HEATHROW

[Surreyman]

BA Dublin & Belfast from T1 to T5

Methinks BA are going to have to move some flights from T5 to T3 to make room!
I would also hazard a guess that most of the current BA T1 destinations will move to T3.
I am of course assuming that current T5 stand utilisation is close to 100%,
unless anyone with inside knowledge is able to correct me?

[Heathrow Harry]

Go ahead for Reading T5 railway

Will start in 2016 and open in 2021 - spur of the main line ant Langley allowing trains from Reading and apparently Bristol & S Wales direct access

Quite why it wasn't built 10 years ago no-one knows

[MerchantVenturer]

Will start in 2016 and open in 2021 - spur of the main line ant Langley allowing trains from Reading and apparently Bristol & S Wales direct access

Quite why it wasn't built 10 years ago no-one knows

By then the lines from Paddington to both Bristol Temple Meads via Bath and to South Wales via Bristol Parkway will be electrified, or should be - nothing can be taken as read with any government of any political colour - but the entire South West England west of Bristol will carry on in the diesel age.

Part of the electrification rationale was a speeded-up service to that currently provided by the 40-year old First Great Western HST sets. It's not made clear how passengers will access LHR via the proposed spur. It would be nonsensical for the mainline trains themselves to divert in and out because the overall journey to London itself would then be no quicker than it is now.

Presumably passengers will change trains at Reading but the LHR press release is short on detail anyway although the notes to editors might give a clue. It goes into specifics about how much time will be saved on journeys from South Wales stations but says nothing about those from the West Country and South West, perhaps because the latter will remain firmly entrenched in the railway 20th Century.

Heathrow - Press releases - Heathrow western rail access to benefit millions

[Fairdealfrank]

Go ahead for Reading T5 railway
Will start in 2016 and open in 2021 - spur of the main line ant Langley allowing trains from Reading and apparently Bristol & S Wales direct access

Quite why it wasn't built 10 years ago no-one knows

Indeed, they knew that LHR-5 would be built where it is. Equally stupid was (1) no chord at airport junction to allow trains to go west, (2) not having some trains stop at Hayes to avoid the "doubling back" from London, and (3) not having the Crossrail terminate at Reading (that is almost criminal stupidity).

They really have no idea about integrated transport and connectivity!

By then the lines from Paddington to both Bristol Temple Meads via Bath and to South Wales via Bristol Parkway will be electrified, or should be - nothing can be taken as read with any government of any political colour - but the entire South West England west of Bristol will carry on in the diesel age.

Part of the electrification rationale was a speeded-up service to that currently provided by the 40-year old First Great Western HST sets. It's not made clear how passengers will access LHR via the proposed spur. It would be nonsensical for the mainline trains themselves to divert in and out because the overall journey to London itself would then be no quicker than it is now.

Presumably passengers will change trains at Reading but the LHR press release is short on detail anyway although the notes to editors might give a clue. It goes into specifics about how much time will be saved on journeys from South Wales stations but says nothing about those from the West Country and South West, perhaps because the latter will remain firmly entrenched in the railway 20th Century.

A sensible way would be to have some trains from Reading and points west run via LHR-5 and LHR-1/2/3, and others as at present, perhaps alternating trains where there is a half-hourly service.

[DaveReidUK]

Presumably passengers will change trains at Reading

Well yes, at the risk of stating the obvious, clearly most of the eastbound trains calling at Reading will continue to Paddington, and therefore Heathrow-bound passengers will need to change, but that certainly doesn't rule out at least some through trains to LHR from Bristol, Wales and the southwest.

Or, as FDF suggests, via LHR - though it's not immediately obvious where they would continue to or what would be the point in that.

[ETOPS]

A few more details from Notwork Rail..

Proposals for a direct rail link from the west to Heathrow

05 February 2014

The future rail link, subject to planning permission, will give passengers a direct rail service from Reading via Slough, to Heathrow airport. Currently, passengers wishing to access Heathrow by rail have to travel into London Paddington station before changing to dedicated airport services.


