Monorail plan for Heathrow terminals

By Dick Murray, Evening Standard Transport Editor

Heathrow airport could soon have a monorail system linking all five terminals.

It would allow four-person cars to run at intervals of a few seconds in a continuous loop around the airport. The system could eventually see passengers entering their flight reference code to ensure they get off at the correct terminal. Talks are taking place with Advanced Transport Systems (ATS) which says a monorail could be in place by 2006.

Richard Teychenne of ATS told Building Magazine: "Our system is like a network of automatic taxis or even an elevator - you punch in where you want to go." The system, called Ultra, is also being considered by 20 local authorities in the UK.

A similar scheme could also be used around the planned Olympic village at Stratford.