Originally Posted by
frankvb
Similar to
graraps I was thinking why not to create a direct rail connection from LHR to some other airport (LGW seems an obvious choice) and move some European flights there. You'll get to Gatwick just as fast as to LHR from London, and if connecting pax could use a dedicated rail link that would be just as convenient as the FCC now
I would expect this to cost less than another LHR runway as well. And the next step would be to increase capacity at the other airport, which should be much easier as it isn't surrounded by motorways and houses...
The opportunity to do this at reasonable cost was lost in the 1980's when the Thatcher government scoffed at investing in rail and instead focused most public transport expenditure on roads - think M25 / M40 / M3 / M11 / A14 / M20 completions.
When the M25 was in the final stages of planning there was still a scheme to have an equivalent rail version, particularly the south-west and north-west quadrants to provide a LHR-LGW link plus a south>>west>>north rail link avoiding London. The "rail M25" would have run partly in a cutting between the carriageways or alongside - much as the CTRL has done alongside the M20 - also like the Schipol >> Amsterdam train does with the A4.
Sadly all lost now though - to put it through now would be cost prohibitive and the planning enquiries would no doubt dwarf T5 and the LHR third runway ones...