Currently, passengers and freight headed for many parts of the country are forced to pass through London, adding to congestion on London’s roads and rail and contributing significantly to the capital’s pollution problem. The M25 is at a standstill regularly and the high number of domestic flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick, a serious contributor to global warming.
Creating a city-shaping destination
Our proposed new railway would connect HS1 at Ashford to HS2 north West of London with a spur connection to the Great Western Main Line. This ‘M25 for high-speed trains’ would allow train journey times to be slashed from the UK’s two most important airports together with their hinterlands in South East England to the Midlands, North England and South Wales.
Four stations along HS4Air at Ashford, Tonbridge, Gatwick and Heathrow will provide important new points of new transport connectivity to the rest of the UK beyond London.Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports will become multi-modal regional transport hub with many passengers using these stations even if they are not catching a plane. The new connectivity created by the proposed high-speed line and the transport hubs along it will act as a boost for regional economies from South East England to northern England.
By providing a fast bypass rail route around London, fast direct passenger and freight trains from the Midlands and North England to Europe can be made. City centre to city centre journey times from both Birmingham and Manchester to Paris will be faster using HS4Air than travelling by air. As a result, HS4Air will become a catalyst for economic activity between the UK regions and Europe.
By taking the people and freight out of London that does not need or want to pass through the congested metropolis, HS4Air is expected to release capacity on the London rail network back for use by the intra-London market.