High-speed rail link no threat to airport
Reporter: Our Lobby Correspondent
Date published: 06 November 2008
HIGH–SPEED rail will not pose a threat to Manchester Airport, the Conservatives have said.
The party has pledged to sanction a high-speed line if it wins the next election, and says that by 2027 trains linking London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds could be travelling at 200mph.
This would slash the London-Manchester journey time from 125 minutes to only 80, and Manchester to Leeds would take 17 minutes.
The estimated cost based on today’s prices would be £20 billion, with 75 per cent funded by the tax payer.
Yesterday, shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the line would bring huge economic benefits to the area.
Increased capacity on the West Coast Mainline would free up space for improved services to destinations such as Stockport, Macclesfield and Preston, she added.
Ms Villiers said: “It would also generate huge benefits for business and the economy, help to close the north-south divide, give a boost to the Midlands and the North, and provide a genuinely green alternative to sitting in a traffic jam”.
She told how Air France no longer flies between Paris and Brussels because the rail facilities are so good. But she said there was no reason Manchester Airport should not continue to flourish.
Ms Villiers said the Conservatives understand the need for sensible and reasonable expansion and recognise the benefits of being able to fly from a local airport bring.
Ms Villiers said: “This is a big decision for the future of our transport system and one that will generate major benefits in terms of the economy and in tackling chronic levels of rail overcrowding.”
The Conservatives would scrap Labour’s proposals for a third runway at Heathrow and instead establish the rail line.
The party’s proposals read: “By connecting Heathrow directly to a new high-speed link to the Channel Tunnel and the North, our plans will provide a viable alternative to thousands of short-haul flights, potentially freeing up around 30 per cent of the capacity that would be generated by a third runway.”
