Minister offers hope for Heathrow Southern Rail Link

The Department for Transport “remains committed” to a new rail link to Heathrow Airport and says further information will be provided in the summer.

“Government remains committed to Southern Access to Heathrow’s status as a ‘pathfinder’ project that can harness ideas and expertise from the private sector to fund, finance and deliver this scheme,” Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said in a Commons Written Reply to Guildford MP Angela Richardson.

“The DfT intends to provide further guidance to the market regarding the proposed commercial direction and next steps, including the process for selection of a development partner,” he added.

Heathrow Southern Rail Link (HSRL) Chief Executive Chris Stokes welcomed the news, saying: “This is the most emphatic commitment we have seen since 2018 that the southern link to Heathrow will be a pathfinder scheme.

“HSRL continues to stand ready to mobilise the expertise, and transform surface access to Heathrow for passengers and staff from the south of England and south London, assisting civil aviation to become more sustainable.”

The private sector partner would raise the money to construct the line, and then operate it as part of the national rail network.

HSRL, backed by AECOM, envisages eight miles of new rail line, mainly in a tunnel, connecting the existing rail network near Staines to the existing station beneath Terminal 5.

It would enable trains to operate from London Waterloo via Clapham, as well as a link from Guildford. Services would continue to Old Oak Common and London Paddington, creating a new orbital route.

It would offer passengers from Surrey and Hampshire connections for HS2 and the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail), as well as making the airport accessible from much of southern England with just one change of train.

Services from Heathrow would use the existing Byfleet Junction, enabling trains to join the slow line of the South Western Main Line to Woking.

The junction already has a dive-under. Journey times would be 16 minutes from Heathrow to Woking, 26 minutes to Guildford, and 40 minutes to Basingstoke.

Before the pandemic, HSRL forecast that the railway would carry 33,000 passengers a day, removing 86 million car kilometres from the road network each year.

Heathrow is required to achieve a public transport mode share of 50% of passengers by 2030 and 55% by 2040. The share before COVID was 39%.