Heathrow Hub railway station
Encyclopedia
The Heathrow Hub is a proposed railway interchange to serve, principally, future High Speed 2
rail services for Heathrow Airport. It was part of a proposal put forward by global engineering, design and consulting firm Arup in 2008, as a means of extending the UK’s high speed rail network from central London to Heathrow Airport.
researched an innovative alternative for the alignment of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The route proposed by the company focused on using the link as a catalyst for regeneration - it was adopted by Government in 1991. It came into being in November 2007, when the first Eurostar
arrived via High Speed 1, at St Pancras railway station
.
Arup’s proposal would create a high-speed rail station at the airport alongside a future airport terminal, providing it with a direct rail link to continental Europe via Eurostar International services. The new station would have also connect regional rail services on the Great Western Main Line
to Heathrow, making the airport more accessible to the West, South West, Wales and the Midlands and provided a direct train service between the Thames Gateway and the Thames Valley.
The new rail link to Heathrow was to offer passengers the choice between different modes of transport. Currently, just 22% of passengers arrive at Heathrow by rail, including the London Underground, while 65% arrive by car.
, Ruth Kelly
to discuss how this cost could be private sector funded.
When published in February 2009, the Conservative Rail Review, ‘Getting the best for passengers’, confirmed that ” a Conservative Government would support proposals along the lines of the plan put forward by engineering firm, Arup, for a new Heathrow rail hub.”
Debate sparked by the Heathrow Hub proposal led to the Government’s 2009 decision to set up HS2 Ltd. The organisation is charged with considering the options to extend the UK’s high speed rail network from London to Birmingham and beyond.
In 2010 the incoming Coalition Government
favoured a high speed route via a Heathrow hub, rather than an Old Oak Common interchange. In July 2010 plans emerged for a 12 platform station at Iver
with services from High Speed 1, 2, Crossrail and the Great Western Main Line. It would be 3½ minutes from Heathrow Terminal 5 and 12 from Euston
.
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 is a proposed high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, the North of England, and potentially at a later stage the central belt of Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company established by the British government...
rail services for Heathrow Airport. It was part of a proposal put forward by global engineering, design and consulting firm Arup in 2008, as a means of extending the UK’s high speed rail network from central London to Heathrow Airport.
Proposal
In the late 1980s ArupArup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
researched an innovative alternative for the alignment of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The route proposed by the company focused on using the link as a catalyst for regeneration - it was adopted by Government in 1991. It came into being in November 2007, when the first Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
arrived via High Speed 1, at St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
.
Arup’s proposal would create a high-speed rail station at the airport alongside a future airport terminal, providing it with a direct rail link to continental Europe via Eurostar International services. The new station would have also connect regional rail services on the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
to Heathrow, making the airport more accessible to the West, South West, Wales and the Midlands and provided a direct train service between the Thames Gateway and the Thames Valley.
The new rail link to Heathrow was to offer passengers the choice between different modes of transport. Currently, just 22% of passengers arrive at Heathrow by rail, including the London Underground, while 65% arrive by car.
Evaluations
The cost of the Heathrow Hub project (including the costs of tunnelling a High-Speed Rail line from central London to Heathrow and a rail station with international and regional services) was estimated to be around £4.5 billion. In 2008, Arup met with former Secretary of State for TransportSecretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
, Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
to discuss how this cost could be private sector funded.
When published in February 2009, the Conservative Rail Review, ‘Getting the best for passengers’, confirmed that ” a Conservative Government would support proposals along the lines of the plan put forward by engineering firm, Arup, for a new Heathrow rail hub.”
Debate sparked by the Heathrow Hub proposal led to the Government’s 2009 decision to set up HS2 Ltd. The organisation is charged with considering the options to extend the UK’s high speed rail network from London to Birmingham and beyond.
In 2010 the incoming Coalition Government
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
favoured a high speed route via a Heathrow hub, rather than an Old Oak Common interchange. In July 2010 plans emerged for a 12 platform station at Iver
Iver railway station
Iver railway station is a railway station in the village of Richings Park, near Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the first station outside Greater London on the Great Western Main Line.-History:...
with services from High Speed 1, 2, Crossrail and the Great Western Main Line. It would be 3½ minutes from Heathrow Terminal 5 and 12 from Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
.