Published: Thursday, 8th May, 2008 11:00am

Campaign for T5 rail loop

by Alan Bunce

Comments (0) | Print | Email

A NEW rail loop has been proposed as a solution to some of the Thames Valley's traffic woes.

The proposed circular track would end holiday headaches and bypass clogged roads by whisking travellers from Reading to Heathrow's Terminal Five and back again in a fraction of the time.

But the brains behind the idea are warning it could end up being shunted into a siding unless there is a united approach to sweeping away stifling travel congestion.

A stopping service linking the airport with Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, Slough and Staines is one of three projects being investigated by business lobby group the Thames Valley Economic Partnership (TVEP), which is campaigning for better road and rail links to Heathrow from the west.

It will present a report on its findings to ministers later this year.

TVEP has launched a poster campaign to persuade the public and businesses to get behind its drive to get the Thames Valley better connected to the airport.

Other schemes proposed in the report are a possible M4 monorail - first revealed in the Chronicle's monthly Business Review in April - and extending the Heathrow Express train which currently runs between the airport and Paddington, to Slough.

TVEP chief executive Shaun Whittaker said the report was designed to explore the costs and benefits of each scheme.

Mr Whittaker said engineering issues around the rail loop had to be

considered but said it could run largely on existing lines.

He said: "The loop does allow a connection from Reading to Slough then onto Heathrow and then back again through Staines, Bracknell and Wokingham to Reading. It's an efficient system and utilises some of the existing infrastructure."

The three projects, he said, are at the initial 'sculpting' stage and he expects the TVEP report to come up with alternatives or variations.

He added: "What we are looking for with this is a deeper understanding of the real options we have got and what we can afford. And we want other ideas.

"These ideas aren't fixed, we want to open the discussion about which options give us some vision for the Thames Valley in the 21st Century. As yet we have not really had that debate.

"We need to find alternatives to driving by car. The M4 has a limited capacity." Mr Whittaker said research showed 70% of people going to Heathrow from the west, travelled by road.

He said: "Why are we accepting 70% coming by road? If there was an alternative they would go by rail."

Work on the report is likely to start next month with the findings due around September.

Mr Whittaker hopes the results can be presented to ministers in November. Any scheme would be likely to take between five and 10 years to come to fruition.

Campaign posters are being put up in various locations including Reading station urging people to pledge support.

Mr Whittaker added: "The more people we get writing to MPs and talking to councillors, the greater likelihood that the Government will accept the need and give priority to schemes that are needed in the Thames Valley.

"At the moment there isn't the willingness."

Support the campaign by visiting www.thamesvalley.co.uk