Contact: Peter Murnaghan, ext 6920

1. Summary

1.1 This report advises Members of the progress made to date by a number of organisations in developing a proposal to link Heathrow Airport by rail from the South West. The report provides a summary of the issues involved in creating this new link, to be known as Airtrack, and seeks the Panel's endorsement, on behalf of the local authorities in North East Hampshire, to the way forward. It is hoped that the Regional Transport Strategy will include support for this initiative.

2. Background

2.1 Heathrow Airport is a major traffic objective in the south of England, not only for aviation but also for employment and interchange purposes. The principal means of access are the M4 and M25 motorways, which suffer heavy congestion at peak times. Access to Heathrow Airport by public transport has developed over the years through piecemeal efforts. The Piccadilly underground line provides a direct, but slow link to Central London, while the Heathrow Express provides a faster rail link to Paddington Station. However, for passengers requiring an alternative to the car from the south-west quadrant, notably Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire and the South West London boroughs, there is no access by rail. The train operating companies promote Rail Air Link coaches from Woking and Reading Stations, together with a bus service from Feltham Station. The two coach services make use of the motorway network to reach the airport, whilst the Feltham bus uses local roads. Thus, there is an alternative to the car for passengers from the South West.

2.2 The recent decision to go ahead with Terminal 5 for Heathrow means there is a further need to address this shortcoming, but also commits the promoter, British Airports Authority (BAA), to improving rail links to the airport. For the last two years officers of the County Council, together with Surrey and the other interested local authorities, have been meeting BAA, British Airways, Railtrack and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in an effort to demonstrate support for the need to link the rail network into the airport from the south west direction. This group, known as the Airtrack Forum, has included business interests in the area and representatives of 'Transport for London'.

3. The Scheme

3.1 The Airtrack proposal, which is promoted jointly by BAA and Railtrack, envisages some four kilometres of new double track railway across Staines Moor into the airport, together with a new chord at Staines Station. This would provide sufficient capacity to enable Heathrow to handle up to 16 trains per hour in each direction, some of which would run direct from Southampton, Portsmouth and Farnham, serving principal stations in Hampshire. The opportunity would be taken to operate trains through to the North of England, to provide an attractive alternative to interchanges between rail termini in Central London (see attached appendix for a diagram of the proposed route network).

3.2 The promoters estimate that the scheme would cost some £180 million and could not be expected to open until 2007 at the earliest. However, studies suggest that the initial train service could attract five million passengers a year and take 2,000 cars a day off the roads. Savings in travel time alone could be worth some £70 million per year. The scheme is complementary to the work currently being carried out under the Orbit multi modal study for the M25 corridor and it is hoped that Airtrack will be supported within the new Regional Transport Strategy which is being prepared by the South East of England Regional Assembly (SEERA). Whilst Railtrack is not currently in a position to commit significant resources to a number of longer-term schemes such as this, it is vital that the momentum is not lost to develop this scheme of regional importance.

4. The Way Forward

4.1 The most likely way for Airtrack to be promoted and constructed would be through a consortium of key players, known as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). For this to take place it has to be confirmed by the Government and the SRA as a top transport priority for London and the South East. To this end local authorities and principal players within the Airtrack Forum need to stimulate support and commitment amongst business interests, Central and Local Government.

4.2 A brochure has been prepared and is being circulated widely. No costs have yet been committed by Hampshire County Council, but it is likely that a modest contribution will be sought by the Forum for future technical studies and the communication strategy in advance of the formal process of scheme promotion. It would demonstrate a valuable sign of support if the authorities within the North East Hampshire Transport Strategy area were to offer a small financial commitment to the costs of developing this proposal. Whilst it is unlikely that any physical works would be required for the scheme within the county of Hampshire, such is the regional importance of the scheme that its encouragement and support are to be commended. With the support of the Panel, the inclusion of this scheme will be pursued within the evolving Regional Transport Strategy.

Recommendations

1. That the work of the Airtrack Forum in supporting the case for improved rail access to Heathrow Airport from the South West be endorsed.

2. That the Executive Member for Environment be invited to endorse the proposal on behalf of Hampshire County Council.

3. That the Panel commends its constituent authorities to offer such support as they can to the Airtrack Forum to assist in developing its technical studies and communication strategy with a view to securing approval by Central Government and industry.

6941/PJM