Heathrow rail link shelved

THE British Airports Authority has decided to shelve a controversial rail link from Heathrow's Terminal 5 through south-west London due to a lack of money.

The £675m line would have connected the airport terminal to Reading, Guildford and London Waterloo stations. BAA said its decision to withdraw the rail link application followed concerns raised over level crossing delays. Richmond council had opposed the scheme due to increased congestion it said would occur at barriers at Barnes, Mortlake and North Sheen.

According to Heathrow's surface access director, Allan Gregory, BAA has listened to the concerns raised by local residents about the impact of Airtrack and worked hard to try and resolve issues including level crossings but, despite considerable efforts, they have been unable to develop solutions that fully address these concerns. He added that the project had also been cancelled due to lack of funds.