What is Airtrack

AirTrack is…

A proposal to connect Heathrow directly to the South West Trains rail network.
Comprised of three new services to Terminal 5, via Staines: from London Waterloo via Richmond; Guildford via Woking and Reading via Bracknell, with stops at selected stations on each route.
Planned to operate every 30 minutes in each direction on each route, making six trains an hour to and from Heathrow, with end-to-end journey times of between 35 and 45 minutes.
To run over 95km of the existing rail network.
Going to require construction of just 4 km of new railway to connect the new station at Heathrow Terminal 5 to the existing Windsor line near Staines, the re-building of 400m of railway in Staines (to allow trains to access the existing line to Reading) and a new station on the Windsor Line at Staines High Street.
When completed, an opportunity for more rail service options in the future.

AirTrack will…

Create direct or one-change rail access to Heathrow for air passengers from across south and south west London and southern England, who currently have no rail link to the airport. CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) data (2006) shows approximately 22% of air passengers and 50% of staff live in areas that would have a direct rail service to Heathrow as a result of AirTrack.
Attract over 13 million passengers per annum, one third travelling to or from Heathrow.
Reduce local road congestion (5,000 fewer car journeys per day in the morning peak) and improve access for the thousands of people who work or want to work at Heathrow or the surrounding area.
Offer car users a realistic alternative in one of the most congested parts of the South East - especially for orbital journeys where public transport is currently poor.
Benefit businesses across the region by acting as a catalyst for new developments and improved labour mobility.
Provide more capacity on the suburban rail network, particularly to Waterloo, thus reducing crowding for existing passengers.

Below is a diagramatic map of the AirTrack proposal. Below this, further details of the scheme are given under the following headings:

Proposed Services; Network; Infrastructure Requirements; Environmental and Community Impacts; Business Case; What's Going on Now; Planning and Timetable; Funding:

Proposed Services

The current proposal is for three services to Terminal 5 at Heathrow, all running every 30 minutes in each direction. Recent studies are based on the following stops and journey times:

From London Waterloo, with stops at Clapham Junction, Richmond, Twickenham, Feltham and Staines. Journey time approx 40 minutes.
From Guildford, with stops at Woking, Chertsey and Staines. Journey time approx 36 minutes.
From Reading, with stops at Wokingham, Bracknell and Staines. Journey time approx 45 minutes. Stops listed in this instance are those from the 2004 OBC study (Outline Business Case - see About us); some trains at some times might include additional stops which would lengthen journey time.

AirTrack Network

Click here to view the proposed new link.
Click here to view an animation of the proposed new network.
Click here to view how the new link integrates with the existing rail structure.

Infrastructure Requirements

The principal physical infrastructure will consist of a new twin track railway from the western face of the T5 station box at Heathrow to a point where it connects to the existing network on the Windsor Line between Staines and Wraysbury, plus a new station near Staines High Street and the reinstatement of a twin track chord adjacent to the Elmsleigh surface car park in Staines. These elements are described in more detail below:

The Staines Chord - Providing a west-facing direct link between the two existing lines (to Windsor and Virginia Water) in Staines town centre. The new double track chord line enables trains to run directly to/from the airport and Reading and Guildford via Virginia Water. The previously-existing infrastructure was removed in the 1970's for the construction of the Elmsleigh surface car park.
New station at Staines High Street on the Staines to Windsor line - The new station is broadly at the location of the former Staines High Street station and consists of a pair of flank platforms to the existing double track on the embankment to the west of Staines High Street underbridge, known locally as the Iron Bridge. The station provides much improved access to Staines town centre, being adjacent to the now pedestrianised High Street and recent Two Rivers development.
New alignment across Staines Moor and Stanwell Moor - linking the Windsor Line with Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. The new alignment diverges from the existing Windsor line about 1 km north-west of Staines High Street station and then turns north, following the alignment of a disused railway embankment towards the M25. It then runs alongside the Wraysbury River and M25, and passes under the A3113 Airport Way adjacent to M25 Junction 14. The double tracks then curve round to the east to reach Terminal 5 station in tunnel.
New station facilities at Terminal 5 - The new station box at Terminal 5 has been designed to accommodate four tracks and four platforms for heavy rail and two for London Underground. BAA has constructed the enlarged station and has safeguarded the route out of the airport to the west. The AirTrack project will provide the fit-out of the passenger and rail facilities to enable two platforms to be accessed from the Staines direction.
Work may also be required at Reading Station to accomodate AirTrack services - a new platform or re-instatement of a "dive-under" to allow access to existing facilities. Detailed work currently under way will clarify the requirement.

