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Heathrow Airport Limited Registered in England No: 1991017 Registered Office: The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2GW
Heathrow Airport Limited The Compass Centre, Nelson Road,
Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2GW
T: 0844 335 1801
W: heathrow.com
BY EMAIL
7th December 2015 Dear Mark Hounslow Southern Rail Access Consultation Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the consultation. Heathrow Airport strongly supports the need to improve rail access to key catchments to the south of the airport, including those in south and west London, Surrey and Hampshire. In 2011, Network Rail published its London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy, which identified access to the south as a strategic gap in the rail network. Network Rail has since reaffirmed the importance of rail access to airports, recognising them as a distinct market in the most recent iteration of its Long Term Planning Process. As part of its Interim Report in December 2013, the Airports Commission also recommended that the Government should re-examine the case for southern rail access. This was identified as a short to medium term intervention to make best use of existing capacity. We welcome Hounslow’s support for the project and its report considering potential options to deliver improved connectivity to Heathrow from the south. We continue to support the view that a solution needs to be developed by the rail industry in collaboration with key stakeholders. Therefore, it should be initiated as a project through the Network Rail GRIP process. At this stage we are not seeking to comment on specific infrastructure solutions. We look forward to working with you and other stakeholders to engage with DfT and Network Rail to establish Southern Rail Access as a project. We would welcome Hounslow’s support in forming a Stakeholder Group to promote the case for Southern Rail Access. Yours Sincerely
Chris Joyce Surface Access Strategy Manager Heathrow Airport Ltd [email protected]
www.westlondon.com
West London Business Chamber of Commerce Ltd. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England number: 02934029 VAT registration number: 674069512
INSIGHT VOICE CONNECTIONS
4th floor, One Lampton Road,
Hounslow, TW3 1JB
T: 020 8607 2500
Twitter: @westlbusiness
Mark Frost
Traffic and Transport
Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
TW3 4DN E-mail: [email protected]
19 October 2015
Dear Mark,
Heathrow Southern Rail Access
West London Business works to ensure West London stays the best place to do business.
North-West London is the UK’s second largest economic powerhouse with £50 billion GVA
and 70,000+ businesses. We are a business-led organisation with a blue-chip board that
includes corporations such as GSK, Segro and PwC, as well as key regional firms such as
Fullers and Brompton Bicycles. We have a membership of many hundreds, 7000+
supporters and 30+ events per annum, including the West London Business Awards.
Our commitment is to raise West London’s global economic competitiveness, whilst pursuing
social and environmental sustainability. We work towards these goals by providing insight,
voice and connections to our members and the wider business community. Through this
programme we inform and influence the work of local, regional and national government
policymakers and promote inward investment.
As a founding partner of the Golden Mile Transport Group we have long supported London
Borough of Hounslow on transport infrastructure issues and are pleased to respond to this
consultation on Heathrow Southern Rail Access.
Context
We are strong supporters of improved public transport access to Heathrow Airport.
Encouraging more passengers and employees onto trains and buses will help reduce
congestion and transport related pollution.
We note that there is no passenger rail link between the Wessex rail lines and the airport.
This means large areas of south and south west London, and Surrey and counties to the
west, have no attractive train option by which to travel to the airport.
Feasibility study
We note the feasibility study commissioned by the Council on how a rail link could be
introduced between Feltham and the airport. It shows that a new connection from the rail
www.westlondon.com
West London Business Chamber of Commerce Ltd. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England number: 02934029 VAT registration number: 674069512
line between Feltham and Ashford running in a viaduct broadly along the alignment of
Bedfont Road before dropping into a tunnel immediately to the west of Clockhouse
Roundabout is technically achievable.
The study also suggests that a station in the vicinity of Bedfont Lakes Business Park could
be possible. This may serve by up to eight trains per hour. It would therefore transform the
public transport options to the airport, but also to London and potentially Surrey, for those
who currently live or work in Bedfont. Public transport locally is currently only provided by
low frequency buses.
Impact
We note that the required infrastructure necessary to make this happen would have some
negative impacts in the area (i.e. a viaduct, a route run partly through existing green belt
land, visual impact, Bedfont Road realignment and noise impacts from rail operations and
construction). The compulsory purchase and re-provision of residential properties at
Wooldridge Court and some industrial land near the proposed junctions with the existing rail
line may also be required.
