More Trains Less Planes

Conservatives propose high-speed rail links in place of 3rd runway at Heathrow

The unveiling of a plan to invest in high-speed rail instead of a third runway at Heathrow, at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham has been met with wide-spread approval across west London.

In her speech to the conference, Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said a future Conservative government would build a high speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Following the announcement, speaking on behalf of the 2M Group, Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said: "This is precisely what those of us who are opposed to the never-ending expansion of Heathrow have been calling for.

"In July we published our own high speed rail plan which would totally remove the need for any new runway at Heathrow. And this kind of fast rail line would benefit the whole country not just BAA and the airlines. Unless plans for a third runway are abandoned, people in south west London and the home counties will face a future of all day aircraft noise."

Tony Arbour, Conservative London Assembly member for South West London said, “Heathrow airport is vital to the local economy, but it shouldn’t be expanded at the expense of people’s quality of life.”

However, BAA who operate Heathrow, were adamant that the way forward was to expand the airport. In a statement to the press, a spokesperson said, "BAA believes this country needs both a third runway at Heathrow and high speed rail. To  prioritise one over the other is a false choice and will put Britain's future competitiveness at risk.

“It is not clear how this proposal will resolve the lack of airport capacity, a problem which must urgently be addressed. The total number of flights to Manchester and Leeds/Bradford is only 13,356 or less than 3% of Heathrow's total flights.

Even if every flight from Manchester and Leeds/Bradford were replaced by a new high speed rail line then Heathrow would still be operating at 97% of capacity.There are currently no flights from Birmingham to Heathrow."

October 1, 2008