Posted 10th October 2011 | 7 Comments
Airline chief rejects high speed 'Heathwick' rail link
PLANS for a high speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick airports have received a bleak reception from the chief executive of British Airways.
Willie Walsh said the proposal, which is said to be under development by the Department for Transport, would face 'significant challenges'.
An outline of the DfT's 'Heathwick' proposal emerged over the weekend of 8-9 October, and is said to have been costed at £5 billion. Detailed proposals are due to be published in 2012 as part of the government's next review of aviation policy, it is reported.
But Mr Walsh, who is chief executive of BA's owner International Airlines Group, warned that shelving the plan for an airline-funded third runway at Heathrow will be seen to be a 'huge mistake' in years to come, according to Reuters.
Mr Walsh also said a high speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick, effectively creating a super airhub, was not the answer.
He continued: "It is sub-optimal, it is not an efficient way of doing things.
"I don't know how long it would take to develop, I don't know how much it would cost. It would clearly be significantly greater than the previous options that have been rejected. I struggle to see how it would be funded.
"The beauty of the third runway at Heathrow was that it was very clear who was going to fund it. It was going to be funded by the airlines flying in there.
"Who is going to fund a high-speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick? The airports are not owned by the same owner any more. Is it going to come from the taxpayer? I'm not sure the taxpayer would welcome that."
Airports have become an increasingly important part of rail policy ever since the Southern Railway opened a dedicated station for Gatwick Airport before the last war.
After many years of discussion about a rail connection to Heathrow, the Piccadilly Line of London Underground was extended from Hounslow West in 1977, and in the following years new lines were built to the airports at Manchester and Stansted, while the first section of the Great Western Main Line was electrified in the late 1990s for the Heathrow Express service, owned by BAA.
The situation has been less happy north of the border: airport rail links in Glasgow and Edinburgh have both been proposed and, in the case of Glasgow partly built, before falling victim to spending cuts. As things stand, Edinburgh Airport is set to gain a rail-based link when the city's long-delayed but now apparently revived tram scheme is completed.
In England, meanwhile, a new station has just been opened at Southend Airport by the airport's owners Stobart Group, Crossrail trains are due to reach Heathrow in six to seven years from now, and a spur to Heathrow figures in the plans for HS2.
However a plan to connect Heathrow from the south, known as Airtrack, was abandoned by BAA earlier this year, although two platforms have been provided for such a service within the newest Heathrow station, serving Terminal 5.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
George Davidson, Newport, wales
Actually, a number of people have to travel between Heathrow & Gatwick - or at least use the motorway links between the two airports. I know of no end of people from south Wales who have to make the difficult journey to Gatwick in order to catch planes. (No doubt, others from nearby England are also making the same journey). By rail, this involves changing at Reading and then taking a slow train through places like Guildford. The alternative is to go into London Paddington and then tube to Victoria and then down to Gatwick.
If the proposed Great Western electrics go into Heathrow, then surely a fast continuation to Gatwick would be most welcome. These trains could even continue to Brighton. So, it certainly is not just about transferring international passengers. However, the cost and difficulty of building a new line through this area would be massive.
Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
It seems Vanity projects have spread from Boris at City Hall along the river to Dave in Whitehall and in a time we are told there is no money just where is this £5 billion coming from? - It could pay of NHS PPP Projects with cash to spare!!!
Whoever dreamt this up knows little about railways and even less about High Speed Rail which works best when built in a straight line in order to built that "whoosh" factor and not made to amble around a ringroad thus adding billions to its cost!!
And if a high speed line was built from Heathrow to Gatwick the line should then continue on to Ashford International and a junction with HS1 allowing Eurostar etc trains to run direct from Heathrow/Gatwick to Paris etc. This would then be extended north to a junction with HS2 in North West London/Bedfordshire.
Without the above extensions this line would simply be a waste of money for how many people actually travel between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports at present?
If Heathrow has no 3rd runway then Gatwick has to get its 2nd!!
Lutz, London
This is not a serious proposition - it will fail when it comes to the cost/benefits analysis - in the same way similar proposals failed in the past - the issue being it is projected to attract enough patrons.
Aside from this party-conference throw away, it may be a good indication that opinion is swinging back in favour of the extra runways for Heathrow and Gatwick given the growing pressure on existing runway capacity - this idea thus being put forward to try and undermine the argument.
Geraint Griffiths, chester, England
What is the problem with building a third runway? I've never understood. It seemed the only people opposed to it were NIMBYs and Green lunatics.
Geoff Steel, Northampton, United Kingdom
It is a crazy idea and Willie Walsh is correct in his assessment. How many people other than international transfers are going to want to use this exclusive toy. If there is going to be that sort of public money available in the timescales envisaged then it should be spent on upgrading the existing transport network and links to both airports. We don't need this and it should be dropped into the bin before any more public money is wasted paying huge consultancy fees for something that probably won't ever happen.
It is yet another example of a country that does not have a real integrated national transport policy and we continue to go forward based on knee jerk pet projects. When will we ever learn?
Canon Peter Stephens, Wootton, Bedford, UK
If the DfT is planning a link from HS2 to Heathrow, then it makes good sense to continue that link close to (and in many places underneath) the M25 (with probably a straight run from Mogador to Hookwood - and while doing that to include a junction near New Haw to Woking as a vital extension of Crossrail services.
Shame that DfT is not planning HS2 alongside M1/M45 instead of stoking up opposition from the quiet citizens of rural south midlands and Chilterns.
George Davidson, Newport, wales
The south western part of Britain could have done with one major airport and the closing of the present Cardiff and Bristol Airports - neither of which have direct motorway or rail access. (Cardiff Airport is served by a branch line with one train per hour to Rhoose station and then a 1 mile shuttle bus link). To get from the respective motorways (M4/M5) to these airports is a nightmare.
Unfortunately, during the years of Labour rule, they came out against the conversion of Filton into a major airport due to the fact that the Bradley Stoke housing development (which would have suffered noise) had just been built. (The Cribbs Causeway Mall was also built on lane that could have been used as part of this airport development). This surely was an absolutely stupid decision as we had an airfield right where all the major lines of communication crossed - the M4 and M5 plus the major rail routes including south Wales to London/Portsmouth and the south-west to the Midlands and beyond.
Then we had the closure of the blast furnaces at Llanwern - just east of Newport. (Steel rolling still takes place on part of the site). Now, I reckon that enough land was vacated to build an airport at Llanwern. We even had rail lines into the site that could have been converted to form a rail station with main line trains. The M4 is very near the site which is mid way between Bristol and Cardiff. So, flat brownfield land in an excellent location for an airport to serve south western Britain. Now, I understand that the Welsh Assembly Government have hived off the land for development in the form of housing and businesses parks. Another lost opportunity!
At least the faster electric service along the GWML with access to Heathrow will be welcomed by the populous of the SW and south Wales.