Western Rail Access to Heathrow (WRAtH)

1. Western Rail Access to Heathrow (WRAtH) Daniel Wilson Western Rail Access to Heathrow Project Officer Slough Borough Council / Thames Valley Berkshire LEP

2. Heathrow and its hinterland • UK’s only hub airport - busiest for international travel in the world • Handles 67 million passengers each year • Gateway to the Thames Valley: most productive sub region outside of London, economy worth £30bn (5% of output), almost 1 million jobs • Heathrow directly employs 76,000, supports 220,000 jobs, and contributes £11.1bn to the UK exchequer • Rail access in only one direction – London bound • Misses opportunity to connect with 20 million passengers • Roads around Heathrow are congested – predicted to reach critical levels by 2026 • 70% of users believe transport to Heathrow is less convenient than global counterparts

3. The solution: WRAtH • Proposed rail link from Heathrow to Reading directly serving Slough and Maidenhead/Twyford • Delivers • Up to 70% reduction in journey time from Thames Valley stations, shorter journeys for 20% of UK’s population • Could be operational from 2020 onwards • Will cost under £500m • 4 trains per hour Reading-Slough-Heathrow and return, 2 trains per hour calling at Maidenhead/Twyford • 6 minute journey time from Slough reduced from 45 minutes • 28 minutes from Reading to Heathrow

4. Beneficiary areas 20% of the UK’s population within one interchange of Heathrow Journey time reductions up to 70% for South East, South West, South Wales and West Midlands WRAtH link

5. Proposed route Direct rail service from Reading to Heathrow Airport via Maidenhead and Slough

6. Headline UK benefits • Predicted to generate £1.5 billion economic activity for the UK, £800 million economic activity and 42,000 jobs for the Thames Valley alone • 113 million car km removed from regions roads; M3, M4, A4, M25 • 5,100 tonnes less CO2 produced each year • Safeguards role of Heathrow as a hub airport • Excellent transport links with international markets to secure trade and investment • Essential for Thames Valley that Heathrow continues to develop and remain competitive

7. Economic benefits • Accessibility improves attractiveness of vast swathe of the UK to business investment • 70% of foreign owned businesses establishing in the UK locate within 60 minutes of Heathrow • 75% of businesses in the TV state proximity to Heathrow as the primary factor for their choice of location • Heathrow facilitates the majority of face to face business meetings in the UK, which cumulatively generate £150bn • 17 million sq ft office space due for renewal in next 3 years in region • Saves local businesses employee time • Savings on taxi fares

8. Recognition • The demand for WRAtH acknowledged in: • Network Rail Route Plans (2009) • Network Rail Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy (March 2010) • Network Rail London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (July 2011) • Treasury National Infrastructure Plan (2011) • Economic Impact Study (2011) • GW franchise ITT (2011) • GRIP 2 study (2012)

9. Progress and Support • Thames Valley LEP Key priorities (2012) • Project supported by local government, key stakeholders and a number of international businesses • Support from the Greater Western Partnership, a collection of towns and cities which would benefit, including Cardiff, Bristol, Newport & Swindon • Listed by a number of organisations as their number one transport priority • Featured at Link to China investment conference (Beijing, 2012)

10. Current activities Emerging issues • GRIP 3 – commitment from Network Rail to commence, lobbying for funding to continue GRIP 3 = £6m, GRIP 3-5 = c.£20m • Secure commitment to project – while early delivery is important, an early announcement of support is critical • High Level Output Specification • UK aviation consultation & Thames Estuary airport Promotional events • TVBLEP Collaborating for Growth event • GWP Conditional Output Specification launch

11. You can help by • Visit our website wrath.thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk and register your interest under ‘involvement’ • Give your support in future lobbying, for example for the HLOS • Talk to your MPs, businesses and other organisations • Follow us on twitter @HeathrowbyRail

12. The future of Heathrow Uncertainty abounds on the future of Heathrow Thames Valley Chamber already detecting reluctance to invest in TV 17 million sq ft office space due for renewal in next 3 years in region Casts uncertainty around future infrastructure, e.g. HS2 Heathrow link, WRAtH A decision, whatever that is, is time critical

13. A view from the Thames Valley While Heathrow generates some negative outputs, it is the lifeblood of the Thames Valley £19.5bn of SE & London exports depend on aviation. UK companies trade 20 times more with growing markets which have daily flights Thames Estuary airport would require closure of Heathrow to support interlining flights (currently 8 million at Heathrow) Re-configuration of UK economy from west to east Decades of access development Wholesale transfer of ancillary support sectors Can’t assume domestic businesses will move east, may relocate across Europe, or consolidate existing portfolios

14. Heathrow fit for purpose Thames Valley cannot afford to lose Heathrow, and a Thames Estuary airport would be disastrous to TV economy and wider Increase capacity without expansion if required e.g. operational freedoms More sustainable approach to Heathrow e.g. improved public transport access and modal shift (WRAtH & HS2)