Heathrow third runway

[Kevin51]

What is this to do with railways you ask. Well it is the fact that the Colnbrook branch runs right across the third runway foot print. I am guessing a lot of excavated material will need to be removed and a lot of construction material brought in. Is the branch current used, a map shows a number of industrial units that will have to be moved, are they rail connected?
My guess is Heathrow wanting to promote being a good neighbour will use the branch, may be the only reason it still exists. Looking at a map I am guessing after coming under the M25/M4 junction the line could swing due west with a terminal parallel to the M4 and the new runway. Has anybody seen what is planned?

 

[MarkyT]

What is this to do with railways you ask. Well it is the fact that the Colnbrook branch runs right across the third runway foot print. I am guessing a lot of excavated material will need to be removed and a lot of construction material brought in. Is the branch current used, a map shows a number of industrial units that will have to be moved, are they rail connected?
My guess is Heathrow wanting to promote being a good neighbour will use the branch, may be the only reason it still exists. Looking at a map I am guessing after coming under the M25/M4 junction the line could swing due west with a terminal parallel to the M4 and the new runway. Has anybody seen what is planned?

There are an aggregates and an air fuel terminal at Colnbrook today. Both look active, and a quick look at a few random days over the last week suggests regular oil trains are running at the moment. I didn't see an aggregates run, though there are plenty of Q paths every day.

Material requirements for a new runway would be huge, and I'm sure rail would be involved for some of it. It may be a planning stipulation.

 

[Kevin51]

The only problem that I see is of course the current railway crosses the runway footprint so any terminal would have to be located between the M4 and the runway on and East to West alignment. There are some lakes or reservoirs there that I assume will have to be filled or bridged. There is also the issue of the Duke of Northumberland's River, the River Colne, the Wraysbury River and the Colne Brook

 

[MarkyT]

The only problem that I see is of course the current railway crosses the runway footprint so any terminal would have to be located between the M4 and the runway on and East to West alignment. There are some lakes or reservoirs there that I assume will have to be filled or bridged. There is also the issue of the Duke of Northumberland's River, the River Colne, the Wraysbury River and the Colne Brook

This from here: https://www.heathrow.com/expansion/our-proposal suggests the new runway is right on top of today's freight terminals, but J15, with the single track threaded through its lower levels, survives fairly unscathed. A curve south of that to an east-west alignment alongside the purple road north of the runway should work.

 

[Kevin51]

Yes that would work it is just there are lakes/Reservoirs there that would have to be dealt with but than they are in the way of the runway any way so have to be dealt with anyway. Not exactly connected to this is the link off the GW main line at Langley then down into T5. Obviously in a tunnel. I believe there was to be an access point in Colnbrook for construction work on the tunnel but no station in Colnbrook. I know people who lived in Colnbrook and what a pain in the rear place it is to commute to and from as it effectively means going to T5 for trains, As the people of Colngrook will have to put up with tunnel construction traffic and third runway why not build a station in Colnbrook as a way of compensation for disruption.

 

[MarkyT]

Yes that would work it is just there are lakes/Reservoirs there that would have to be dealt with but than they are in the way of the runway any way so have to be dealt with anyway. Not exactly connected to this is the link off the GW main line at Langley then down into T5. Obviously in a tunnel. I believe there was to be an access point in Colnbrook for construction work on the tunnel but no station in Colnbrook. I know people who lived in Colnbrook and what a pain in the rear place it is to commute to and from as it effectively means going to T5 for trains, As the people of Colngrook will have to put up with tunnel construction traffic and third runway why not build a station in Colnbrook as a way of compensation for disruption.

The proposal focuses on improving ground public transport connectivity, primarily through local bus improvements, and developing long-distance coach traffic. It offers support and partnership for southern and western rail links, but there's no commitment to pay for any specific infrastructure.

Heathrow wishes to relocate much parking to multistorey hubs to the north and south. From some images, they're hinting they may deploy their PRT pod system more widely; that might support the strategy, linking these new hubs and the terminals together. Maybe Colnbrook could get a spur on that network, flying over the motorway for a fast, on-demand trip to Terminal 5 for onward connections!


This tight crop from a render in the pdf shows a logistics centre with rail facilities in that north west corner.

 

[Bevan Price]

I have no personal interest in 3rd runway, but at a time when UK is very short of housing, building a 3rd runway will apparently require the destruction of several hundred houses.

 

[Kevin51]

I have no personal interest in 3rd runway, but at a time when UK is very short of housing, building a 3rd runway will apparently require the destruction of several hundred houses.

But the reason why there is a shortage of housing is the complete lack of commitment to build the necessary housing. And dare I say it over a decade the population is growing by the city the size of London. The money that us being spent on the airport and HS2 you would think the money would be found to build enough houses. You think if they didn't build the runway there wouldn't be a shortage of housing? Khan has is eye on building over the green belt so the problem will be solved.

 

[Mgameing123]

But the reason why there is a shortage of housing is the complete lack of commitment to build the necessary housing. And dare I say it over a decade the population is growing by the city the size of London. The money that us being spent on the airport and HS2 you would think the money would be found to build enough houses. You think if they didn't build the runway there wouldn't be a shortage of housing? Khan has is eye on building over the green belt so the problem will be solved.

I mean you could start with building higher density buildings like additional flats than building new detachables in the green belt.

 

[NCT]

https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/expansion/2019-heathrow-expansion-consultation.pdf

Page 20 talks about a railhead:

The existing Colnbrook branch line (‘railhead’) provides an important opportunity to move bulk construction materials to Heathrow and save thousands of HGV trips. The branch line is displaced by the new runway, but will be realigned to ensure that aviation fuel supply is maintained to the expanded airport, and a new rail head is proposed to optimise the sustainable transport of materials.

There's a map of the proposed realigned Colnbrook branch line and railhead terminals on the next page.

 

[HSTEd]

I must admit I don't have much confidence that this scheme is actually deliverable.

The M25 relocation alone is an enormously complex project that could easily go very badly wrong, and given how politically charged the debate about the airport is......

 

[Kevin51]

I must admit I don't have much confidence that this scheme is actually deliverable.

The M25 relocation alone is an enormously complex project that could easily go very badly wrong, and given how politically charged the debate about the airport is......

I don't know there is nothing too complex there. Build a runway, build a terminal. Not like it hasn't been done before in the UK. Let's see how well the railways compare. HS2, has another high speed railway been built, yes HS1. So why is HS2 such a balls up?
Seriously the M25 relocation is complex? Not easy but hardly impossible. I think though if I commuted that way I might be looking for an alternative route while the work was going on.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 22:00 ==

This illustration does show a re-aligned rail terminal.

 

[HSTEd]

I don't know there is nothing too complex there. Build a runway, build a terminal. Not like it hasn't been done before in the UK. Let's see how well the railways compare. HS2, has another high speed railway been built, yes HS1. So why is HS2 such a balls up?
Seriously the M25 relocation is complex? Not easy but hardly impossible. I think though if I commuted that way I might be looking for an alternative route while the work was going on.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 22:00 ==

This illustration does show a re-aligned rail terminal.

Relocating what is probably the busiest motorway, including a giant junction complex, in Britain into a tunnel is an extremely complex operation, yes.
See Boston (US)'s Big Dig as an example for the types of things that can go wrong.

 

[Mgameing123]

Relocating what is probably the busiest motorway, including a giant junction complex, in Britain into a tunnel is an extremely complex operation, yes.
See Boston (US)'s Big Dig as an example for the types of things that can go wrong.

I mean we have to build a cut and cover tunnel for the M25 correct?