£4.5 Billion Rail Hub At Heathrow Gathers Pace

Transport Minister, lord Adonis, is backing a proposed 4.5bn international rail exchange for Heathrow as part of a £16bn Crossrail scheme for the City of London.

Out of a number of projects that include a new high-speed rail link between London, Leeds and Manchester and the electrification of the Great Western railway to Plymouth and Swansea, the Heathrow international rail exchange has already been categorised as a high priority  by the Department of Transport.

Despite claims to the contrary, the transport ministry have stated that the planned international rail exchange is not being offered as an “environmental sweetener” to persuade opponents to accept the building of the controversial 3rd runway at Heathrow Airport.

With a final decision due later this month, Lord Adonis has re-affirmed that the rail hub which will link the north and south with a high-speed railway is “vital”, slashing journey times between Manchester, Leeds and London. The government however still faces strong opposition from the Conservatives and the general public. The shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said: “A new rail hub at Heathrow should be an alternative to a third runway, not a sweetener for it.”

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