Plans Revealed For £10bn High-Speed Railway To Connect Britain’s Busiest Airports, HS1 and HS2
The title of this post is the same as this article on Global Rail News.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Developers are submitting plans for a new high-speed line to the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) in response to a call for market-led proposals.
Named ‘HS4Air’, the proposed £10 billion railway will connect HS1 at Ashford to HS2 North West of London with stops at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and a spur connection to the Great Western main line.
This map from Expedition Engineering shows the route.
To minimise environmental disruption, the following should be noted.
- There is a North-South tunnel under Heathrow Airport.
- HS4Air follows the M25 to the South-West of London.
- Several miles of the route between Heathrow and Gatwick is in tunnel to the West of Horsham.
- There is a West-East tunnel under Gatwick Airport.
- The Ashford to Tonbridge Line would become part of HS4Air.
There will also be stations at Ashford, Tonbridge, Gatwick and Heathrow.
This further diagram from Expedition Engineering shows the various possible routes.
Note the following about HS4Air.
- Four major airports; Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester, will be connected to the Channel Tunnel.
- Wikipedia suggests, that the line could be extended to a reopened Manston Airport.
- A Paris to Manchester passenger service via Gatwick, Heathrow and Birmingham, is proposed.
- High-speed connecting services from Cardiff, Oxford and Manchester to Ashford are proposed.
- HS2’s major interchanges of Birmingham International and Crewe, are served.
- Freight routes from Liverpool and Southampton to the Channel Tunnel will be enabled.
It looks a good basis to connect the rest of the UK to the services through the Channel Tunnel.
The article also gives some sample journey times.
- Ashford-Gatwick: 25 minutes
- Manchester-Heathrow: 1 hour 10 mins
- Heathrow-Gatwick: 15 minutes;
- Cardiff-Heathrow: 1 hour 40 mins
- Birmingham-Paris: 3 hours
- Manchester-Paris: 3 hours 40 minutes (My Estimate)
Intriguingly, the Manchester-Paris time, is the same as Eurostar’s current time between London and Amsterdam.
Conclusion
The plan seems to be well-thought out and it gives a good increase in connectivity from Wales, the West Country and the Midlands and North of England to Heathrow, Gatwick and the Channel Tunnel.
But I can see a few problems.
- Will the residents of the North Downs accept a high-speed railway through their area?
- If freight routes from Liverpool and Southampton to the Channel Tunnel are established, will residents object to masses of noisy freight trains?
- Will there be pressure for more tunnels?
On the other hand Expedition Engineering are saying that needed extensions to the UK’s electricity grid can be laid underground along the same route.
Will Crossrail Trains Run 24 Hours?
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Londonist.
We don’t know the answer yet, but the article feels we should never say never.
After all, if Gatwick Airport has trains on a 24/7 basis, surely Heathrow should!
Transport for London’s New Rail Line
Today, Transport for London have taken over Heathrow Connect, in preparation for the full Crossrail.
The service is now run by TfL Rail, just like the Liverpool Street to Shenfield service in the East of London.
It’s even shown on some of the new Underground maps.
I photographed this map at Kings Cross St. Pancras.
Note the double blue line, which indicates the new route of the former Heathrow Connect, running from Paddington in the top-right corner of the map to Heathrow Terminal 4 towards the bottom-left.
The intermediate stations shown are.
- Acton Main Line
- Ealing Broadway – Change for Central and District Lines.
- West Ealing
- Hanwell
- Southall
- Hayes and Harlington
- Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 (Heathrow Central) – Change for Piccadilly Line.
Note that TfL use Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 for the main railway station at Heathrow and Wikipedia uses Heathrow Central.
A Trip To Heathrow From Paddington
This morning, I checked into the new TfL Rail service at Paddington, using my Freedom Pass and took the 09:11 service to Heathrow Airport.
I got out at Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 station before returning later on another TfL Rail service to Paddington.
I took these pictures on the route.
Note that the Class 360 trains are still running on the route, as there are operational issues with Crossrail’s new Class 345 trains in the tunnel to Heathrow.
