Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce is increasingly optimistic that the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) will get the go ahead. The link delivers improved access to Heathrow, the UK’s only international hub airport, for 20% of the UK’s population and will deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to south Wales and several English regions, including the southwest, south central, midlands and Thames Valley.
WRLtH, which in 2019 had business case approval from the Department of Transport and the Treasury subject only to a funding agreement between Heathrow and Government, was a casualty of the pandemic and was put on pause. The Chamber, which has long been a campaigner for the link, committed to finding a private finance solution. Recent work makes Thames Valley leaders optimistic that there is a business model with a return on capital attractive to potential investors and that, with the cooperation of Government and Heathrow, this can be delivered.
The Chamber, with private and public sector sponsors, including GWR, HAL, Mapletree and SEGRO and both Oxfordshire and Slough Councils, commissioned a reworking of the business case for the rail link. The analysis undertaken by Atkins takes note of changes in rail services and passenger numbers since 2019, considers alternative financial structures and incentives and reconsiders the capital estimates. Early indications are that this will show a positive outcome based on a two-runway airport and a stronger outcome should a third runway be built. The Chamber should be able to report on the outcome of the study in November.
Thames Valley Chamber is working closely with Heathrow and other partners to develop a way forward to secure the delivery of WRLtH as soon as possible.
We recognise that Heathrow has much work to do on its own plans and that must include surface access proposals to mitigate the impact of any expansion. We believe that, if the early indications are verified through quality assurance, we can show that there is a business model which will bring in significant private investment and enable the link to go ahead. It will bring the immediate benefits generated from improved access to the two-runway airport and prove the commitment of all parties to alleviating the impacts of road traffic.
The scheme has strong support from business, local authorities, politicians, tourism and education interests across the benefitting area. It is supported by an All-Party Parliamentary Group co-chaired by Tan Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough and Baroness May our former Prime Minister. The Chamber has already received inquiries from potential investors.
The case for the link is based on a 6.5km route connecting the Western Mainline to Heathrow Terminal 5 largely via a 5km tunnel and served by four trains per hour from Reading via Slough. By reducing travel times to Heathrow by as much as 30 minutes for about 14 million people this will deliver:
- Economic growth, inward investment, regeneration, and new jobs – across multiple regions including poorer regions of England and south Wales
- Mitigation of the airport’s environmental impact, helping UK’s climate change targets
- Increased inbound tourism opportunities
- Increased opportunity for international research partnerships and student access
- Greater resilience of the rail network, customer choice and reliability.
In 2010 the benefits based on a two-runway airport were assessed as:
- £800 million added GVA
- £1.5 billion in efficiency savings
- 42,000 new jobs
- Reduced CO2 emissions equivalent to 30 million fewer road miles per year
The Chamber aims to bring this assessment up to date. It expects the benefits to be greater now for a two-runway airport and considerably more should a third runway be built. The Chamber also aims to explore options to extend services beyond the Reading-Heathrow shuttle.
The Thames Valley Chamber and its partners have worked to secure the considerable benefits to the link’s catchment area for 15 years. The earlier business case produced by Network Rail was based on a two-runway airport and had approval in 2019 from the Department for Transport and Treasury subject only to a funding statement. Government and Heathrow Airport were in the late stages of negotiating an agreement when the pandemic derailed plans to submit a planning application through the Development Consent Order process. Had DCO approval followed, the link was due to open c2027.
