Connecting London airports

An idea has been floated today to connect Heathrow with Gatwick via a high speed line following the orbital motorway M25. The main problem is that runways are operating at near capacity and it is difficult to transfer from one airport to the other for interline purposes.

Will the line ever be built? I have my doubts. A more sensible connection was cancelled by the current government, and it would have cost far less. A connection from the third rail tracks from Waterloo and Southampton would make a lot of sense but was apparently cancelled because of a level crossing in the Datchet area. Ho hum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15227879

At one time there was a suggestion that Eurostar could use the Heathrow terminal. Not much extra track would be needed, but that seems very unlikely. It might need reconfiguring some of the Eurostar sets with third rail capability. But if there is a high speed line alongside the M25 surely it ought to continue past Gatwick to HS1 and on to to the Tunnel?

I thought a direct line from the tunnel across to Reading area was mooted when the tunnel was first popened to serve the west . but i think it was freight only . an orbital railway around london would be quite useful . but maybe not as useful as decent east - west crossrail , and better north south service .

David Benton wrote:I thought a direct line from the tunnel across to Reading area was mooted when the tunnel was first popened to serve the west . but i think it was freight only . an orbital railway around london would be quite useful . but maybe not as useful as decent east - west crossrail , and better north south service .

Crossrail has now started construction. There are shafts along its route and the tunnel portals can be seen at Royal Oak near Paddington.

There was a plan for a European loading gauge line for freight from the tunnel to the north. The company promoting it said it would need no public money but the government refused to put their bill through the Commons and it has dropped. It would have used the old Great Central route and a route alongside the M25. The Great Central line was built to continental gauge over 100 years ago to connect with a channel tunnel, planned even then by Sir Alfred Watkin the GC CEO.

I am not sure who is promoting this airport line. From time to time British Airways (mainly at Heathrow) has proposed to replace its Paris flights with Eurostars from Heathrow. I am not sure if the existing Heathrow Express platforms are long enough for a Eurostar half train. There would be a potential route to the tunnel via Acton and the West London line, but it would have to be partly third rail and rather slow.

HS2 would have a connection to Heathrow but people would have to change trains at Old Oak Common.

The probably fantasy HS line from Heathrow to Gatwick could take Eurostar without building a HS line from Gatwick as a third rail link to Ashford does exist. It was built (electrified) to take freight to the tunnel, something that has probably seldom been needed.

However, today there have been few positive statements about this proposed line. It's seems unlikely to be built for an estimated 5 billion pounds. But it does seem to me that only if it could take Eurostars would it be sensible to build it. And also, what about High Speed trains from Gatwick via Heathrow to the North (HS2)? One of the objections to HS2 is that it would not serve Heathrow directly. But the more routes proposed, the bigger the Heathrow station would need to be. Eurostar would need immigration barriers.

David Benton wrote:an orbital railway around london would be quite useful

There is now a soon-to-be-completed London orbital line - the London Overground. Very useful for travelling around London, but not connected to the airports and, as far as I know, it is self-contained and not used by trains from elsewhere on the network.

johnthefireman wrote:

David Benton wrote:an orbital railway around london would be quite useful

There is now a soon-to-be-completed London orbital line - the London Overground. Very useful for travelling around London, but not connected to the airports and, as far as I know, it is self-contained and not used by trains from elsewhere on the network.

In the 1930s there were recognised three circles. The Inner Circle line is now called the Circle line of the Underground

The Middle Circle has lost the chords that made it possible.

The overground is what was then called the Outer Circle. Since the second world war it had gone out of use. What is now running is roughly the same routes, though there has been some extra building on the East London line.

But this has nothing to do with connecting the airports. I have yet to see detailed comment on the proposed line between the airports.

We now have yet another Transport Secretary after a government reshuffle. I suspect that unlike the one she has replaced she knows little about transport.