Environmental & Community Impacts

A study commissioned by the AirTrack Forum has shown that the environmental effects of the scheme are generally positive. AirTrack has the advantage of following the route of current or former transport corridors and should deliver a reduction in noise and greenhouse gas emissions, whilst helping to improve local air quality. Any environmental impact on Staines Moor and Staines Town Centre should be mitigated through careful design and appropriate measures.

Business Case

The 2004 OBC (Outline Business Case) study commisioned by the Airtrack Forum and subsequent detailed work completed on behalf of the DfT (Department for Transport) in 2005 confirmed a strong business case for the scheme, the later study showing a very robust benefit:cost ratio of 3.6:1. The scheme is projected to make an operating surplus. AirTrack is one of the most cost-effective rail schemes currently under consideration in the UK.

AirTrack is also identified as a priority project in both the South East Regional Transport Strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy. AirTrack is the only completely new access scheme anticipated in HAL's (Heathrow Airport Ltd) draft interim masterplan for Heathrow.

Recent work undertaken on behalf of the Forum to examine the Wider Economic Benefits of the proposal has reconfirmed and reinforced the business case (see Latest News).

What’s going on now?

The AirTrack Forum was delighted when, in Autumn 2006, BAA Ltd announced that it would provide the funding for HAL to promote a Transport and Works Act (1992) Order (TWA) for the AirTrack scheme. The TWA Order would include powers to construct and operate the railway and to acquire the necessary land and associated planning consents. This is a significant step forward in ensuring that AirTrack is built. To achieve this, much detailed engineering assessment, as well as consideration of the environmental impacts and operational issues, will be necessary. This work is now in progress.

Planning and Timetable

Following the initial phase of work with its consultants to further develop the AirTrack proposals, HAL, as promoter, will be consulting widely on the scheme. Following such consultation, HAL will finalise its proposals for AirTrack, prior to making an application to the Secretary of State for Transport for the TWA Order. HAL hopes that the preparatory work can be completed by 2008, leading to a Public Inquiry in 2009. If approval is obtained, and a suitable funding package agreed, construction could commence in 2010/11, with completion by 2013/14.

AirTrack is a very close fit with local, regional and national strategy and policy. It is identified as a priority project in the current approved South East Regional Transport Strategy, SEEDA's (South East England Development Agency) Economic Strategy, the Surrey Structure Plan and a number of Local Transport Plans. In Autumn 2004, the SRA (Strategic Rail Authority) stated that it viewed AirTrack as the second step in improving rail access to Heathrow, preceded only by Heathrow Connect (local services on the Heathrow Express route to Paddington). Heathrow Connect commenced operations in early 2005. AirTrack was the only completely new transport scheme anticipated in BAA's draft interim masterplan for Heathrow, published in Summer 2005.

The August 2007 Panel Report, from the EIP (Examinaton in public) of the new South East Plan, expected to be formally adopted during 2008, re-confirmed the importance of the AirTrack scheme, describing it as "critical to the spatial strategy".

The project has explicit support from key London stakeholders including Transport for London and the Mayor.

Funding

The Scheme is estimated to cost between £350-400m, but this sum includes a very large contingency figure required by the Government. Precise costs, construction timescales and operational details will be confirmed once the TWA process is complete.

The final challenge will be to put together a funding package. The AirTrack Forum is aware that public funds are unlikely to meet all the costs. £150m could be funded from the expected operating surplus, with the remainder being sought from a mixture of contributions from the aviation sector, public funds (such as the Transport Innovation Fund) and development contributions.

The Forum thus welcomes any credible private funding initiative that might assist, but is not directly associated with, or dependent on, any particular development proposal.

Actively seeking ways of meeting this challenge will obviously be a priority for both the scheme promoters and the AirTrack Forum as the TWA work moves forward.