Posted 12th August 2024 | 7 Comments
Heathrow Western Rail Link axed in government economies
The west-facing rail connection from the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow Airport is the latest casualty following the announcement of a £22 billion ‘black hole’ in national budgets by chancellor Rachel Reeves on 29 July.
Railway budgets already axed in a bid to save more than £2 billion of ‘unfunded pledges’ in Transport alone include the Restoring Your Railway fund. This decision has dismayed a number of local councils who were backing plans to reopen lines like the Portishead branch in Bristol and new stations in many places, including Haxby in North Yorkshire, Aldridge in the West Midlands and Devizes in Wiltshire.
But the plan to give Heathrow a westerly railway connection, which was first unveiled 12 years ago, still has ‘wide cross-party and local support’, according to Slough’s Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. Mr Dhesi was shadow rail minister between April 2020 and September 2023 while Labour was in opposition, before he was replaced by Stephen Morgan.
The link would have started from a junction near Iver and have been 6.5km long, allowing trains from places like Oxford, Bristol and Cardiff to serve the airport directly.
Mr Dhesi has not abandoned his support for the line, and has set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Western Rail Link.
During a Commons debate about the project on 30 April this year, he said: ‘The scheme, which has been identified as a nationally significant infrastructure project by the National Infrastructure Commission, promises to decrease train travel times, offer a consistent service of trains in each direction, vastly improve connections and bring destinations within the “golden hour” for foreign direct investors.’
In the wake of the election, he added: ‘Since the Conservative government promised to build it over a decade ago, this nationally significant infrastructure project has been beset by delays and funding challenges, yet receives wide cross-party and local support from businesses and residents.
‘With a new Labour government, I know it is steadfast in its commitment to economic growth, and enhancing our infrastructure and rail connectivity, alongside tackling the climate crisis.
‘I look forward to future discussions on how we can improve all transport services for my Slough constituents.’
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Michael T., Reading
We have yet another Faux Austerity Government.
A government that has FAILED to look at the Chinese Model of Socio-Economic GROWTH. Invest, INVEST, INVEST in big projects Infrastructure and you get Economic Growth!
Yet another PM with a complete LACK of Vision and a Real Plan for UK 2050!
We have myopic politicians who do everything to Aim for their Goals of UK 1850...
John Porter , Leeds
I suspect the government will press for this link to be added to Heathrow’s regulated asset base (RAB) if Heathrow press ahead with a third runway. A separate private sector terminal 6 outside the RAB would then allow airlines and others see how gold plated the existing RAB is.
Tim Stevens, Peterborough
How about a much cheaper alternative: a west-facing chord at Airport Junction, to enable services from the Slough direction to access the existing airport railway? Or, failing that, a service from Slough over existing tracks, reversing at Hayes & Harlington. I believe the signalling at H&H already allows for a reversing movement.
The rail industry should be looking at cheaper and "smarter" solutions to achieve .much-needed enhancements. For example, installing modular platforms and basic facilities would enable stations to be re-opened much more economically. The recently-reopened single-platform station at Soham near Ely reportedly cost £22m. Ridiculous!
david C smith, Bletchley
If this connection can be made after " recovery " of the wider ecnomic scene , it would be interesting to see a list of potential places that could get a direct service into the airport . Birmingham , Oxford, South Wales, Bristol, Reading, and more.
But please, can we end up with an on - time, on - budget , fault - free artefact ?(Could we even hope for a general solution to our long standing problem with infrastructure construction ?).
Chris Jones-Bridger, Buckley Flintshire
There has been a lack of transparency regarding rail investment for years. Despite repeated requests the previous government failed to publish a coherent strategy. Rather individual schemes were announced, often repeatedly, and not necessarily with full agreed funding. Just take for example Portishead. How many times has a press release arrived announcing 'confirmed' investment in this project. As an already existing and operational freight route this should be a straightforward project but has been subject to repeated consultation appearing no nearer seeing the resumption of a passenger service.
What is increasingly apparent is that despite a lot of eyecatching 'investment announcements ' made by the previous administration that hasn't been matched by actual cash. And what cash that has been allocated has been eroded by the recent bout of inflation.
Andrew Thomson, Leeds
This project was cancelled in October 2023. Network Rail write to the NIC confirming this.
James Hutton, Oxford
Perhaps Heathrow Airport should be funding the Western Rail Link as part of their wish to expand the airport?