The government's push for growth via airport expansion beit Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, needs a jolt to ensure they coincide with more and better rail links first as follows:
1. Stansted - needs rail link eastwards to link with Braintree and Colchester.
2. Gatwick, needs a new direct curve from Tonbridge to Gatwick for direct running both ways and the reopening of Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham with a direct curve to run from the south to Gatwick direct via Three Bridges.
3. Heathrow needs the Heathrow Southern Rail Link and the new Reading arm to extend to link with bays and a new tunnel to link with the Chiltern Main Line for Milton Keynes/Aylesbury-Heathrow-Guildford arc, see: https://heathrowrail.com/ and
4. Luton Airport Parkway Station needs a new 8-coach bay on the northern side underneath DART for a new 'South Chiltern Link' linking between Luton, Heathrow and Reading via the proposed for reopening Dudding Hill Lines of North-West London.
5. If we find the South East is overheating and care about environmental impacts, then we should both welcome more services out of St Pancras to continental places taking off the pressure for short-haul flights and maybe should also study what about Thurleigh Airport as a London 4th in North Bedfordshire? Alas, unless East-West Rail is willing to relocate their Northern Route to serve it and St Neots onwards to Cambridge, the railway would be in a tunnel to the south of the airport and opportunity for 12, 000 jobs (Stansted example) thrown away.
An airport without rail access generates lots of congestion, pollution and bads and is unsustainable. Has the government thought these things through carefully, or a knee-jerk announcement without thinking through what is involved except as some after thought? If Universal Theme Park goes ahead, 8 million visitors are envisaged per year, the airport could come in handy for that audience?
If we are talking about the exciting Dudding Hill Lines, unsure how it will connect with the new station at Brent Cross? Docklands also needs to extend to Brent Cross via the North London orbital road. These links will be strategic and popular. on the back of it with a new bay at Luton Airport Parkway for 8-coach trains, would inform a 'South Chiltern Link' on the back of it. But despite putting it out, few backers are gagging for it... all enquiries welcome via richard.brta@gmail.com
Our London Forum will be convened where these and other regional/London-wide issues can be discussed.
We welcome support and interest in these things. Please join/affiliate https://brtarail.com/become-a-member/ to BRTA. A lot is possible, but we need more people to volunteer and help us and resources to enable more and better.
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