rail access to Malpensa is considered a priority both from a planning point of view, as shown in the Connecting Europe Facility programme and detailed in the EU regulation No. 1315 of 2013, where the priority of including core airports such as Malpensa into the system of priority transport corridors is highlighted, as well as in the National Airports Plan, which indicates Malpensa as a strategic intercontinental gateway.
Developments envisaged for rail accessibility for Milan Malpensa
| Section | Description of the works |
|---|---|
| Saronno-Seregno Line | Electrification of a section of the FNM line between Saronno and Seregno. |
| RHO-Gallarate Line | Quadrupling of the Rho-Parabiago section and tripling until Gallarate. The works will directly connect two of the Lombardy economic system’s most significant points: the new Rho-Pero Events center and Milan Malpensa airport. Development of the section between Parabiago and Gallarate, with the quadrupling of the line, will follow. |
| Milan Malpensa Terminal 2-Gallarate connection | Double track connection between Milan Malpensa and RFI’s Gallarate-Varese Line. The definitive project will be completed and delivered to the Lombardy Region at the beginning of 2018. |
Source: Pwc, 20178
Even at a regional level, both the Regional Development Programme (PRS) of the 2013 10th Legislature and the 2016 Regional Mobility and Transport Programme (PRMT) identified the development of the railway infrastructures as well as the development of Malpensa as two priority goals. When implemented, the target is to capture a 30% market share of the rail services across all the transport systems accessing the terminal, thereby doubling the current quota and promoting the extension of the Malpensa catchment area. This is based on a clear perception of Malpensa as the access gate to an extensive geographic area, which for intercontinental travellers includes the whole of the north of Italy.