AirTrack is one of the most cost-effective rail schemes currently under consideration anywhere in the UK. It is a close fit with regional and national policies.

It is a proposal to create a new direct rail link connecting Heathrow to the South West Trains rail network to the south and west of London. Rail access to Heathrow from this area - and much of southern England - is poor, so it is not surprising that the concept has been the subject of a number of major project proposals over the last 30 years.

AirTrack would, at last, address this need for air passengers, as well as improving public transport access to Heathrow in its role as a major transport and employment hub. It would assist in tackling the very real issues of traffic congestion in this busy area.

The scheme currently being proposed - services operating half hourly to/from Waterloo, Guildford and Reading, with stops at selected intermediate stations, results from work undertaken or supported by The AirTrack Forum since its inception in 2000 (see "About us").

Studies completed in 2004 and 2005 confirmed the practical and economic viability of the proposal. In 2006, BAA Ltd announced that it would provide the funding for Heathrow Airport Ltd to promote a Transport and Works Act order for the scheme. This would give powers to construct and operate the railway, acquire the necessary land and associated planning consents. Work towards the achievement of this objective is now well under way.

As part of this process, BAA will be consulting widely on various aspects of the project during 2008. These consultations are being conducted by BAA, as scheme promoters - not by the AirTrack Forum. A first-stage consultation, focusing on the works required to provide the link from Terminal 5 to Staines, was launched in February. Further details, including a downloadable version of the initial consultation brochure can be found via BAA's Heathrow website.

Click here to view the BAA Heathrow AirTrack page.

The AirTrack Forum believes that AirTrack is urgently required to meet the public transport demands of a five-terminal Heathrow, regardless of whether or not any further airport development ultimately happens.

The Forum recognises that there are genuine concerns about the environmental impacts of the scheme, but believes these can and should be mitigated through careful design and appropriate measures.