Network Rail does feasibility studies on Heathrow to Waterloo rail link
A new rail link between Heathrow and London Waterloo has moved a step closer after a Network Rail study suggested there was a strong case for the project. The Southern Rail Access proposals would connect Heathrow to Waterloo, Guildford and Basingstoke, possibly via Feltham and Hounslow. This is part of the long-awaited Southern Rail Access proposals. A Network Rail feasibility study suggests the work would cost between £700m and £1.8bn, depending on which route is chosen. There are three route options, and all are considered to be good or very good value irrespective of whether a third runway is built at Heathrow. Of the three, a semi-fast Heathrow to Waterloo service, via Richmond, was the best value London link. However further appraisal is needed. Heathrow airport is enthusiastic about the rail link, as it would connect more passengers and “treble our rail capacity by 2040.” Heathrow also hopes it would help reduce local rail traffic, if passengers get to and from the airport using the rail link. Hounslow Council earlier this year recommended a new southern link to Heathrow via Feltham, with trains running on an elevated track via a new station in Bedfont. The separate consultation on the proposed Western Rail Link to Heathrow, from Reading, ends on 4th April.
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New Heathrow to Waterloo rail link would connect airport with Surrey rail network
30 MARCH 2016
BY ROBERT CUMBER (Get Surrey)
The Southern Rail Access proposals would connect the airport to Waterloo, Guildford and Basingstoke, possibly via Feltham and Hounslow
A new rail link between Heathrow Airport and London Waterloo has moved a step closer after a major study suggested there was a strong case for the project.
Trains would run between Heathrow, London Waterloo, Guildford and Basingstoke stations as part of the long-awaited Southern Rail Access proposals.
A new feasibility study by Network Rail suggests the work would cost between £700m and £1.8bn, depending on which route is chosen.
Network Rail found almost all of the options on the table represented either good or very good value irrespective of whether a third runway is built at Heathrow, although it said further appraisal is needed.
Chris Joyce, head of surface access at Heathrow Airport, said: “A new rail link connecting Heathrow to south London and Surrey is a huge opportunity to connect an additional 4.8m passengers and allow us to treble our rail capacity by 2040.
“This is great news for passengers who will have even more public transport options to and from the airport. It’s also really good news for Heathrow’s neighbours as it will minimise road traffic in the area.
“Southern rail access in addition to Crossrail, Western Rail Link, HS2 via Old Oak Common and an upgraded Piccadilly Line service will place Heathrow at the heart of an integrated rail system.”
What next?
Network Rail’s findings suggest a semi-fast Heathrow to Waterloo service, via Richmond, was the best value London link, with two other options under consideration:
A stopping service to Waterloo, with two trains per hour via both Hounslow and Richmond
And a new tunnelled rail line linking Feltham to Heathrow Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 in four to five minutes
Hounslow Council earlier this year recommended a new southern link to Heathrow via Feltham, with trains running on an elevated track via a new station in Bedfont.
Network Rail said the study had been carried out to inform the government of the options and enable potential funders to decide whether they merited further development.
Consultation began in February this year over the proposed Western Rail Link to Heathrow, which cut would journey times between the airport and Reading to 26 minutes.
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/new-heathrow-waterloo-rail-link-11110424
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See also 1st April 2016
Heathrow Airport rail link could see tunnels run under Egham and Magna Carta site
1 APR 2016 [Presumably an April Fool story – but hard to tell !]
BY MATT STRUDWICK (Get Surrey)
The National Trust said “the best environmental mitigation measures” would be expected if plans for the £800 million to £950 million route were to go ahead
A new £950 million rail link to improve access to Heathrow south of the airport could involve tunnels running underneath Egham and the site of the sealing of Magna Carta on Runnymede Meadows.
Network Rail’s 75-page feasibility study into its Southern Rail Access proposal put forward five possible new routes which would allow trains to run between the airport, London Waterloo, Guildford and Basingstoke stations.
Depending on which route is chosen, work is expected to take between 12 months and six years to complete and cost between £700 million and £1.8 billion.
One proposed £800 million to £950 million route involves a tunnel going under the Windsor Lines, Egham area and National Trust owned land in Runnymede, bypassing the level crossings, until rising to rejoin the existing network between Egham and Virginia Water.
A spokesman for the National Trust said: “As these plans are at a very early stage we will of course need to understand more about how this could impact upon our special place at Runnymede.
“Where tunnelling elsewhere has impacted upon National Trust land, for example at Hindhead Commons, we have worked closely with developers to ensure that the best environmental mitigation measures have been put in place.
“We would insist that, if these plans were to go ahead, we would expect the same to happen at Runnymede.”
‘Long overdue’
- The first option involves building a new line from the airport under Stanwell Moor Road before resurfacing to connect with the Staines line – similar to the much criticised and abandoned Airtrack scheme in 2011.
2. The second option is the same as the first, with a chord rail added to run in parallel with the A308 Staines by-pass before reconnecting to the Egham Line.
3. The third option involves a further extension than the first, with the route remaining at surface level running alongside the M25 motorway to the Virginia Water- Weybridge Line, rejoining the existing network between Virginia Water and Chertsey.
