London Heathrow Airport takes a substantial leap in its development with the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008. The new terminal will significantly improve passenger capacity and facilities at the airport, but it makes surface access arrangements more complex. Rail Access to Heathrow has been improved substantially in the last 30 years. London Underground Piccadilly Linewas extended to the airport in 1977. It was upgraded to serve Terminal 4 in 1996, and in March 2008 an extension to Terminal 5 opened. In 1998, Heathrow Express opened as a dedicated rail link to Central London, with an extension to Terminal 5 opening in March 2008. This was supplemented in 2006 by a local service, Heathrow Connect, serving the West London suburban market. In an unusual step for an airport owner, BAA took responsibility for developing, financing and implementing the Heathrow Express scheme. BAA is now seeking powers to develop a further rail connection, Airtrack, which will link the airport to the South-West trains network, serving London Waterloo station, the suburbs and commuting areas to the south-west of London. BAA is taking responsibility for the engineering of the scheme and forguiding it through the UK planning system, to obtain powers to construct and operate the railway, acquire the necessary land and associated planning consents. Some of the challenges faced in the process are outlined. In terms of rail services, the scheme will provide a total of 6 trains per hour at Heathrow Terminal 5, serving London Waterloo, Reading and Guildford and intermediate stations. It therefore significantly expands the range of destinations that can reach Heathrow directly by rail without the need to interchange. BAA have now commissioned engineers to undertake design work of sufficient detail for the Transport and Works Act (TWA) planning process, and environmental consultants to prepare a detailed environmental impact statement. As part of the ongoing assessment of airport development proposals at Heathrow, a complex modelling system has been established to facilitate surface access planning. Additional rail modelling will be requiredto determine the impacts on non-airport rail passengers. One of the main challenges in the project delivery process will be to pull together a funding package, which will consist of a mixture of public funds, developer contributions and contributions from the aviation sector. For the covering abstract see ITRD E145999
Samenvatting