Contactless Card/Oyster To Heathrow
TfL Rail also accepts contactless card or Oyster on this route.
According to TfL’s Single Fare Finder, the single fare is £10.20 in the Peak and £10.10 in the Off-Peak.
But,I’m not sure about railcards, the affect of capping or the price if you buy the ticket on line.
Freedom Passes To Heathrow
As I’d used my Freedom Pass, the two journeys cost me a big fat nothing!
It won’t be long before the many Freedom Pass holders, will realise, that Heathrow will be in their free travel area by a comfortable train and they will possibly use it more often, than the Piccadilly Line.
TfL Rail Service Frequency
Currently, the frequency between Paddington and Heathrow is two trains per hour (tph).
Provisional service details are shown under Services in the Wikipedia entry for Crossrail, when the line opens fully in December 2019.
- Four tph between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 stations
- Two tph between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 5 stations
All services will call at the following stations.
- All stations between Abbey Wood and Paddington stations.
- Ealing Broadway station
- Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 station.
Plans for stopping at Acton Main Line, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes & Harlington stations are yet to be decided.
I suspect that TfL would like all Heathrow trains to stop at all intermediate stations, just as services do between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, in the East of London.
But Great Western Railway may have other ideas!
Speaking for myself, I’d like to see four tph on the TfL Rail route between Paddington and Heathrow, as soon as possible.
The Future Of The Class 360 Trains
When Crossrail sort out the Class 345 trains, the five sets of five-car Class 360 trains will be surplus to requirements.
They will also be joined in the sidings in a couple of years, by twenty-one similar four car trains, that are being replaced with new Class 720 trains, by Greater Anglia.
As they are modern 100 mph trains, they should find a home somewhere!
They could even be exported to Thailand, where a similar fleet operates.
Ticketing On Heathrow Southern Railway
This article on City AM is entitled New Elizabeth Line Services Are Coming To Heathrow’s Terminal 5 After Airport Strikes Deal With The Government and TfL. It contains this paragraph.
Heathrow has also announced that it is introducing Oyster and contactless payments for all rail services going into the airport. From May 2018, new ticket readers will be installed at Heathrow, so anyone using Heathrow Express and TfL Rail will be able to use an Oyster or contactless.
When I passed through Heathrow a couple of weeks ago, there was evidence of new ticket gates being installed.
Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Services
Heathrow Southern Railway are proposing four services to the West of Terminal 5 at Heathrow.
- Heathrow Express from Terminal 5 to Woking, Guildford and Basingstoke, with an additional stop at Farnborough Main.
- Crossrail from Terminal 5 to Staines
- A service from Terminal 5 to Waterloo with stops at Staines, Clapham Junction and possibly Ashford, Felham, Twickenham, Richmond and Vauxhall.
- A service from Terminal 5 to Weybridge with stops at Egham, Virginia Water, Chertsey and Addlestone.
Some of the stations like those between Feltham and Waterloo already accept contactless ticking, but surely all of them must if Heathrow Southern Railway is built, as you’ll be able to use contactless ticketing at Heathrow, but not at say Woking or Basingstoke.
Onward From Basingstoke, Guildford And Woking
A proportion of travellers from places like Bournemouth, Exeter, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Southampton will use Heathrow Southern Railway to get to the airport, with an appropriate change at Basingstoke, Guidford or Woking.
Will these travellers want to use contactless ticketing?
Conclusion
There will be a lot of discussions about ticketing on the Heathrow Southern Railway.
These ticketing issues, help to make it very understandable, why MTR, a partner in South Western Railway, want to join the Heathrow Southern Railway, as I wrote about in MTR Vying To Join Heathrow Southern Rail Bid.
Travellers want the ticketing system with the least hassle and as London is proving, contactless ticketing with bank cards works well!
Heathrow Southern Railway And The Windsor Link Railway
The Windsor Link Railway is a proposed new railway, that if it is approved, will be built in two phases.
