Western Rail Approach to Heathrow: Difference between revisions

Western Rail Approach to Heathrow
Western Rail Approach to Heathrow
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Heathrow area rail services

Legend

mi-ch

from Paddington

Elizabeth line via Whitechapel

0-00

Paddington

Heathrow Express

Elizabeth line

Old Oak Common

under

construction

4-21

5-56

6-46

7-28

9-06

10-71

Piccadilly line to Cockfosters

11-10

Airport Junction

Great Western Main Line

to Reading

Hatton Cross

Heathrow Junction closed 1998

Heathrow Airport:

Terminal 4

16-30

Terminal 4

Terminals 2 & 3

14-40

Terminals 2 & 3

16-20

Terminal 5

The Western Rail Approach to Heathrow is a proposed rail link in

South-West England and South Wales. It would also reduce congestion at London Paddington station by removing the need for Heathrow passengers on this route to travel into central London.^[1]

Announcements

The project was announced by the Department of Transport in July 2012.[2] Theresa Villiers, the rail minister at the time, included the project in the High Level Output Statement published in 2012. This stated 'The Government wishes to see a new railway link to give western rail access to Heathrow Airport' but did not commit to the scheme, making it 'subject to a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry'.^[3]

Network Rail originally estimated that the project could be operational by 2020.^[2] In January 2017, Network Rail's estimate was 2024.^[1]^[4] Slough Borough Council has cited 'parliamentary activity' as the reason for the delay but not offered further explanation.^[5]

The scheme has been supported by the Airports Commission, which included the scheme in its 2014 report on the Expansion of Heathrow Airport.^[6]

In May 2018, it was reported that Network Rail intended to apply for a Development Consent Order in 2019, and that construction of the railway link would be privately financed.^[7]

Route

The currently proposed route is a new 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) railway line that would leave the Great Western Main Line between Langley and Iver before entering a new tunnel. The tunnel (composed of two smaller tunnels) would pass under Richings Park and Colnbrook and then join existing rail lines at Heathrow Terminal 5.^[8]

Four access buildings will be built along the route to provide emergency access to the tunnels, with two additionally providing ventilation.^[8]

Realignment of the existing tracks will also be required between Langley and Iver.^[8]

Services

It is envisaged that there would be a service of four trains an hour from Heathrow to Slough and Reading.^[8] Earlier publicity also suggested there would be two trains per hour to Twyford and Maidenhead.^[9]

Heathrow Express have offered to run services to Reading which would stop only at Slough.^[10]

Alternative & complementary schemes

Other schemes have been proposed to connect Heathrow Airport to the Great Western Main Line. A western link featured in the Heathrow Airtrack scheme, abandoned in 2011.^[11]

Another alternative scheme is the Windsor Link Railway, which would provide both western and southern access to Heathrow.

A complementary scheme which could be developed at a later date, or alongside the Western Rail Approach, is the Heathrow Southern Railway, which envisages links from the airport to the south and south west.

References

^ ^a ^b "Heathrow rail link". Network Rail. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ ^a ^b "£500m Heathrow link to cut times on Great Western line". BBC News. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ "2012 HLOS" (PDF). HM Government. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
^ "Improving Rail links to Heathrow". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) – via Internet Archive (original page has been moved and revised)
^ "Windsor Link Railway reaches key milestone as WRLtH suffers further delays". Colnbrook Views. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
^ "A New Approach - Heathrow's options for connecting the UK to growth: Surface access" (PDF). www.heathrow.com. Airports Commission. January 2014. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Morby, Aaron (8 May 2018). "Network Rail unveils Heathrow western rail link plan". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 9 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Consultation: Improving rail links to Heathrow airport". Network Rail. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^ "What WRLtH delivers for Maidenhead". Thames Valley Berkshire LEP. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Ambition for Heathrow-Reading Express service unveiled". Heathrow Express. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
^ "Heathrow rail link shelved by BAA". BBC News. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

External links

Western Rail Access to Heathrow: the future of rail travel to the airport – Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership

51°29′10″N 0°31′12″W / 51.486°N 0.520°W / 51.486; -0.520

[NetworkRailHrowLink-1] "Heathrow rail link". Network Rail. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

[bbcpage-2] "£500m Heathrow link to cut times on Great Western line". BBC News. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

[3] "2012 HLOS" (PDF). HM Government. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

[4] "Improving Rail links to Heathrow". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) – via Internet Archive (original page has been moved and revised)

[5] "Windsor Link Railway reaches key milestone as WRLtH suffers further delays". Colnbrook Views. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

[airportscommission-6] "A New Approach - Heathrow's options for connecting the UK to growth: Surface access" (PDF). www.heathrow.com. Airports Commission. January 2014. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[7] Morby, Aaron (8 May 2018). "Network Rail unveils Heathrow western rail link plan". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 9 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)

[NwkRailHrowLinkConsult-8] "Consultation: Improving rail links to Heathrow airport". Network Rail. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

[9] "What WRLtH delivers for Maidenhead". Thames Valley Berkshire LEP. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[10] "Ambition for Heathrow-Reading Express service unveiled". Heathrow Express. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

[11] "Heathrow rail link shelved by BAA". BBC News. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

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@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 [[Heathrow Express]] have offered to run services to Reading which would stop only at Slough.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ambition for Heathrow-Reading Express service unveiled|url=https://www.heathrowexpress.com/news/2014-02-09-ambition-for-heathrow-reading-express-service-unveiled|publisher=Heathrow Express|accessdate=10 March 2014}}</ref>
-==Alternative schemes==
+==Alternative & complementary schemes==
 Other schemes have been proposed to connect Heathrow Airport to the Great Western Main Line. A western link featured in the [[Heathrow Airtrack]] scheme, abandoned in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heathrow rail link shelved by BAA|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13042740|accessdate=30 October 2017|work=BBC News|date=11 April 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030124455/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13042740|archivedate=30 October 2017}}</ref>
 Another alternative scheme is the [[Windsor Link Railway]], which would provide both western and southern access to Heathrow.
+A complementary scheme which could be developed at a later date, or alongside the Western Rail Approach, is the [[Heathrow Southern Railway]], which envisages links from the airport to the south and south west.
 ==See also==