Airtrack Proposal

Your CommentsThe main comments wereceived from people wereabout level crossings, Felthamdepot, disruption in Stainestown centre and the effecton Staines Moor.Level CrossingsTraffic delays at level crossingswere a concern at the locationswhere the barriers are currentlydown for a large part of the hour.It is recognised that HeathrowAirtrack services would add to theproblem. Following the feedbackreceived, we have had furtherdiscussions with the relevantlocal authorities, Network Rail andthe highway authorities to seehow this issue could be addressed.In February and March 2009,Surrey County Council andBAA surveyed the worst affectedlevel crossings in Egham, PooleyGreen and Staines to gaina better understanding of roadtraffic problems. RunnymedeBorough Council is now leadinginvestigations involving BAA,Network Rail, Surrey CountyCouncil and others to explorepossible solutions both to existingproblems and the effect of theadditional trains should HeathrowAirtrack services commence.In Richmond we have been unableto undertake similar surveys jointlywith the Council because ofThames Water works in thefour affected roads. The firstopportunity for reliable surveysis likely to be in September 2009.When we have results of thesesurveys we will discuss the optionswith the London Borough ofRichmond and the other authorities,though the range of possiblesolutions is likely to be morelimited than in Runnymede.Wokingham Borough Council isconsidering the issue as part of itstransport strategy for the stationarea and housing proposals forsouth Wokingham.Feltham DepotLocal residents in the areasurrounding the depot site weremainly concerned about thedisruption the new depot mightbring, as well as the impact onthe nature conservation area.We are addressing these concernsby designing the depot to limitnoise and light pollution andlandscape screening wouldbe provided around the site.Although the depot would takeover half of the existing site, asmuch as possible would be doneto protect the most importantareas of habitat by moving themto unaffected parts of the site.Heathrow Airtrack would alsocontribute to the Council’senhancement proposals for thispart of the Crane Valley once thedepot has been built.Staines Town CentreSome respondents wereconcerned about the amountof disruption that the schemewould cause in the town centreduring and after construction.Comments were also receivedabout car parking spaces beinglost and the need to provideadditional car parking forHeathrow Airtrack passengers.We have been working withSurrey County Council on thehighway layout in South Streetand with Spelthorne BoroughCouncil and the owners of theElmsleigh Centre, to ensure thatthe shopping centre and its carparks can operate efficientlyboth during and after theworks, although there wouldbe some unavoidable disruptionduring construction.In particular, the access rampacross South Street to theElmsleigh Centre multi storey carpark would need to be replacedand we are working to ensure itwill only be out of action for asshort a time as possible. Whilethe new ramp is built we wouldprovide temporary accessthrough the Tothill multi storeycar park.We are proposing to remodelStaines station forecourt toprovide a transport interchangewith better facilities for buses,taxis, drop off areas, disabledaccess and cyclists.We are also proposing to retaindedicated office space and parkingfor existing South West Trains’staff and disabled passengers atthe station. Parking for the generalpublic would be moved to theexisting Kingston Road car parka short distance away.There are no proposals to provideadditional public car parking inStaines or dedicated parkingadjacent to the station as it wouldattract increased traffic into thecentre of Staines.We are considering measuresto reduce additional noise thatmay arise from trains on the linebetween Staines town centreand Staines Moor.6 7

Staines MoorA variety of concerns were raisedabout the impact of HeathrowAirtrack on the natural environment.The impact on Staines Moor hasbeen an important considerationin designing the scheme:1. The rail link has been movedcloser to the M25 to avoid, as faras possible, the Site of SpecialScientific Interest (SSSI) and toensure a continuous expanse ofopen space.2. Common land and open spacethat is taken to build the rail linkwould be replaced.3. The scheme would be on a verylow viaduct across Staines Moor,rather than an embankment. Thiswould help to limit the loss offlood storage space and reducehabitat loss.4. During construction, contractorswould be required to put in placeprotective measures to minimiseimpacts on habitats, including theWraysbury River.Footpath and BridlewayThe proposals for the footpath andbridleway have continued to bedeveloped. The current proposal,shown opposite, is to keep theexisting bridleway as it is, althoughit would need to be closedtemporarily during construction sothat a gas main and high voltagecable can be diverted.After Heathrow Airtrack has beenbuilt, an additional footpath wouldrun along the eastern side of thenew railway and on the line of theold railway embankment. The twoexisting pedestrian level crossingswould be removed and replacedby a new footbridge over theWindsor line, providing a safercrossing for the local community.The footpath would be extendedto the south of the new footbridgeand over the Wraysbury River,creating an integrated networkof footpaths.Other CommentsA number of questions were alsoasked on subjects ranging fromticket prices to who would operatethe service. It is too early toaddress many of these questionsbut we are working closely withNetwork Rail, the Department forTransport and South West Trainsand will continue to engage withlocal communities and stakeholdersat all stages of the HeathrowAirtrack application process.Public Access to Staines Moor8 9