Phase 1 is described in Wikipedia, like this.
Phase 1 of the scheme would run from Slough to Staines, via Chalvey, Windsor, Datchet, Wraysbury and Sunnymeads. A new all-in-one station in the Windsor Goswells would replace the existing two nearby stations (Riverside and Central)
Phase 2 is described like this.
Phase 2 of the project involves linking to Heathrow. As the Heathrow Airtrack scheme has been dropped by BAA, the proponents say a much cheaper method of connecting Heathrow to the north west, west and south would be via a bridge over the M25. This would also have benefits for the proposed intermodal freight depot at Colnbrook, Berkshire.
This map from the Windsor Link Railway web site, shows the new tracks for both phases.
Note that Southern Access on the map is close to the route of the Heathrow Southern Railway.
Thoughts On Phase 1
Phase 1 is mainly a scheme for Windsor and I believe, it could be very beneficial to a town, that will become an even bigger tourist attraction.
It is a scheme, that has no affect on the construction of the Heathrow Southern Railway.
However, if the Windsor Link Railway wanted to increase the frequency of the train service between Windsor and Eton Central and Waterloo, there may well be arguments over who gets the paths on the crowded lines between Staines and London.
Thoughts On Phase 2
If the Heathrow Southern Railway and Windsor Link Railway designed a joint scheme, I don’t believe there is any reason, why trains couldn’t use the Windsor Link Railway to run between Reading and Heathrow.
Capacity Of Heathrow Terminal 5 Station
Heathrow Terminal 5 station has been built with space for two bay platforms.
Each platform could probably handle four trains per hour (tph), although with the right scheduling and good signaling and operation, six tph is possible.
Heathrow Southern Railway proposes the following services to the terminal.
- Four tph from Waterloo via Clapham Junction and Staines.
- Two tph from Weybridge via Viginia Water, Egham and Staines.
So there could be upwards of four tph from Windsor and/or Reading, that terminate at Terminal 5.
Crossrail To Reading Via Windsor And Heathrow
Somebody will want to run Crossrail trains through Heathrow Terminal 5 to Windsor and Reading.
Would Windsor cope with all the extra visitors?
Note that Heathrow Southern Railway are already suggesting that Crossrail trains to Terminal 5 could be extended to a new platform at Staines.
Waterloo To Reading Via Staines, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Windsor
Suppose two tph of the Waterloo to Heathrow Terminal 5 trains, reversed and went on to Windsor and Reading.
- It could make better use of the platforms at Heathrow.
- Reading would have an additional two tph service to Heathrow.
- Windsor would have a four tph service to Waterloo.
It’s a possibility with benefits.
Conclusion
Co-operation could be beneficial to both projects.
Heathrow Southern Railway And West London Orbital Railway
West London waits umpteen years for more rail lines and then two come along at the same time.
Both do substantially, what their names imply.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the tracks between Feltham, Hounslow and Whitton stations.
Note.
- Heathrow Southern Railway’s proposed Heathrow – Clapham Junction – Waterloo service will probably go via Whitton, rather than the Hounslow, as Whitton is the faster route.
- Hounslow is the proposed terminus of the route of the West London Orbital Railway from West Hampstead Thameslink station.
- Hounslow will have a new East-facing bay platform, to handle the trains from West Hampstead.
- Heathrow Southern Railway have said their service between Heathrow and Waterloo will be four trains per hour (tph)
I suspect that the West London Orbital Railway will have a typical Overground frequency of four tph.
Unfortunately, the two railways don’t meet up, as it would probably be worthwhile to give more stations a simple route to Heathrow with perhaps a change at Feltham station.
This Google Map shows Feltham station.
Would there be space to squeeze in an East-facing bay platform on the North side of the station?
- It could be the terminus of the West Hampstead service of the West London Orbital Railway
- It could be useful if there were operational problems to turn trains.
- There is the advantage that Feltham is a step-free station and Hounslow isn’t.
I went to Feltham station and took these pictures.