Economic growth

Direct rail access to Heathrow from the west could deliver an increase in business productivity, quicker journeys to the country’s busiest airports and a boost to economic growth.


“Our plans for a new rail link to Heathrow from the west will dramatically improving rail links, reduce congestion on existing rail services and provide a boost to the local economy.

It’s important that we take the opportunity to discuss these plans so we can ensure the investment made in a bigger, better railway delivers maximum benefit.”

Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail route managing director Western route

Western Rail Access Programme proposal

We met with MPs and other local stakeholders to discuss the detailed plans – known as the Western Rail Access Programme – that would provide significant economic benefits for the growing number of businesses in the Thames Valley, M4 corridor and south west England and south Wales.

The proposals would see a new junction created between Langley and Iver stations, linking with a 5km tunnel for trains to access Heathrow Terminal 5.

We will need to secure a Development Consent Order to deliver the Western Rail Access Programme. A steering group of industry leaders, from organisations including Network Rail, Department for Transport, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, Slough Borough Council and Heathrow Airport, is working together to progress the proposals.

If planning permission is granted, we would begin initial highways enabling work at the end of 2016, with tunnel enabling work starting in early 2018.

The project would be complete in 2021.

So 7 years before trains are running.........

[Libertine Winno]

As a UK taxpayer does it not perplex others that they're spending millions of taxpayer £££'s on a link that, post-Davies review in 2015, could be completely redundant if LHR is not chosen to construct R3?!

A private company wouldn't countenance that kind of spend with such uncertainty... or maybe Network Rail know something we don't!

[upandoffmyside]

T1 plans ..

Thanks for that gen Gonzo.

We all look forward to the removal of the inner taxiway past T1 as it's been bashing the hell out of nose wheel oleos and spilling cups of tea in cup holders for far too long.

I just hope that the BAA get the new taxiways right this time and not end up with cracks in the concrete sections all over the place, and having to dig it all up and then re-lay it, as seemed to happen with the new sections for T5 on the north side, on Alpha.

I mean they wouldn't ever get the construction of shops in the new terminals wrong at all, would they ?. Oh no!

[PAXboy]

via ETOPS

“Our plans for a new rail link to Heathrow from the west will dramatically improving rail links, reduce congestion on existing rail services and provide a boost to the local economy.

Funny thing ... when I lived in Bristol and had to take the train to Reading and the coach to LHR (along with numerous others) we knew that.

Of course, it was 1975 and wouldn't have expected anything to done for 100 years ...

upandoffmyside

and having to dig it all up and then re-lay it, as seemed to happen with the new sections for T5 on the north side, on Alpha.

Like a Council building I know in Buckinghamshire: It's been open about seven years but has had to be closed for the main floor tiles to be lifted and relaid by hand. TWICE for the same thing. Lucky that Councils don't have to accept the lowest bidder...

[Fairdealfrank]

Or, as FDF suggests, via LHR - though it's not immediately obvious where they would continue to or what would be the point in that.

Maybe Reading-London nonstop alternating with Reading-London via LHR-5 and LHR-1/2/3, the latter being similar to the way that trains from south of Amsterdam do a stop at Schiphol on the way to Amsterdam.

Alternatively the trains could terminate on the airport (LHR-5, LHR-1/2/3 then LHR-4), but they may as well miss LHR-4 and continue up to London and pick up some Heathrow-London pax.

Much would depend on the numbers of pax using this, but expect those who use the bus from Reading and those who double-back from London may find a through train convenient, and who knows, the conveniece may even generate some new traffic.

Having spent millions on building the link, it would be crazy NOT to use it in this way (even so, don't hold your breath!).

That, to me, would be the point.

As a UK taxpayer does it not perplex others that they're spending millions of taxpayer £££'s on a link that, post-Davies review in 2015, could be completely redundant if LHR is not chosen to construct R3?!

A private company wouldn't countenance that kind of spend with such uncertainty... or maybe Network Rail know something we don't!

Good, all that's needed now is for the government to grow a pair.

