Mayor Sadiq Khan warns Waterloo to Heathrow rail link, needed to get airport passengers off the roads, may be impractical
Sadiq Khan has welcomed the potential for direct train services from Waterloo to Heathrow Airport but warned that there may not be enough capacity on the rail network for such a service to be introduced. The Mayor said: “While the potential for a new connection between Heathrow and Waterloo is welcome, the proposals face a serious capacity challenge. Rail lines between Windsor and Waterloo are severely constrained and the multiple level crossings on the route limit the ability to accommodate additional trains. Any new airport service cannot be at the expense of existing and planned services or the network’s ability to meet forecast growth in background demand. If the Government is to take forward a third runway at Heathrow airport, it needs to demonstrate that there is both the rail connectivity and capacity to enable expansion and achieve the airport’s stated aspiration of a zero increase in passenger and staff highway trips. The Southern Rail Access proposals, reliant on the rail lines between Windsor and Waterloo, cannot provide the capacity to support an expanded Heathrow.” … “While the Airports Commission identified Southern Rail Access as the only rail scheme required for Heathrow expansion, it emerged last month that the Government now deems no new rail infrastructure essential for an expanded Heathrow. Such an approach is deeply concerning and risks worsening congestion on the roads and a further deterioration of air quality around Heathrow.”
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Sadiq warns Waterloo to Heathrow rail link may be impractical
25.11.2016 (London SE1)
Sadiq Khan has welcomed the potential for direct train services from Waterloo to Heathrow Airport but warned that there may not be enough capacity on the rail network for such a service to be introduced.
Labour London Assembly member Fiona Twycross tabled a question to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asking whether he backed calls by Seema Malhotra MP for a rail link between Heathrow Airport and Waterloo Station.
Mr Khan’s reply was published this week.
The Mayor said: “While the potential for a new connection between Heathrow and Waterloo is welcome, the proposals face a serious capacity challenge.
“Rail lines between Windsor and Waterloo are severely constrained and the multiple level crossings on the route limit the ability to accommodate additional trains.
“Any new airport service cannot be at the expense of existing and planned services or the network’s ability to meet forecast growth in background demand.
“If the Government is to take forward a third runway at Heathrow airport, it needs to demonstrate that there is both the rail connectivity and capacity to enable expansion and achieve the airport’s stated aspiration of a zero increase in passenger and staff highway trips.
“The Southern Rail Access proposals, reliant on the rail lines between Windsor and Waterloo, cannot provide the capacity to support an expanded Heathrow.
“There are alternatives which could deliver the capacity and connectivity required – including direct links to Waterloo – and these are being investigated by TfL.
“While the Airports Commission identified Southern Rail Access as the only rail scheme required for Heathrow expansion, it emerged last month that the Government now deems no new rail infrastructure essential for an expanded Heathrow. [See Pages 17 – 18 of https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/562160/further-review-and-sensitivities-report-airport-capacity-in-the-south-east.pdf ]
“Such an approach is deeply concerning and risks worsening congestion on the roads and a further deterioration of air quality around Heathrow.”
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/9006
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Daniel Moylan, who worked for years for Transport for London commented:
Waterloo-LHR rail link would be expensive (tunnels required) and would offer few trains because of congested lines into Waterloo. Not a solution.
More on government now trying to say none of the expensive (up to £18 billion or so, according to TfL) public transport improvements needed to deal with the extra passenger and demand from a 3rd runway.
From
2.4 There remains some uncertainty over whether all of the surface access schemes included in the AC’s estimate of costs are required as a direct result of expansion. For example, the M4 is already congested and the pressure on that corridor is expected to continue to grow with or without Heathrow expansion, as background demand continues to grow as a result of population increases and economic growth. Airport users are a relatively small proportion of those who use the route. The AC concluded that additional demand associated with expansion might be the factor that triggers the need for measures to increase capacity on the M4. These measures could include managing demand or providing additional capacity, including as widening sections of the M4. The AC included the full cost of M4 widening in its assessment, whilst acknowledging that there were alternatives to widening which might be less expensive.
2.5 Alternately, airport expansion may only have a limited impact, or could be viewed as simply bringing forward the need to undertake surface access improvements by a few years, implying that the full cost of the works should not be ascribed to airport expansion. The department has concluded that the M4 should be considered holistically as part of the normal roads investment process. It is not possible at this stage to say with confidence what the cost of any eventual solution to increased congestion on the M4 might be, or what proportion should fall to the airport.
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