By the side of the track on the other side of the road bridge to the station, is the Feltham Signalling Centre and a Network Rail yard.
I think it could be possible to fit a platform into the space, behind Platform 1.
- A five-car platform looks possible.
- It would be an island platform with the current Platform 1.
- I doubt overhead electrification could be used.
- Slab track might be needed to squeeze the train under the bridge.
Ideally, it should be able to take a ten-car train, which might be possible, by extending the platform to the other side of the bridge.
Currently, there are six tph each-way through the station. The following new services will be added if both the Heathrow Southern and West London Orbital Railways are built.
- 4 tph – Heathrow Southern Railway’s proposed service between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Waterloo via Staines, Feltham, Twickenham, Richmond and Clapham Junction.
- 4 tph – West London Orbital’s proposed service from Feltham to West Hampstead
Would modern trains and signalling, coupled with good driving, be able to handle this level of trains?
Looking at the tracks and the space on either side, it might be possible to thread a third track between Feltham Station and Feltham Junction.
This Google Map shows Feltham Junction
There would appear to be more space on the South side of the tracks, so perhaps an extra track could go on this side.
But I suspect Network Rail could find a solution from their library of cunning plans.
There could be advantages.
- West London Orbital Railway could terminate in a step-free station.
- Travellers between South Acton and Hounslow get a step-free route to Heathrow.
- The bay platform at Feltham, could help when the service is disrupted.
- An extra track to the East of Feltham, might help capacity between Clapham Junction and Staines.
I’m certain that be a simple connection between the two systems can be built.
Conclusion
There are possibilities to connect the West London Orbital Railway to the Heathrow Southern Railway, which could be beneficial for all parties.
Between Heathrow And Gatwick Airports Using Heathrow Southern Railway
I have received a few messages asking how the Heathrow Southern Railway would help travellers get between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
How Many Passengers Would Actually Transfer Between The Two Airports?
This question would definitely be filed under pieces of string.
The direct route using Crossrail and Thameslink will take under two hours, with a change at Farringdon.
- There are several major tourist attractions close the the Crossrail/Thameslink route; Oxford Street, British Museum, St. Paul’s, River Thames, Tate Modern, Tower of London and Tower Bridge, for those unencumbered by baggage.
- Will Farrington develop into a joint terminal for both airports?
- How many passengers, will want to have a day of rest and recuperation in the best city in the world?
- How many travellers to and from Europe, the North and Scotland will switch to the long distance trains at Kings Cross and St. Pancras stations?
Passengers wanting to avoid London could use the Waterloo – Heathrow service proposed by Heathrow Southern Railway and change at Clapham Junction.
- The proposed Waterloo – Heathrow service will be four trains per hour (tph)
- It would probably run at an appropriate frequency at night, just like Gatwick Express and Thameslink.
- Passengers would change at Clapham Junction between Gatwick and Heathrow services.
- I estimate, that the Clapham Junction route, could be quicker than the Crossrail/Thameslink route, at perhaps an hour and twenty minutes.
- Clapham Junction station is step-free, but the bridge could be made more passenger-friendly.
Until, I get firm evidence to the contrary, I have a strong feeling that not many passengers will want to a faster service thanthe one, these two routes offer.
What About The Workers?
There must be people in the aviation industry, who need to go regularly to both airports for the purposes of work.
If you were in that class of worker, you might choose to live, somewhere that was convenient for both airports.
I suspect that this valuable group will be well-served by services from Clapham Junction.
- Clapham Junction to Heathrow – 30 minutes
- Clapham Junction to Gatwick – 25 minutes
Feeder times to Clapham Junction using direct trains include.
- Balham – 6 minutes
- Canada Water – 29 minutes
- East Croydon – 11 minutes
- Epsom – 28 minutes
- Peckham Rye – 19 minutes
With four tph, the maximum wait at Clapham Junction would be fifteen minutes.
Clapham Junction Will Become An Even Bigger Hub
Heathrow Southern Railway will make Clapham Junction station, an even more important hub.
