Spelthorne Borough Council has given conditional backing to a proposed railway connection that would link Surrey commuter towns directly with Heathrow Airport. The council's support comes with three specific requirements that must be met before the project can proceed.
Three Key Conditions for Approval
The local authority insists that trains must stop at Staines Station to ensure residents gain direct access to Heathrow. Additionally, independent studies must demonstrate that the protected wildlife site Staines Moor won't be damaged by construction works, and there must be no increased flood risk. Finally, councillors demand the right to review and agree to the final plan details before granting full approval.
Councillor Chris Bateson, who led the council's assessment of the proposals, stated: "We've looked at both proposals in detail. A direct rail link from Staines to Heathrow could reduce congestion and support our local economy. But we must protect Staines Moor and make sure residents benefit."
Route Planning and Environmental Protection
The Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) project would utilise the existing railway line between Staines and Windsor before entering a new tunnel beneath Staines Moor. This underground approach aims to preserve the protected landscape and prevent damage to the important wildlife habitat.
The council rejected an alternative scheme called Southern Light Rail (SLR) after determining it posed greater threats to privacy, landscape and the environment. Councillor Howard Williams, chair of the Business, Infrastructure and Growth Committee, emphasised: "Our support relies on clear guarantees. The environment can't pay the price for progress."
Broader Heathrow Rail Connectivity Plans
The HSR project isn't the only potential new rail connection being considered for Heathrow Airport. The London Assembly transport committee debated in April the need for improved links to the south and west, particularly as passenger numbers are expected to increase with the potential third runway expansion.
Anthony Smith, chair of the Heathrow Area Transport Forum, revealed that Terminal 5 was specifically designed to accommodate future rail links. "There's a quite extraordinary sort of hole in the wall at Terminal 5," he said. "You go through this door and there's this huge, cavernous box ready to go, and provision was made for the future of extending those services."
Other possibilities include extending the Elizabeth line south to Staines, which Smith described as "an absolute game-changer," or linking South Western Railway with Terminal 5 to provide "a huge range of travel options." However, Sophie Chapman, Heathrow's surface access director, noted that ministers "have made it clear that there is no Government money for either of those schemes."
Despite some councillors' concerns about benefits not being evenly distributed across the borough, particularly in Stanwell where many residents work at the airport, the conditional support represents significant progress for the long-discussed rail connection that could transform travel for Surrey's airport workers and reduce road congestion in the region.