The final route involved tunnelling a rail line from west of Feltham to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 with services then continuing on to Terminal 5. All would require Network Rail to acquire land using Compulsory Purchase powers.
Surrey County councillor for Stanwell and Stanwell Moor, Robert Evans, said: “This is long overdue, but we need to be very careful. It’s 75 pages of analysis and they need to decide which is the best option and will cause the least disturbance.
“People will be concerned about tunnelling underneath their properties and purchase orders. There are a huge number of options here and they need to be looked at very carefully.”
The Labour councillor and former Member of the European Parliament said Heathrow is the only airport in Europe with such a bad rail service. “Whether people live around the airport or not, they take a minicab rather than a bus because it takes forever,” he said.
“In other countries people get to the airport by train, but with Heathrow you can’t. I think we need to look at this very carefully and shouldn’t reject it out of hand.”
‘Huge opportunity’
Network Rail found almost all of the options on the table represented either good or very good value irrespective of whether a third runway is built at Heathrow, although it said further appraisal is needed.
Andrew McLuskey, Green Party candidate for the forthcoming by election in Staines South and Ashford West, said: “As part of my campaign, and my sense of civic responsibility, I have felt it my duty to find out the details of this disturbing project which will certainly affect the people I hope to represent.
“Frankly what I have discovered, on a first reading, is most concerning.
“No one is against legitimate progress or improving public transport services to Heathrow. However, these should not be pursued regardless of cost to the quality of life of local residence or indeed to Health and Safety issues generally. Also Network Rail have been incredibly slow to release details of the possible schemes.”
Network Rail said the study had been carried out to inform the government of the options and enable potential funders to decide whether they merited further development.
Chris Joyce, head of surface access at Heathrow Airport, said: “A new rail link connecting Heathrow to south London and Surrey is a huge opportunity to connect an additional 4.8 million passengers and allow us to treble our rail capacity by 2040.”
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We have undertaken a relatively high level feasibility report, and the next step would be a series of more detailed engineering studies.”
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/heathrow-airport-rail-link-could-11121660
Also
Public consultation details – Reading and south west link
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/westernraillinktoheathrow/
Public urged to provide their views on proposed rail link to Heathrow as deadline for feedback approaches
Wednesday 30 Mar 2016
Network Rail press release
Network Rail is urging residents and businesses to provide their views on plans for a new link connecting the rail network from the west to London Heathrow, ahead of the latest deadline for feedback of Monday 4 April.
The proposed link forms part of Network Rail’s £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers.
Subject to planning permission, the link includes a 5km tunnel from the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow Terminal 5, enabling passengers throughout the west to travel directly to the airport from Reading, Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough, without the need to change at London Paddington.
This will mean faster, more convenient journeys for passengers, with travel times expected to be around 26 minutes from Reading and seven minutes from Slough.
Shorter, more direct journeys to and from London Heathrow will also provide a significant opportunity for businesses across the Thames Valley, M4 corridor, south west and South Wales, enabling these businesses to save time and money, increasing their productivity and helping to deliver economic growth in these regions.
To help develop the plans for the rail link, the project team has carried out extensive consultation with businesses and local communities along the proposed route. The feedback received from the first round of public events will be used to help the project team refine their plans and identify ways in which to minimise disruption during the construction process, should planning permission for the rail link be received.
Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western route, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to provide us with feedback throughout our consultation events. This will prove to be invaluable in helping us to develop the scheme and look at ways we can minimise disruption, should we receive planning permission.
“While we have further engagement events to come, we are at the point in the project where we have the opportunity to further adapt our plans according to the views of local people, and so I would encourage anyone who has not yet had the chance to comment to do so ahead of 4 April.
“The proposed rail link presents many opportunities for residents and businesses across the Thames Valley, south west and west. It will not only provide millions of passengers with faster journeys, but will also help to relieve congestion at London Paddington and open opportunities for thousands of businesses, enabling them to become more competitive and increasing economic growth.”
Councillor Sohail Munawar, commissioner for social and economic inclusion at Slough Borough Council, said: “The rail link will transform travel to and from Heathrow, delivering a seven minute journey from Slough to the airport.
“Given the numerous personal and economic benefits this will bring Slough residents and businesses and the impact its construction will have in our borough, it is particularly important local people get to have their say.
“I urge people to fill in the questionnaires and make the most of the opportunity to have their say.”
Residents and businesses who would like to comment on the latest plans for the proposed rail link can do so via the project website, by calling 03457 114141, or by filling in one of the consultation leaflets that were distributed at the recent events.
A summary of the feedback received and the project team’s response to this will be available via a public consultation report that will be published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website later this year.
ENDS
The proposed rail link will leave the Great Western Main Line at a new junction between Langley and Iver station and link in with existing railway platforms at Heathrow Terminal 5. It will provide the capacity for four trains per hour in each direction from Reading to Heathrow via Slough, with alternate services calling at Twyford and Maidenhead.
About Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan
The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s £40bn spending plan for Britain’s railways for the five year period up to 31 March 2019. The plan is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to tremendous growth the railways have seen – a doubling of passengers in the past twenty years. The plan will deliver a bigger, better railway with more trains, longer trains, faster trains with more infrastructure, more reliable infrastructure and better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.
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