The Department for Transport (DfT) “remains committed” to the proposed southern rail link to Heathrow Airport and will provide further information on the project’s next steps in the summer.
In response to a written parliamentary question from Angela Richardson MP, rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris emphasised the importance of the scheme.
“Government remains committed to Southern Access to Heathrow (SAtH)’s status as a ‘pathfinder’ project that can harness ideas and expertise from the private sector to fund, finance and deliver this scheme,” he said.
“The DfT intends to provide further guidance to the market regarding the proposed commercial direction and next steps, including the process for selection of a development partner, in summer 2021.”
When chosen, the development partner will be responsible for the raising the money to build the line, constructing and testing it, and then operating it as part of the national rail network.
Project promoters such as Heathrow Southern Railway Ltd (HSRL) have been calling for more information on the selection process for the role and the associated commercial model for the past three years.
As such, HSRL chief executive Chris Stokes welcomed the news.
This is article has been reproduced based on the original article at New Civil Engineer.
