Heathrow T5 public transport praised
[March 24th 2008]
The public transport network at Terminal 5 has helped Heathrow airport win a new award.
Heathrow airport has been named Transport Team of the Year for its work leading the Heathrow Area Transport Forum (HATF) in developing a successful public transport network for Terminal 5.
More and more people are now using public transport to access Heathrow. Figures from a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) survey show that 40.8% of passengers travelling to Heathrow use public transport.
In 2001 only 34.6% of people travelled to the airport by public transport. That figure had increased to 37.1% in 2005 and 38.4% in 2007. The HATF’s work in establishing public transport facilities for the new T5 is believed to have had a substantial impact on the improved figures.
Surface access programme manager for Heathrow, Matthew White, comments: "This is a fantastic reward for four years of collaborative team work. It is great for Heathrow to be recognised for its efforts in actively encouraging sustainable travel which helps to make Heathrow the preferred choice for passengers and an easier place to access for staff."
Heathrow owner, airport operator BAA, has worked with bus and coach companies as part of the HATF to establish five new bus routes to the airport. FreeFlow, which provides free bus travel around Heathrow, has been extended, as have two other bus routes.
One of the HATF’s main achievements in the last year has been establishing an effective transport interchange facility at Terminal 5. The extensive coach network has also been increased, along with more frequent bus services to the airport.
The HATF says it has achieved challenging targets for T5 by adopting an innovative partnering approach with the large number of stakeholders and transport operators involved.
The Heathrow Express rail service to Heathrow from Paddington station in central London, owned and operated by BAA, takes an estimated 3000 cars off the road every day.
A proportion of airport parking revenue at Heathrow is also put aside for investment in local transport infrastructure and services.
Written by: Nick Purdom
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