- It is about thirty minutes away from both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
- Large numbers of stations have direct connections to Clapham Junction in under thirty minutes.
- The Northern Line could be extended from Battersea to Clapham Junction.
- Clapham Junction station is proposed to be on Crossrail 2.
- Clapham Junction is at the centre of an extensive bus network.
It would certainly be very convenient to live close to Clapham Junction station, if you needed to go to both airports regularly.
But improvements are needed at the station.
Changing Trains
The Wikipedia entry for Clapham Junction station says this.
The station is also the busiest UK station for interchanges between services.
I use Clapham Junction regularly as an interchange, if say I’m going from Dalston Junction to Gatwick, Reading or Windsor. It can be a sprint up the stairs, and a rush across the bridge, before a careful decent to the platform.
A typical change from Platform 1/2 to 5/6 took me two and a half minutes, in the middle of the morning.
Changing trains could be improved.
These pictures show the step-free bridge at Clapham Junction
Note.
- Lighting is not of a high quality.
- It is quite wide, but not as wide as the new bridge at Reading.
- There are lifts to most platforms, but they could be bigger.
- Reading has an up and down escalator for each platform. Surely the busiest station in the UK, deserves the same.
- It is cluttered with retail outlets, which could be reduced in number or placed on the platforms.
If I was the CEO of Heathrow Southern Railway, I’d rebuild this bridge, as doing that might attrack more passengers for Heathrow to use the proposed new service.
Information
Clapham Junction is well organised, with trains for a particular destination generally leaving from the same platform or pair of platforms.
They even have a board that gives this information in detail..
But it’s now 2018 and we can do much better.
There would also need to be large, clear signs everywhere to Gatwick, Heathrow, Victoria and Waterloo!
Timetable Improvements
I took a train from Clapham Junction to Feltham and although there are six tph, I had to wait sixteen minutes for a train.
It’s just that in an hour, there are four short intervals and two long ones.
Improvements need to be made, so that the timetable is more passenger friendly.
Some Platform Reorganisation
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout at Clapham Junction station.
It looks to me, that that terrible engineer; Topsy had a big hand in the design.
Note.
- Tracks and platforms in orange are the London Overground.
- Trains to Heathrow will probably use Plstforms 5 or 6, as do the Reading and Windsor services.
- Trains from Heathrow will probably use Plstforms 3 or 4, as do the Reading and Windsor services.
- Heathrow, Reading and Windsor are to the West.
- Platforms 3 to 11 are for services to and from Waterloo.
- Platforms 12 to 15 are for services to and from Victoria.
- Services to and from Gatwick will use these platforms.
- Platforms 16 and 17 are for West London Line services.
It looks to me, that it might be possible to reorganise the platforms so that Heathrow and Gatwick services weren’t at opposite end of the bridge.
Or should the bridge be made wide enough for a travelator?
West London Line Services
The West London Line has two main passenger services.
- 4 tph – London Overground between Clapham Junction and Stratford, which uses Platform 1
- 1 tph – Southern between Milton Keynes Central and East Croydon, which have virtually sole use of Platforms 16 and 17.
If possible, an increase in frequency on this line would surely help many travellers get to and from London’s two main airports.
- London Overground are planning to add two extra tph between Clapham Junction and Stratford in 2018.
- London Overground will match this in 2019, with another two tph between Clapham Junction and Dalston Junction via the South London Line.
This is going to make Southern’s one tph service between Milton Keynes Central and and East Croydon pathetic, especially as the route will eventually serve Old Oak Common with connections to Crossrail and HS2.
Chris Gibb recommended that this service , should be transferred to the London Overground in the Gibb Report. I wrote about it in Gibb Report – East Croydon – Milton Keynes Route Should Be Transferred To London Overground.
If nothing else the current service which uses two platforms at Clapham Junction for a one tph service, which doesn’t run on Sundays, is a waste of resources at Clapham Junction.
.Conclusions
I have come to the following conclusions.
