A transport consultancy is set to be appointed by Wandsworth Council to develop the case for a direct rail service from Clapham Junction to Heathrow.

The aim is to create a 30-minute journey to the airport from the borough. At this early stage it is not known whether there would be any other stops other than Clapham Junciton.

Heathrow is poorly served by public transport and south Londoners have to travel north into London to catch a connecting train from Paddington, or a Piccadilly Line service.

The council has consistently argued for improved surface access as essential for the efficient running of a two-runway airport.

The last Heathrow rail scheme, named Airtrack, was spearheaded by the British Airports Authority (BAA) but abandoned in 2011.

Since then the Council has been leading work in south west London looking at alternative options for improving access to the airport from this part of the capital.

If approved by the council’s executive, Wandsworth will appoint a transport consultancy to access the feasibility of each potential route. Following this a formal stakeholder group would be established to take the project forward.

Leader of Wandsworth Council Ravi Govindia said,“We believe there is a strong demand for direct services from south London’s biggest transport hub to Heathrow and are starting to move the project forward.

“Our ultimate aim is to put Heathrow within 30mins reach for local people.”

The full report on the scheme is available on Wandsworth Council’s website.

The proposal will be considered by the strategic planning and transportation overview and scrutiny committee on February 20. The council’s executive group will make a final decision on February 25.



February 20, 2013