| Can I use AirTrack if I don’t want to go to the airport?
AirTrack services will be available for all passengers to use for any journey between stations served.
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How much disruption will AirTrack cause, while it is being put into operation?
The rail link will run over 95kms of existing rail network and require only 4kms of new railway line and a new connection to the rail network at Staines. Operational impact on existing train services should therefore be kept to a minimum during construction.
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How will AirTrack interface with Crossrail and other rail services at Heathrow?
It has always been the view of the AirTrack Forum that AirTrack and Crossrail are complementary, not competitive, schemes. There has been concern that some possible operating patterns for Crossrail might have led to pressure on platform resources at Terminal 5, but the Department for Transport has confirmed that Crossrail will serve the Central Terminal Area (CTA) and Terminal 4 at Heathrow. Heathrow Express (HEX) will serve the CTA and Terminal 5. This would ensure that there is no platform capacity shortage at T5. Previously it was assumed that interchange between AirTrack and HEX - and London Underground - would take place at T5, whilst interchange with Crossrail would be via the CTA, which will enjoy very good connections to T5, including HEX and London Underground. The "Heathrow Airtrack" proposals, announced in the public consultation materials published by BAA during 2008, and now the subject of an application to the Secretary of State, feature an extension of some HEX services to Staines.
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What is the consultation process?
Following a first stage consultation - undertaken from February to April 2008 - on the major works required for the link between Staines and Terminal 5 and a second stage consultation - undertaken from October to December 2008 - on wider issues including proposals for a new train depot at Feltham; in July 2009, HAL (Heathrow Airport Ltd) submitted detailed scheme proposals for Heathrow Airtrack to the Secretary of State for Transport for an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992, seeking powers to construct, maintain and operate the railway and to acquire the necessary land and associated planning consents. An initial period of formal consultation on those proposals ran from July to September 2009. This is now closed. It was originally anticipated that a Public Inquiry in to the scheme might take place in spring 2010, but additional detailed work on timetabling and level crossing downtimes has resulted in the likelihood that the Inquiry will be delayed to the Autumn of 2010.
For further information, please follow the link below to BAA's Heathrow Airtrack web page. Please note that the AirTrack Forum has no responsibility for the content of the HAL application to the Secretary of State.
Click here for the BAA Heathrow Airtrack web page.
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Isn’t AirTrack redundant now Crossrail seems likely to go ahead?
It has always been the view of the AirTrack Forum that AirTrack and Crossrail are complementary, not competitive, schemes. They are designed for quite different purposes and will serve distinct geographic markets. AirTrack would provide direct service to the south and west of London, Crossrail would serve the A4 corridor, including areas such as Slough and Maidenhead which are not part of the AirTrack scheme. Around half of Heathrow staff and over a fifth of air passengers live in areas that would get a direct service to Heathrow with AirTrack in place.
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Why don’t the proposals include stations on the Kingston loop?
It is likely that many users across the SWT network would welcome the expansion of the project to include direct services to their local stations, but it would be impossible to meet all such aspirations. In the particular case of services from the Kingston/Wimbledon loop, this has been looked at previously, both in connection with former Heathrow rail access proposals and the current scheme. The service network proposed by the Forum was believed to provide the best business case. In addition, it is believed there would be major technical challenges associated with junction layouts. Even without direct services, the AirTrack proposal will represent a step-change in opportunity for convenient public transport access to Heathrow for travellers from the area served by the loop, with convenient interchange opportunities available at Clapham Junction or Twickenham.
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Who will be responsible for its operation?
It has not been decided who will operate the trains forming the AirTrack services. Studies undertaken by the AirTrack Forum have suggested that integration with the existing South West Trains franchise is the most favourable operating mechanism, but other options are available - such as a stand-alone entity.
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Who will pay for AirTrack?
It is likely to come from a combination of public and private sources, including a substantial contribution from the aviation industry, Government funding and, perhaps, private developers who will benefit.
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WiIl AirTrack be like the Heathrow or Gatwick Express?
Heathrow Express operates non-stop at high speeds with a 15 minute journey time to London. Despite inaccurate claims to the contrary, the AirTrack proposal is for a very different type of service. The core scheme is for trains operating at speeds and with rolling stock likely to be similar to, and possibly integrated with, the existing South West Trains suburban rail network, with end-to-end journey times of 30-40 minutes. In addition to providing airport access, these would feature a number of intermediate stops on each of the three proposed routes to Guildford, Waterloo and Reading, providing welcome additional capacity over a wide area. In addition, Heathrow, unlike Gatwick, is not a 24 hour a day airport and proposals for AirTrack therefore do not anticipate a 24 hour operation.
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Will AirTrack be subject to a premium fare. If so, why?
The original economic assessment of the scheme undertaken by the AirTrack Forum was based on a nominal £2 fare premium for passengers wishing to board or alight at the airport. This was to ensure that occasional users and airline passengers contribute to the costs of the scheme. It is still too early to say what the final fare structure will be and whether it would, in fact, include such a premium.
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Will its operation affect my existing service?
Some of the service patterns modelled in various of the studies undertaken in recent years required the replacement of a handful of current peak time services by AirTrack services. However, this conclusion was based on the assumption of no other change to the current timetable and no improvement in existing network capacity. Either or both of these variables may change in the future.
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