Heathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSRL) – the independent private sector venture set up to transform the rail network serving Britain’s busiest airport – has reacted to today’s announcement from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) that South Western Railway (SWR) will be the first railway service to be taken into public ownership following the passing of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024.
HSRL’s plan is to unlock vastly easier access to Heathrow Airport through the construction of up to 8 miles of new railway from the west end of the existing Terminal 5 station, linking with the SWR network.
When complete, the new railway will open up access to and through Heathrow from key SWR locations by enabling trains to operate between Heathrow and London Waterloo via Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Staines and other intermediate stations; and between Heathrow, Woking, Guildford, Farnborough and Basingstoke. Direct trains could operate to Heathrow from as far away as the south coast.
The best rail journey times projected by HSRL are 19 minutes from Woking to Heathrow, 29 minutes from Guildford to Heathrow and 6 minutes from Staines-upon-Thames to Heathrow.
Since 2020, Mark Livock has been a senior consultant with rail-focused public affairs and media relations company Cogitamus Limited, supporting client projects across England and Wales including providing strategic advice to Transport for the North.
The new railway will also improve connectivity between Surrey and London for commuters, creating a new route from Basingstoke, Guildford and Woking via Heathrow Airport to Old Oak Common (for HS2 and the Elizabeth Line) and London Paddington. In addition, it would provide for an extension of the Elizabeth Line to Staines-upon-Thames.
HSRL Chair, Baroness Jo Valentine, said:
“The UK Government has begun the process of putting track and train back together by announcing the timetable for public ownership of South Western Railway following the earlier creation of Shadow Great British Railways. Our engagement with politicians, public bodies, the aviation industry and other stakeholders confirms their desire to see greatly enhanced rail travel opportunities to and from Heathrow for airline passengers and aviation workers which would align totally with the Government’s ‘Growth’ and ‘Opportunity’ Missions.”
HSRL Chief Executive, Mark Livcock, said:
“The new Government has expressed interest in finding ways to harness private sector finance in making the delivery of major infrastructure schemes more affordable. HSRL has perhaps the most sophisticated understanding of the opportunities for this kind of collaboration, having been working through the challenges for the past 8 years. Public ownership of SWR provides potential to bring all the participants into alignment and devise a strategy for getting this economy-growing and emissions-reducing scheme underway with renewed vigour”
For further information visit www.heathrowrail.com or contact Mark Walker on 01733 767244 or 07742 925753.
Notes for editors:
- The UK’s Labour Party pledged in its manifesto for the 2024 General Election to “…put passengers at the heart of the service by reforming the railways and bringing them into public ownership. We will do this as contracts with existing operators expire or are broken through a failure to deliver…Great British Railways will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility. It will be responsible for investment, day-to-day operational delivery and innovations and improvements for passengers….”
- Under the previous Conservative Government, the UK Department for Transport conducted a market sounding exercise with potential private sector promoters of a Southern Rail Link to Heathrow (SRLtH) during 2018. In June 2023, Transport Minister Baroness Vere told the House of Lords that the UK Government “remains committed to improving rail access to Heathrow airport and our ambition is that any Southern Access to Heathrow scheme is funded and delivered by the private sector. Proposals need to be developed in a way that does not require government funding and secures significant benefits. We continue to discuss options and engage with the promoters as they work to resolve these outstanding issues.”
- In August 2023, Mayor Sadiq Khan told the London Assembly he welcomes “the useful role that a Southern Rail Link to Heathrow could play in supporting a shift to sustainable modes, while transforming access to Heathrow Airport for passengers and staff from South London, Surrey and Hampshire. I am aware that a number of factors coming together in recent months have increased the prospects of a scheme moving forward. The Greater London Authority and Transport for London maintain regular dialogue with a broad range of interested stakeholders as we look to resolve the issues which have obstructed progress to date, while ensuring that any scheme meets the needs of Londoners and does not impact the reliable operation of the railway network.”