What Happens Next?We have completed the outlinedesign of the scheme and inthe near future we will besubmitting an application tothe Secretary of State forTransport for an Order underthe Transport and Works Act1992 (TWA).This application will seek toauthorise the works requiredand the acquisition of any landthat is needed either temporarilyor permanently.Project documents relating to theTWA application will be madeavailable at local libraries andCouncil offices. Details of theselocations will be placed in localnewspaper advertisements.Once the TWA application hasbeen submitted, objections,representations and letters ofsupport must be lodged within56 days. Once the Secretary ofState has had an opportunityto consider the application,a decision will be made onwhether a Public Inquiry shouldbe held into the proposals. BAAanticipates a Public Inquiry couldbe held at the beginning of 2010.All being well, TWA powers couldbe granted towards the endof 2010.If you would like to talk tosomeone about the proposedscheme you can call theHeathrow Airtrack Team on020 7529 4906. Or you can email:heathrowairtrack@cjassociates.co.ukAll those who have an interest in,or rights over land which may beaffected by the scheme, will benotified that the application hasbeen made under guidelines laiddown for TWA applications.TimelineSummer 2009Submit Transport andWorks Act Order ApplicationEarly 2010Potential Public InquiryLate 2010TWA powers grantedEarly 2011Possible start of worksLate 2014Heathrow Airtrackservices operating10 11

Comments on AirTrack proposals:-(a) Except for the short Heathrow Express extension to Staines, the other 3 Airtrack routes are roughlysimilar in length(b) But while the T5 - Waterloo service has 5 planned stops at Staines, Feltham, Twickenham, Richmond,Clapham Junction(c) the T5 - Reading service has only 2 at Bracknell and Wokingham(d) and the T5 - Guildford service has only 2 at Chertsey and Woking.1. There is a degree of unfairness here as the T5 - Reading trains will run fast with no stops betweenHeathrow and Bracknell; while the T5 - Guildford trains will run fast with no stops between Heathrow andChertsey. As proposed Airtrack trains will not stop at Egham, Virginia Water, Sunningdale or Ascot .2. In their 2 nd Consultation report BAA states:-“As the Heathrow Airtrack services are additional trains to those currently being operated bySouth West Trains, they provide additional capacity, particularly between Staines and LondonWaterloo.Passengers will be able to use these new services to travel between existing stations, withoutpayment of any supplement. Passengers travelling on all Heathrow Airtrack services goingbeyond Staines to Heathrow Airport will be charged a small supplement.Services will probably run between 5.00 am and midnight”.3. Also in their 2 nd Report BAA abandoned their initial proposal for a new station at Staines High Street.This means that an additional stop can be made at Egham, Virginia Water, Sunningdale or Ascot withoutlengthening the original Airtrack run times.4. Because of the closeness of the station platforms to the barrier level crossings, and the extended barrierdowntime needed in this situation, Egham and Sunningdale are unsuitable stops for Airtrack trains.5. However it raises the possibility of an Ascot stop (2 AirTrack tph) on the T5 – Reading line, and aVirginia Water stop (2 Airtrack tph eventually) on the T5 - Guildford line.6. An Ascot AirTrack stop would have some advantages and disadvantages :-A. It is in the RBWMB. existing road congestion between Ascot & Bracknell could eliminate AirTrack rail advantageC. would reduce local car and taxi journeys to HeathrowD. Ascot station would need forecourt improvements (Taxi, bus, car park, drop off separation).7. Bear in mind that Airtrack is a Heathrow surface access proposal designed to facilitate R3 :-Wider economic impacts of AirTrack SEEDA Final Report 21.12.075.1 (p43) AirTrack could....... It also has the potential, in combination with other policy measures, tohelp meet the Government’s criteria for a third runway at Heathrow....8. Finally, would BAA surrender fast Airtrack routes to T5, even if a GWR/M25/Heathrow hub proposalwent ahead ? BAA appear to be reluctant to give up the Heathrow Express from Paddington !The old Staines / West Drayton line may provide a useful southerly link to the hub if it were to proceed, butnot if it was monopolised by BAA.Peter Hooper. 12.3.09