A brand new railway line could serve London's biggest airport

"With Heathrow Airport currently working on a gargantuan £49 billion expansion over the course of the next decade, there will be millions more people needed to use public transport to get to and from London's busiest airport. The aviation titan reckons that once its new runway is open, an extra 66 million travellers could go through the airport every year."

"HSR would start at Heathrow Terminal 5. It would make use of existing railway infrastructure and require eight miles of new railway line to be built, connecting Heathrow to London Waterloo via Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Staines and other intermediate stations."

"Spelthorne Borough Council has said that it will give its backing to the project on the condition that there's a 100 percent guarantee that trains will stop in Staines, and that there will be no damage to Staines Moor, a local country park and designated Site of Special Scientific Interest."

Heathrow Airport is undergoing a £49 billion expansion expected to increase annual passenger numbers by 66 million, necessitating improved public transport connections. The proposed Heathrow Southern Rail scheme would establish the airport's first direct rail link to Surrey, Hampshire, and south/southwest London. Starting from Terminal 5, the route would connect to Waterloo via existing infrastructure and eight miles of new track, passing through Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, and Staines. Spelthorne Borough Council conditionally supports the project, requiring guaranteed stops in Staines and protection of Staines Moor, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. The route would tunnel beneath the moor to prevent landscape damage. Private financing is proposed with no taxpayer cost, and completion is targeted for the early 2030s.

Read at Time Out London