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R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

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London<br />

We shall complete<br />

the construction of<br />

the new station<br />

serving Luton Airport<br />

later this year<br />

102<br />

8.4 continued 8.5<br />

We expect to have a two-trains-per-hour service running<br />

by 2002. We believe that sufficient capacity exists on the<br />

GWML to achieve this,though it may be necessary to<br />

substitute some existing services.On this basis, we are<br />

encouraging our customers to launch an interim service<br />

between Heathrow and Paddington calling at Hayes and<br />

Harlington and Ealing Broadway for summer 2000.<br />

<strong>The</strong> St Pancras scheme involves electrification,<br />

resignalling and upgrading of the line between Acton and<br />

West Hampstead and an enhanced junction at Acton Wells.<br />

However, the increasing success of operators on the GWML<br />

means that they now require additional paths and,in<br />

consequence, it is likely that more infrastructure<br />

enhancements will be needed before even more Heathrow<br />

trains could be introduced.<strong>The</strong> work necessary to meet the<br />

further needs for the airport and our other customers is<br />

detailed in the GWML route strategy (Route 3).<br />

Longer-term developments<br />

<strong>The</strong> proposed new southern link to Heathrow would run<br />

from a point near Staines via the proposed Heathrow<br />

Terminal 5 to connect with BAA’s existing route.This<br />

potentially provides new connections from Guildford,<br />

Woking,Clapham Junction and Waterloo to Heathrow and<br />

enables new through train services via Heathrow to Watford<br />

Junction for example.<br />

No further work is currently being carried out on the<br />

plan to link Terminal 5 to the Great Western Main Line of<br />

the airport,as there appears to be no economic case for<br />

such a development.However, there is a proposal for a<br />

freight link,and we are keeping open the option of looking<br />

again at a passenger service if the freight development goes<br />

ahead.<br />

An integral part of our long-term proposals is the<br />

provision of additional facilities for our customers including<br />

remote check-in and luggage-handling for airline travellers.<br />

<strong>The</strong> first facility of this kind will be introduced at Paddington<br />

later this year, and we intend to work with partners to<br />

provide this facility for travellers at a number of key<br />

interchange hubs,including London Waterloo, Clapham<br />

Junction, Woking and Watford Junction.<br />

Luton Airport<br />

We shall complete the construction of the new station<br />

serving Luton Airport later this year. It will be ser ved by<br />

Thameslink services and the considerably improved rail<br />

access will enable rail to compete more effectively for the<br />

growing scheduled flight market at this airport (see Route 5).<br />

Gatwick Airport<br />

A package of measures is necessary to ensure that rail<br />

maintains and increases its mar ket share at Gatwick. We are<br />

working with train operators to ensure that new fleets of<br />

trains can fulfil the step-change improvement in quality on<br />

this well-established rail service.<br />

We will work closely with BAA and customers to<br />

enhance the quality of the interchange between rail and air.<br />

We are also examining how the very congested<br />

Brighton Main Line can be upgraded to accommodate the<br />

rapid growth in demand for train-service enhancements<br />

along this route serving the airport.Further details are<br />

included in Route 19.<br />

Stansted Airport<br />

Train operators serving Stansted Airport have seen a ver y<br />

rapid growth in passengers tr avelling to the airport.<strong>The</strong><br />

West Anglia Route that serves the airport is currently highly<br />

congested and so we propose significant investment to<br />

increase capacity.This comprises a package of platform<br />

lengthening at key stations;additional tracks between<br />

Cheshunt and Broxbourne and between Brimsdown and<br />

Northumberland Park;and upgraded signalling.This will<br />

enable services to Stansted to increase to four per hour<br />

(see Route 15).

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