- If Clapham Junction station is improved, Heathrow Southern Railway will create a faster route to Gatwick.
- Clapham Junction station will become a major hub station feeding London’s two major airports.
It gives very large numbers of passengers a quicker route to the airports.
I also think it could be advantageous for Heathrow Southern Railway to contribute to the upgrading of Clapham Junction station.
Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Service Between Weybridge And Heathrow 5
In an article in the December 2016 Edition of Modern Railways about the Heathrow Southern Railway, Chris Stokes proposes a service between Weybridge and Heathrow Terminal 5 stations.
With the addition of a chord at Staines, it would also be potentially possible to operate a half-hourly Weybridge – Virginia Water – Egham – Terminal 5 service, providing a further attractive local link to Heathrow.
In this post, I will look at the various issues associated with this proposal.
Weybridge Station
Currently, Weybridge station is serviced by the following trains on the South Western Main Line.
- Four trains per hour (tph) to London Waterloo.
- Two tph to Woking.
- Two tph to Basingstoke via Woking.
In addition two tph use the Chertsey Branch Line to go to London Waterloo via Virginia Water, Staines and Hounslow.
This Google Map shows the staion on the South Western Main Line.
Note the train that will use the Chertsey Branch Line in Platform 1, which shares an island with the London-bound Platform 2.
This would have been convenient for me, as I arrived from Woking, with the intention of taking the branch line to Staines and Feltham.
But as there are only two tph on the Chertsey Branch, I had to wait twenty-five minutes. Luckily, the train has a long turnround at Weybridge, so I was able to sit in a comfortable seat for much of the wait.
These are a few pictures of the station.
The bridge is an interesting structure, which has a set of new lifts.
Wikipedia says this about the use of the station.
Up and Down platforms serve the slow lines; there is a bay platform on the up side, from which trains operate on the Chertsey or Weybridge Branch of the Waterloo to Reading Line. Stops on this line include the main towns and villages of Runnymede and it gives Weybridge’s longer route to Waterloo via Staines. This service can also be used to provide a cheaper and quicker route to the Great Western Main Line, by changing at Virginia Water for the service to Reading, Berkshire from Waterloo, for passengers on or by the South West Main Line but not near the North Downs Line.
In the middle of a wet Thursday, there weren’t many people waiting for a train for the Chertsey Branch.
Trains On The Chertsey Branch Line
This Google Map shows the station and the triangular junction between the South Western Main Line and the Chertsey Branch.
Note, the historic motor-racing circuit of Brooklands to the South of the South Western Main Line and the triangular junction.
The connection between the Chertsey Vranch Line and the South Western Main Line is a flying junction, so I don’t think there’ll be any issues with Heathrow Express trains using Heathrow Southern Railway’s new railway to Woking.
Going towards Weybridge and London, there appears to be a single track connecting the Chertsey Branch to Platform 1 in Weybridge station.
There may be need for small changes to the track, but this simple layout should be able to easily handle four tph.
Looking at Real Time Trains, shows that in the hour I travelled, only four passenger services passed, through Addlestone station on the branch, with three other freight and stock movements.
So it is not a busy line.
If Heathrow Southern Railway is built and Heathrow Express runs to Working, passenger trains in each direction will become.
- 2 tph – London Waterloo to Weybridge – Calling at Addlestone, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Egham and Staines.
- 4 tph – Heathrow Express – Non-stop between Terminal 5 and Woking, joining the Chertsey Branch Line, just to the North of Chertsey station.
- 2-4 tph – Freight trains and stock movements.
There would appear to be enough paths to squeeze in two extra trains between Terminal 5 and Weybridge, which call at Addlestone, Chertsey, Virginia Water and Egham, and use the new chord at Staines, that I talked about in Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Chord At Staines.
Should Services Between Weybridge and Terminal 5 Stop At Staines?
This would need a platform or platforms on the chord.
This Google Map shows the area of the chord.
Note.
- There is a vehicle ramp to gain access to a multi-story car park.
- Much of the space to the East of the ramp is surface car parking and in my view, wasted space.