A positive contribution to connectivity and sustainable transport
Despite these negative impacts we believe they are outweighed by the long term benefits, in
terms of employment and sustainable transport, the proposed route would provide. We are
therefore supportive in principle at this stage but would welcome more detail as it emerges,
particularly in relation to the interaction with other rail services.
We very much hope to see the project progress to the next stage. This initiative by London
Borough of Hounslow very much reflects the ambitious step change in sustainable transport
infrastructure that WLB believes we need across the sub-region. Please keep us informed of
progress.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dakers
Chief Executive
[email protected] | m: 07788 116159
Mark Frost Head of Traffic & Transport Environment, Regulatory Services & Community Safety Traffic and Transport Civic Centre Lampton Road Hounslow TW3 4DN Dear Mark, Southern Rail Access to Heathrow Airport Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your consultation and for attending our recent Policy Committee item on the subject. You will be aware that we raised with Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill MP, the lack of co-operation that was shown towards your proposal by Network Rail, and our subsequent follow up letter. Hopefully, Network Rail will now be more willing to engage with your proposals. London TravelWatch supports the concept and idea of a southern rail access to Heathrow Airport regardless of any decision to proceed with / not proceed with a third runway proposal for Heathrow Airport. We produced a report in September 2014 entitled ‘Improving public transport access to London’s airports’ (http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/documents/get_lob?id=3894&field=file) , that supports this view. We noted that the lack of a southern rail link substantially contributes to traffic congestion and poor air quality in the vicinity of the airport and surrounding areas, and so your proposal is a welcome addition to the debate about how this link could be achieved. In particular, we note that the areas that would be potentially served by this proposal have higher usage of the airport, but significantly poorer access to it by public transport and consequently a much higher dependence on private car based transport. For this reason, and the operation ones noted below, we consider it essential that a Ashford – Bedfont curve is included in the project from the outset, with full grade separation, so as to provide direct links from North West Surrey to Heathrow Airport. London TravelWatch has no view on the proposed alignment of the route, except that we think it would be worthwhile providing, passively at the minimum, the ability to link to the Heathrow Terminal 4 to Heathrow Central Area railway currently used by Heathrow Express, at the point where the two alignments are closest. London TravelWatch would welcome the provision of a station at Bedfont, as this would serve an area of poor public transport accessibility and reduce the need for shuttle buses to and from Feltham station currently provided by employers.
Our Ref: Your Ref: 30th October 2015
London TravelWatch supports your contention that the services on a link such as this must be fully integrated with the existing suburban South West Trains services on the ‘Windsor Lines’. However, we think that your proposal to terminate Weybridge – Hounslow – Waterloo service at Staines, which relies on the use of a turnback siding at Staines is not operationally viable because of the reliability implications that it would cause by introducing a ‘conflicting move’. Instead we suggest that this service should continue beyond Staines to Ashford and then to use the Bedfont curve of your proposal to terminate at Heathrow Terminal 5. This would get over the issue of a ‘conflicting move’ at Staines and also serve the market for travel from North West Surrey to Heathrow (and to a lesser extent Bedfont Lakes). However, it may also require some thought as to whether the service should be diverted at Addlestone to Byfleet & New Haw and Woking, to provide interchange with services from Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devon, Dorset and West Sussex, or be doubled in frequency with half the service to Weybridge and half to Woking. This would greatly enhance the services usefulness and attractiveness of making a journey from these areas to Heathrow Airport by rail rather than private car, and thus having a significant impact on congestion in and around the airport. London TravelWatch supports the idea of the services using the route from Waterloo should be stopping services, as this and the connections available from the stations served would be the principle market for this service rather than as a fast direct service to central London only. If you have any queries on our response please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, Tim Bellenger Director – Policy and Investigation Direct Dial: 020 3176 5940 Switchboard Telephone: 020 3176 2999 Email: [email protected] .
