TRANSPORT for London (TfL) will not have to pay millions of pounds a year to the owner of the Heathrow airport rail link after the High Court upheld a ruling over track access charges for Crossrail trains.
Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) challenged the Office of Rail and Road’s May 2016 decision that the airport owner was not entitled to charge fees of up to £463 per train, a figure that could have added around £47million each year to Crossrail’s operating costs.
The threat of new services between the city centre and its main airport being withdrawn altogether has now receded after the High Court sided with the ORR.
Monthly Subscription: Enjoy more Railway Magazine reading each month with free delivery to you door, and access to over 100 years in the archive, all for just £5.35 per month.
Click here to subscribe & save
HAL financed and built the link between Airport Junction, on the Great Western Main Line, and Heathrow Airport and believed it was entitled to charge TfL for use of the branch by Crossrail trains from May 2018, to help offset the historic costs of construction.
Read more in the July 2017 issue of The RM – on sale now!
