Rail link to connect Canary Wharf with Heathrow

The upper chamber of Parliament has given the go-ahead for the £16 billion rail link between Canary Wharf and London’s Heathrow Airport.

The new rail connection will be a part of the Crossrail project, which has been greeted with enthusiasm and represent the largest development project in the London transportation system in the last half-century.

Congestion on the tube network is expected to be eased by the new link, and it is also anticipated that calls for adding additional capacity at the London City Airport will diminish. The proximity of London City to Canary Wharf has led to bolstered support for the approval of an increase in landing and take-offs there – as opposed to Heathrow.

The Lords approved the link without the need for a vote, meaning that Crossrail plans will soon be brought in front of the House of Commons.

Plans call for the beginning of construction in 2010, with the link requiring approximately 14 miles of tunnels, connecting Heathrow Airport and Maidenhead to east London by way of Paddington and Tottenham Court Road.

The transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, expressed her support for Crossrail, saying: “This landmark project is of major significance to both London and the whole country.”

Kelly added: “It will generate jobs and economic growth, help re-vitalise some of our most deprived areas and deliver major improvements for the travelling public.”

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