Travel and Transport Group Surrey County Council
County Hall Penrhyn Road
Kingston Upon Thames Surrey
KT1 2DN
9 November 2015 Heathrow Southern Rail Access Consultation London Borough of Hounslow Traffic and Transport Civic Centre Lampton Road Hounslow TW3 4DN Dear Sir/ Madam, Re: Heathrow Southern Rail Access Consultation We welcome the opportunity to comment on the pre-feasibility study of southern rail access to Heathrow Terminal 5. We support improved rail access to Heathrow from the south. Improved access to airports was identified as a priority in the Surrey Rail Strategy which highlighted the importance of Heathow Airport to Surrey’s global competitiveness, economic prosperity and employment. This was reiterated in a more detailed follow-up study commissioned by the county council to further examine surface access to airports (Surrey Rail Strategy: Surface Access to Airports Study). The Surface Access to Airports Study (October 2013) did not develop detailed options, instead it focused on strategic interventions that the county council could either develop or support third parties to develop.
Given the importance of access to Heathrow, the county council welcomed the Airports Commission’s recommendation in its Interim Report (December 2013) for Government to work with Network Rail to provide rail access into Heathrow from the south as part of an ‘Optimisation Strategy’.
Whilst rail access is relatively good to Heathrow from West London and the wider London area, from the south and including most areas of Surrey, there is little viable alternative to travelling to the airport by car. Travel by car (47%) is the dominant mode for trips to Heathrow from Surrey, followed by taxi (38%). A significant number of Heathrow employees are also resident in Surrey, with over 80% travelling by car. Enhancement of public transport access to the airport from the south is therefore vital to improve connectivity to Heathrow for airport users and staff and to help mitigate congestion, achieve modal shift and minimise detrimental impacts on the local economy. However, whilst we support the principle of improved southern rail access, we remain to be satisfied that the solution presented in this study is the optimal scheme for Surrey’s residents or for that matter the residents of South East England as a whole.
The study would benefit from reflecting in more detail on the relative markets served by this option. We recognise that this is the subject of a detailed market study commissioned by the Department for Transport which has not yet been released. However, in the absence of a more comprehensive assessment of potential markets for southern rail access, set out relative to conditional outputs, it is not possible to determine whether this scheme would deliver the most convenient and efficient access to Heathrow from the county. Further, we would also question some of the assumptions made on service options which could see a loss of connectivity for certain Surrey residents and note that the analysis of service options does not reflect on the potential impact of level crossing down time on the Windsor Lines. We would welcome the opportunity to engage with you further on options to improve southern access to Heathrow and would like to be kept informed should these proposals develop. For further information on the Surrey Rail Strategy and Surrey Rail Strategy: Surface Access to Airports Study please see www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyfuture. Yours sincerely
Paul Millin Group Manager, Travel and Transport
VAT number 756 2770 08
Our ref: 15/4116 Mark Frost Head of Traffic & Transport Environment, Regulatory Services & Community Safety REDe Hounslow Council BY E-MAIL ONLY 2nd November 2015 Dear Mark, Southern Rail Access to Heathrow Airport, LB Hounslow – TfL’s response Thank you for consulting with TfL on the pre-feasibility study on your proposed route for a southern rail access from Waterloo station via the Feltham area to Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 (T5). The following comments are made by TfL officers on a ‘without prejudice’ basis only and do not necessarily represent the views of the Greater London Authority. It is understood that this report will be used as base evidence for Hounslow’s aspiration to enable future development and carry out a review of Metropolitan Green Belt areas in the areas of East Bedfont and south of the Clockhouse Roundabout, as indicated in the Hounslow West of the Borough / Feltham Vision and concept masterplan, published in May 2015, and which will also tie in with Hounslow’s Local Plan adopted in September 2015. The Vision aim to deliver 2,675 new homes, educational use and c19,500 sqm of non-residential uses. While TfL welcomes the findings of this regeneration-focused report, there are a number of concerns and requirement for further clarification which will need to be addressed for TfL to fully support the scheme. Those are detailed further below in this letter. Generally and regardless of TfL / the Mayor’s current position on airport, reference to Heathrow’s potential expansion should be considered as being pertinent, given the changes that could take place around T5, on how this could affect the southern link proposals. TfL has concerns regarding the limited spare capacity on the Windsor Line to accommodate the demand due to background growth. The report’s reference to Network Rail’s service and rolling stock improvements is noted and such interventions welcomed. TfL would however be interested in understanding the data used by Network Rail for CP5 and CP6 planning here and how it differs to that held by the GLA, to ensure these interventions would serve growth as forecast by the GLA.