[DaveReidUK]

Maybe Reading-London nonstop alternating with Reading-London via LHR-5 and LHR-1/2/3

Sounds like you have just reinvented the Heathrow Express, which is just about the last link that needs any more capacity.

[anothertyke]

A propos which, what is the future for Heathrow Express once Crossrail gets going?

I predict either a shuttle from Heathrow to Reading or if HAL and operators put the boat out an hourly train to Reading continuing alternately to Bristol and Cardiff. That will cost somebody though.

[Heathrow Harry]

FDF wrote "Equally stupid was (1) no chord at airport junction to allow trains to go west, "

Absolutely correct frank - worse than that it was originally planned to build the chord but not connect it at tthe time - then they sold the site so BMidland could build an office there......

Todays Times suggest that Heathrow Express would like to run the Reading service - I'll bet they would at their prices!

Crossrail is a dog for LHR services - it is a stopping (everywhere) service from Maidenhead to Essex (tho the good folk of Maidenhead don't realise they 'll be getting a much slower service when it starts)

[ETOPS]

It's just struck me that the WRA announcement effectively blows the whole Davies report (and its 2015 date) to bits. I think we can see that the decision to build a 3rd runway at LHR has been taken and that infrastructure projects are being progressed on that basis.

As if to back this up I just found this map....

http://www.heathrowairport.com/stati...thwest_LHR.pdf

which I'm going to predict will be very close to the actual announcement - after the General Election.

[DaveReidUK]

As if to back this up I just found this map....

http://www.heathrowairport.com/stati...thwest_LHR.pdf

I'm not sure what the presence of a map on Heathrow's website actually proves, if anything. It would be very surprising if you weren't able to find maps of all 3 of the Davies Commission's shortlisted options on the Net.

The NW option is the one favoured by Heathrow Airport, so it would be very strange if there were no details of it on their own website.

Ditto the shortlisted Heathrow Hub and Gatwick proposals on their respective websites.

[Heathrow Harry]

The idea and versions of that map have been around for the last 5 years IIRC - pretty much ever since people realised the impossibility of running a line from Staines - that involved a new elevated chord in the middle of Staines and about a dozen sets of level crossings along the route - it would have gummed up SW London well and good

[DaveReidUK]

The idea and versions of that map have been around for the last 5 years IIRC

The north runway option was first mooted many years ago, in fact runway(s) north of the A4 were being proposed in the late 1940s.

But you would be hard pressed to find versions of the current northwest runway proposal, or indeed any schemes that extend west of the M25, that are more than a couple of years old.

[PAXboy]

Everyone knew (and knows) that it HAS to be LHR3. We only have to wait for the politicians to catch up.

Equally, no turf will be turned UNTIL the announcement is made.

[Heathrow Harry]

it will be at least 5 years in the courts before a single spade is taken up

Lawyers are already leafing through their Bentley brochures as we speak.............

[Fairdealfrank]

The north runway option was first mooted many years ago, in fact runway(s) north of the A4 were being proposed in the late 1940s.

Yes, it was for three rwys: an east-west parallel with the current rwys, a SW-NE rwy, and a SE-NW rwy intersecting eachother and forming a triangle. At the time there were 6 rwys south of the A4, as above, but with 2 rwys in each of the directions.

At that time capacity was less important, so parallel only rwys were not needed, crosswinds were more of an issue than today hence the need for multi-directional rwys that could not all be used simultaneously.

Everyone knew (and knows) that it HAS to be LHR3. We only have to wait for the politicians to catch up.

Equally, no turf will be turned UNTIL the announcement is made.

Indeed. They could make a start now, do it at night, and tell everyone it's a taxiway or M25 diversion.......

Seriously though, the M25 tunnelling (and associated preparatory work) does need to start now, so that they are ready to go after Davis reports in favour and the court cases are over.

it will be at least 5 years in the courts before a single spade is taken up

Lawyers are already leafing through their Bentley brochures as we speak.............

Thought that there some new fast-track process for "infrastructure of national significance" and that legislation was pending for more of the same to thwart the eco-warriors, the "swampy"s and the litigators.

Maybe the Libdems thwarted it(?).