Heathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSRL) – the private sector venture set up to transform the rail network serving Britain’s busiest airport – says Sadiq Khan is right to include Southern Rail Access to Heathrow in the London Plan.
HSRL Chief Executive, Chris Stokes, said:
“We congratulate London Mayor Sadiq Khan for recognising the strategic need to resolve the decades-long issue of a southern rail link to Heathrow Airport.
“Despite the current massive reduction in airline patronage as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, a southern rail link to Heathrow remains a powerful illustration of the need to build back better as the worldwide economy bounces back. As air passenger numbers recover, increasing the proportion of customers and airport staff accessing Heathrow by rail will be essential if congestion and air quality issues in south west London and Surrey are to be addressed.”
For further information visit www.heathrowrail.com or contact Mark Walker on 01733 767244 or 07742 925753.
Notes for editors:
- HSRL intends to create fast, easy and relaxing rail access to Heathrow Airport by building 10 kilometres of rail infrastructure from the west end of the existing Terminal 5 station, mainly in tunnel, to connect to the existing rail network near Staines and Virginia Water.
- The pre-pandemic public transport mode share for passengers using Heathrow Airport was just 39%.
- Heathrow Southern Railway will enable electric trains to operate between Heathrow Airport and London’s Waterloo terminus via Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Staines and other intermediate stations. Waterloo East and Clapham Junction will make Heathrow accessible from South London, Kent and Sussex with just one change of train.
- HSRL’s new rail link will also enable electric trains to run from Woking, Guildford and Basingstoke to Heathrow Airport and on to Old Oak Common (for HS2) and London Paddington (for the Elizabeth Line), providing a new route to central London.
- The rail journey times projected by HSRL are 19 minutes from Woking to Heathrow, 29 minutes from Guildford to Heathrow and 6 minutes from Staines to Heathrow.
- HSRL forecasts that the new railway will remove 86 million car kilometres from the road network each year, bringing a saving of around 8,600 tons of carbon dioxide and 2 tons of NOx per annum. It is forecast to be used by 33,000 passengers per day and could be open by the end of 2027.
- The Mayor’s London Plan – ‘The Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London’ may be viewed here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/the_publication_london_plan_2020_-_clean_version_0.pdf
photo credit © Greater London Authority
