Heathrow Rail Links Mentioned in Parliamentary Questions and Debates

Baroness Vere: Following the publication of the Market Sounding Findings Report, published in December 2018, which showed that none of the schemes put forward were able to advance without Government support, whether that be direct financial support, or by providing indirect support such as guarantees of future usage, my Department has been working to further develop and clarify the outcomes we want to be delivered from this project and is considering appropriate criteria for assessing commercial and procurement models, including minimum requirements required.

Baroness Sugg: The Department has been engaging with rail and aviation businesses and other interested parties to better understand their views on this scheme. This is being done as part of the work to clarify Government’s objectives for the scheme which was a recommendation of the Market Sounding Findings Report, published in December 2018.

Andrew Jones MP: The Guidance for Rail Market-led Proposals published in March last year is clear that the Department’s role is not to develop these proposals, as they are market-led. The Department has the capacity to evaluate rail market-led proposals in line with the guidance. On 5 December 2018 the Department responded to all promoters who had submitted a market-led proposal in response to the March 2018 Call for Ideas, and my officials are continuing to engage with those promoters whose proposals were evaluated to have the potential to be financially credible without government support.

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP: I absolutely agree: we need both western and southern access to Heathrow. That is an important part of ensuring that the airport can expand in a sustainable way, but it will also make a real difference to the hon. Lady’s constituents who work at the airport.

Baroness Sugg: The Department has begun working on the recommendations of the Market Sounding Findings Report published in December 2018 which found significant market appetite for financing and delivering a Southern Rail Link to Heathrow (SRLtH) but did not find a feasible proposal able to progress without Government support. We are committed to doing this work as quickly as possible, following which we intend to set out further engagement opportunities to all interested parties.

Baroness Sugg: No assessment has been made. An early lifting of the Air Traffic Movement cap at Heathrow is not Government policy. Any proposal for the early lifting of the Air Traffic Movement cap would be subject to the planning process and would need to form part of an applicant’s development consent application. As part of this process, the Planning Inspector would need to see that there was a proper assessment of the impacts, including a full environmental assessment, and that appropriate mitigations were in place to limit any anticipated impacts.

Andrew Jones MP: A new Southern rail link to Heathrow forms part of our long term aspiration to make travelling to and from the airport quicker and easier for millions of air travellers and we recognise the benefit that new connectivity can provide. This project is in the early stages of development and stopping patterns and therefore journey times are not yet known at this stage.

Baroness Sugg: Air quality is a national health issue, which this Government takes very seriously. This is why the Government recently published the Clean Air Strategy, which includes new measures and funding to cut pollution and save lives. Public Health England is responsible for collecting data to better understand public health challenges. This data is publically available via the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England portal, [1] which includes an indicator for air pollution expressed as the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution. The most recent published estimates available are for 2017. These show 6.4% for Hounslow, which is lower than the London average of 6.5%. The estimates do not cite a specific cause of death of any individual, but reflect an equivalency which is used to assess the impacts of particulate air pollution contributing to death. With regard to Heathrow expansion, the Airports National Policy Statement is clear that development consent would not be granted if the Secretary of State for Transport is not satisfied that the scheme would be compatible with legal obligations on air quality. As part of the development consent process, an applicant is required to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality effects of the scheme, including during construction, and to put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations where necessary to ensure compliance with air quality obligations. The applicant is also required to produce a detailed Health Impacts Assessment to set out the scheme’s impacts on public health, including from worse air quality.

Andrew Jones MP: The HS2 Development Agreement sets out the Sponsor’s Requirements for the HS2 scheme. At Old Oak Common, this includes interchange facilities with the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail services. Our current indicative train service specification that has informed the design of Old Oak Common station assumes that all Great Western franchise and Heathrow Express services will stop at Old Oak Common. This will enable passengers from Wales and other destinations currently served by Paddington bound trains to interchange with HS2 services to the midlands and north of the UK. The frequency of connections is an operational matter that will be determined nearer the time, but we would expect passengers and other stakeholders to be consulted on material changes to future franchise service patterns.

Jesse Norman MP: The Government responded in full to the recommendations on 22 May 2018. The Government’s focus in the immediate term is on bringing forward compliance with legal limits for NO2 concentrations, and stakeholders from seven departments take part in the governance of the NO2 Plan in order to ensure that policies are closely aligned. The Government published its new Clean Air Strategy on 14 January 2019, setting out a comprehensive plan to tackle air pollution, aimed at all sectors of industry and society.