The "Southern High Speed Rail Link" is something this blogger has talked about before. As it has come up again I think this is an opportune moment to remind readers what it means, and why it is essential.
The phrase was used to describe the proposition of a rail link from the Channel Tunnel through Ashford, Tonbridge and on to Gatwick airport. Then the line would extend from Gatwick,to Heathrow
and on to Reading.These three sections have been proposed before, each in its own way, depending on what the writer wished to emphasise, and at different times. This blogger is of the opinion that the three should be looked at together. Together they provide a unique opportunity to provide the south of England with beneficial infrastructure that is not directed to or through London. In addition to that it provides a rail alternative to many short-haul flights from those two airports.
The first sector to look at is the one from the Channel Tunnel to Gatwick airport. This line would run from Ashford along or next to the existing line to Tonbridge. Here it would branch off to go directly to Gatwick Airport to enter a station beneath the airport and the existing rail station. International rail traffic, by Eurostar or any other designated operator, from Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, or anywhere else from which high speed trains were designated to originate, would travel non-stop to its first stop at Gatwick. This could be its second stop if the trains were to stop at Ashford as their initial entry into Great Britain.The local "Javelin" trains of Southeastern trains which originated in the North Kent lines from Canterbury, Ramsgate and Dover would stop at Ashford and Tonbridge on their way to Gatwick. These trains imitate the Southeastern trains from London St.Pancras to the same north Kent destinations along the HS1 line (High Speed 1) branching off HS1 at Ebbsfleet or Ashford as is the case. The construction of this phase does not present any particular difficulties nor would be excessively expensive to complete.
The second sector runs from Gatwick Airport to Heathrow Airport.This is the most difficult of the three phases as it would be mostly constructed underground to avoid knocking down an excessive number of properties. The line itself would run underground to new interchange-stations at Dorking, Weybridge and Feltham. This way the Southeastern "Javelin" trains would stop to provide a service to the "stockbroker´s belt" of Surrey.This way the potential passengers would have a real convenient alternative to the car which is their usual form of tranport to the airports. From Feltham the line would enter Heathrow Airport underground to go to Terminal 4 (T4). From there it would continue to the Central Area (T3 and T5) before turning to enter under T5. The international High Speed trains would run non-stop from Gatwick to the three stations at Heathrow.
(A new terminal to serve a new third runway at Heathrow could well be necessary and decided upon soon. In that case it should be called T1 to replace the closed one of that name in the central area. In this case the underground line would deviate to pass under the new T1. That would make another stop before T5 outside the Central Area for T2 and T3. Thus making four stations at Heathrow in total.)
The third sector is the one which has been proposed from Heathrow T5 up to the Great Western Line joining it just east of Langley. From there it would run west to Reading where it would terminate. The Southeastern "Javelin" services, continuing from Gatwick and Heathrow, would have an intermediate stop at Slough before terminating in Reading. The international High Speed trains would continue from Heathrow non-stop to Reading which would be the international terminus. This third phase would be the easiest and least expensive of the three, since little construction is needed except for the adaption of Reading Station as an international terminus. This third sector would replace the present bus/coach services from Heathrow to Reading. The result would be for a large number of gas-guzzling coach engines to be replaced by clean electric trains.
There are many advantages at each point. At Reading local "Javelin" services would run direct to North Kent via the two airports thus providing a connecting point at Reading for trains to Bristol and the west/southwest, Cardiff and South Wales and Birmingham and the West Midlands. An international interchange can be established at Reading so that passengers from the Midlands, Wales and the West do not need to travel into London thus taking pressure off the Termini there and its cross-town Underground. At Heathrow the passengers departing/arriving from abroad and all points in the British Isles can connect to international trains thus taking pressure off Central London where they have to connect, at present, to/from the Heathrow terminals.
At Gatwick the situation is the same, providing international rail connections to Paris, Amsterdam etc., while also connecting North Kent passengers along the “Southern Link”to the two major airports. The incidence of car traffic into both Gatwick and Heathrow would be reduced since the Surrey "Broker-Belt" passengers would have no need, as at present, to travel to the airport in their cars. The London main rail stations would have traffic subtracted from them on to these new local and international services at the airports (together with Reading and Ashford). The outcome would be more capacity along the existing lines and at the London terminals which then would become available for extra or even new train services. Also passengers who wished to travel between the two main airports would not have to enter London, out of necessity,thus reducing road traffic, pollution, crowding, etc.
Thus the thinking should be to combine three elements 1)-Reading to Heathrow 2)-Heathrow to Gatwick and 3)-Gatwick to Ashford and act on all three together. The advantages obtained do not only speed up the connection times between the airports but also introduce improvements:(a) facilitating the movement into/out of the airport terminals (b) provide an alternative transport service for flights to many UK cities and those in the Benelux countries as well as northern France (c) increase the connectivety to/from the airports for all the regions in the southern half of the UK particularly the local areas of Berkshire, Surrey and Kent (d) accomodate a large number of traffic movements away from Central London to eleviate overcrowding in the captial (e) drastically reduce the number of polluting vehicles- heavy goods, coaches and cars- so that anti-pollution goals can be met. These, amongst others, would result in a win-win situation for all.
Previous articles on the same subject.
11 October 2011 Heathrow - Gatwick Rail Link
06 October 2011 Reading - Heathrow Rail Connection
24 February 2010 Fast Trax 2 - The case for a southern high speed alternative (SHSL)