- There appears to be a bus station.
I think there is sufficient space to create an innovative transport interchange.
It could even be very simple.
- Single platform long enough for one of South Western Railway’s five car Class 701 trains, which are possibly around 120 metres.
- Bi-directional working.
- Walking routes to the bus station and the main station.
The most complicated piece could be a step-free bridge to the rest of the station.
Terminal 5 Station
Heathrow Terminal 5 station was built with two Westward-facing terminal platforms.
As each has a capacity of probably four to six tph, there shouldn’t be any problems of capacity.
Conclusion
A Weybridge to Terminal 5 service seems a serious possibility.
But I can’t help wondering, if it should be four tph and the direct service to Waterloo via Chertsey should be discontinued.
But a platform at Staines to interchange should be provided.
I’ll be interested to see the final proposals.
GWR Announces Plans To Replace Class 332s As It Takes Over Heathrow Express Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Global Rail News.
In some ways, I was surprised that Heathrow Airport are handing over the running of Heathrow Express to Great Western Railway (GWR).
But.
- It seems, that the main problem, in that HS2 want their depot for construction of their new line.
- GWR will use twelve Class 387 trains to run the service as opposed to the the current fourteen Class 332 trains.
- The new trains will be updated with First Class, high speed wi-fi and more luggage space.
- The deal seems to run to 2028.
I do think, that the main reason could be, that this gives FirstGroup or MTR Corporation a say in all the railways, serving or going near Heathrow Airport.
- GWR is owned by FirstGroup.
- Crossrail is operated by MTR on begalf of Transport for London.
- South Western Railway is a joint venture between FirstGroup and MTR.
The operation of Heathrow Express by GWR completes the set.
My post; MTR Vying To Join Heathrow Southern Rail Bid, could link MTR to the proposed Heathrow Southern Railway, who are hoping to create a link into Heathrow Airport from the South.
One of the plans of Heathrow Southern Railway is to create a new Basingstoke/Guildford – Woking – Heathrow – Paddington service.
- This would have a frequency of two trains per hour (tph) between Paddington and both Basingstoke and Guildford.
- This would mean there would be a four tph Frequency between Paddington and Woking via Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow Terminal 2/3 and Old Oak Common.
- Creating the new service by extending Heathrow Express, means that the new service can take-over the paths used by Heathrow Express, to and from Paddington.
- It is also worth noting that the Class 387 trains, that GWR are proposing to use on Heathrow Express are dual-voltage and can run on tracks with third-rail electrification.
Heathrow Express will become a double-ended service, in much the same way that Gatwick Express takes passengers from both London and Brighton to the airport.
GWR taking over Heathrow Express must make the operation of trains to and from Heathrow Airport easier.
Why Change The Trains?
I think there are various reasons.
Operation And Maintenance
Obviously, if GWR uses only Class 387 trains on their shorter electrified routes from Paddington, this gives advantages in terms of operation, maintenance and staff utilisation and training.
I suspect too, that GWR have the depot space and sidings, to accommodate all the Class 387 trains they need.
Increasing Fleet Size
There are two published plans y to increase rail services to Heathrow.
- Heathrow Southern Railway would like to extend Heathrow Express to Woking and ultimately to Basingstoke and Guildford.
- Western access to Heathrow could also be a route for Heathrow Express to perhaps Reading and Oxford.
In the future there could be other services.
- Developments could mean that a Heathrow-Gatwick service could be possible and worthwhile.
- There is speculation in the media, about a direct service between Heathrow and Southampton.
Any expansion of services would probably need more trains.
If they need more Class 387 trains in the future, there are two operators, who have small fleets of Class 387 trains.
- Great Northern have twenty-nine trains.
- c2c have six trains.
Some of these might become available, as the operators consolidate and update their fleets.
Acquiring more Class 332 trains could be problematical.
The Class 387 trains route, means that Heathrow Express will remain a fleet of identical trains.