Transport for London
Borough Planning
Windsor House
42 – 50 Victoria Street
London SW1H OTL
Phone 020 7222 5600
Fax 020 7126 4275
www.TfL.gov.uk
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It is accepted that the Windsor Line capacity issue is furthermore exacerbated by the particular challenge of level crossings around Egham and Mortlake. Even the Airports’ Commission confirmed that a Southern Rail Link “is not viable unless additional capacity can be provided on the Windsor Line through Richmond” [AC Surface Access Report, para 4.8.1]. To address this, it is proposed to divert 50% of services around the Hounslow loop - which is longer by almost 15 minutes; terminating Woking-bound Heathrow services at Staines in the peak; and curtailing direct peak Waterloo services from the Frimley and Chertsey lines at Staines. It is however unfortunate that the first two interventions erode ultimately the attractiveness of the service, while the latter is likely to be highly controversial amongst passengers who would lose their direct London commuting connection. TfL is therefore still to be convinced that these attempts will actually solve the capacity challenge. Whilst it is also acknowledged in the report that non direct services would be quicker, having the option of direct services at these stations would be preferable to those with mobility impairments. The assumptions made in the report around Crossrail will need to be discussed in more detail to ensure they are correctly understood and accurate. Though still in its very early stages, TfL would welcome consideration of the combined impact of this southern rail access intervention with the services and capacity provided on Crossrail 1 and 2, particularly in light of the Crossrail 2 station at Twickenham. As Crossrail 1 was not modelled with any consideration of Heathrow’s expansion, consequently, there could be a risk of commuters being crowded off Crossrail by Heathrow expansion passenger demand which an integrated southern rail access might also seek to address. Overall, TfL would therefore welcome more reflection on the operational side of the proposed scheme, including the type of services. The current wording of the whole of Section 4 remains very speculative. In relation to the route detailed in Section 5, the scheme rightly recognises the difficulty and cost of connecting to the existing airport railway infrastructure under operational land – and that plugging into the safeguarded T5 station box from the west is the best option. If the primary traffic objective is to serve and link Heathrow, the selected route is circuitous – with implications for journey time and – given it is mostly in tunnel, rather expensive. As currently presented, the routing choice seems mainly driven by the Bedfont plans and appears sub-optimal for Heathrow. TfL would have therefore welcomed consideration in the study of non-Bedfont options to make the case stronger, though as previously recognised, this rail intervention is primarily to unlock the Feltham area, with southern access to Heathrow as secondary consideration. The improvement in Public Transport Access Level (PTAL) rating considered in Section 8 remains relatively marginal for the significant amount of investment envisaged and as such, TfL would recommend Hounslow to consider investigating an element around multi-modal aspects of the project, particularly looking at bus service access to new developments and stations. Section 9.4 estimates that the inclusion of Bedfont station into the proposed service pattern and the additional journey time that this incurs would reduce the predicted passenger numbers using the service to access Heathrow by 300k. Whilst it is
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acknowledged that the new station would generate 800k additional trips itself, again, from a strategic point of view TfL sees the priority of a southern rail access to Heathrow project to serve passengers to Heathrow. As mentioned above, if the intention is for the inclusion for a Bedfont station to be specifically designed to unlock housing or employment growth, this would change the strategic nature of the proposal and would be a project that TfL would be somehow more supportive of. As a significant proportion of surrounding land is designated as greenbelt, growth in the area surrounding the new station still remain questionable at this point in time without evidence being seen and/or tested. TfL notes that section 7.3 gives estimated costs of approx. £1bn and associated BCR of 4.4. For the reasons stated in this letter, those remain high-level and considered to be speculative at this moment in time and as such, TfL would expect costs and BCR to be different following further detailed studies. I hope this provides a useful basis upon which to progress further work. Should you wish to discuss any part of this letter, please contact myself or Georgina Barretta on 020 3054 7053. Yours Sincerely, Patricia Cazes-Potgieter TfL Borough Planning Area Manager (West) Email: [email protected] Direct line: 020 3054 7029 Cc – Darren Richards, Margaret Kalaugher - GLA
