27.10.16
Third runway should be opportunity to create Heathrow ‘rail hub’
Any expansion at Heathrow Airport should be accompanied by an expansion of rail services, Greengauge 21 has said.
In a blog post following the government’s announcement that it has finally made the decision to allow the third runway at Heathrow, the organisation said the airport should have several direct rail services, following the success of a similar approach in Manchester.
It also said that Heathrow lags behind European airports such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol, CDG Paris and Frankfurt in terms of its rail links, with an “inefficient” rail structure that was created as a result of “incremental” decisions.
The blog post said: “It is clear that regardless of the debate around the value of Heathrow as an air hub, it is time to recognise Heathrow’s role as a rail hub. This isn’t just a rail network nicety. It means that the case for creating the necessary infrastructure is not something to insist on the airport owner alone providing, because the rich mix of M25-style rail journeys and benefits that a rail hub will bring come regardless of whether Heathrow gets a third runway.
“The funding mix needs to reflect this point. And planning should not be delayed, because it is important that development plans for the airport’s third runway do not inhibit the rational development of surface transport west of London, which if it is to succeed, will rely on a hub rail facility at Heathrow.”
Greengauge 21 argued that the airport should provide rail links to the immediate areas in its flight path, but also be a destination for hourly services from Cornwall/Devon and Somerset; South Wales and Bristol; the West Midlands and Oxford; and the East Midlands.
Shortly following the Heathrow announcement, London TravelWatch said there should be a “major improvement” in local rail links to the capital’s airports.
(Image c. Yui Mok from PA Wire and PA Images)
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