Operation On Routes With Third Rail Electrification
Any expansion of Heathrow Express to the Western side of Terminal 5 could connect to the extensive network of third-rail electrification.
For this reason, a Heathrow Express fleet without the capability to use third-rail electrification, would be limited in its market.
The Class 387 trains have been designed as dual voltage units and could work on third-rail networks by adding third-rail shoes.
Can Class 332 trains work on third-rail routes?
Operating Speed
The Class 387 trains are also 110 mph trains, whereas the operating speed of the Class 332 trains is 100 mph.
The faster operating speed must help operation on the busy fast lines to and from Paddington, where the Class 800 trains are 125 mph capable.
Train Length Issues
Consider.
- The current Class 332 trains, run as nine-car trains, consisting of one four-car and one five-car trainset.
- Class 387 trains are basically a four-car trainset, which can run as four, eight or twelve-car trains.
- To complicate matters, Crossrail, which will use the same platforms at Heathrow are planning to nine-car Class 345 trains, but these could be lengthened to ten or even eleven cars.
These probably cause no problems with the current service, as running eight-car Class 387 trains would probably provide enough capacity.
Would a twelve-car Class 387 train need some platforms to be lengthened?
A four-car Class 387 unit is 80.77 metres long, so a twelve-car train would be 243 metres long.
This compares with the following.
- Heathrow Express Class 332 – Nine cars – 206 metres.
- Crossrail Class 345 – Nine cars – 205 metres
- High Speed Train running with eight carriages – 220 metres
- Inter-City 225 running with nine carriages – 246 metres
- Two five-car Class 444 trains running togeyther – 230 metres
- Two five-car Class 800 trains running together – 260 metres
A twelve-car Class 387 train is long, but not wildly out of line.
As the pairs of Class 800 trains work into Paddington,, I suspect twelve-car Class 387 trains can do the same.
If there is a problem, it will be in the Hathrow stations.
Alternatively, could some extra cars be built by Bombardier to create five-car trains, that would work as ten-car units, which would be around two hundred metres long?
Joining And Splitting Of Trains
Could Heathrow Express benefit from trains with the ability to split and join?
When there are more than one route to the West from Terminal 5, there may be advantages for trains to split and join in Terminal 5 station, to serve more than one destination to the West of the airport.
This picture was taken, as I watched two Class 387 trains joining together.
Note the driver in the cab on the right, controlling the process.
There is also a gangway between the two Class 387 trains, which the Class 332 trains don’t have.
Updating The Trains
The production of Class 387 trains has only just finished at Derby, but the Class 332 trains were built twenty years ago.
So could it be, that creating a modern fleet with all the features needed is easier with the later trains?
Suitability For Use With Heathrow Southern Railway Proposal
There are various issues here.
These concern fleet size and capacity
- Any extensions to the South and West will need more trains.
- If express services between Basingstoke, Guildford and Woking, and Paddington via Heathrow are successful, this could lead to calls for more services and other destinations, which could need more trains.
- If five-car units were needed, then Bombardier could probably oblige.
- There may be a need to lengthen platforms at the Heathrow stations.
Expanding a Class 387 train fleet would be easier.
There are also line speed issues.
- What would be the design operating speed of Heathrow Southern Railway’s tracks alongside the M25? – 90, 100 or even 125 mph!
- Could the operating speed of the Chertsey Branch Line be increased to the same speed, as there are only two stations; Chertsey and Addlestone?
The 110 mph maximum speed of a Class 387 could be a serious advantage, as speed sells!
How Many Trains Would Need To Be Converted?
Currently, there are fourteen Class 332 trains working Heathrow Express services.
They usually work in pairs, so there are seven trains.
If these are replaced by twelve-car Class 387 formations, that means up to twenty-one trains will be needed for the airport services from their current fleet of forty-five trains.
Eight-car formations would need fourteen trains.
Conclusion
It appears to me, that it is good decision to change the fleet for Class 387 trains.
Overall Conclusion
It’s all coming together for Heathrow Southern Railway.
The Anonymous Widower 