Huge £10billion high-speed train line that could connect three UK airports
A HUGE 87-mile train route nearly connected two of London’s busiest airports – as well as an airport hoping to reopen.
First announced in 2018, the £10billion planned route would connect London Gatwick and London Heathrow.
Called HS4, it would join the current HS1 (which connects London to the Channel Tunnel) and the current HS2 connecting London to the north.
It would also come alongside the HS3, connecting the northern routes from Liverpool to Newcastle.
HS4 would run along the M25 stations, and would take just 15 minutes between the two.
Currently, it takes around 50 minutes if travelling by road although this can be much longer, depending on the M25 traffic.
If travelling by public transport, it takes a massive 1hr25, with passengers having to go into London and change at Farringdon
This means the HS4 could have reduced the journey time by 1hr5.
Not only would it have connected the two airports, it would have made travel to the airports easier for people coming from Birmingham and Manchester too, thanks to the other high speed lines.
It could have even connected to Manston Airport in Kent, which has revealed long-term plans at restarting flights.
First announced in 2018, it was met with dismay by locals, who claimed it would be built over the green belt.
However, Expedition Engineering, behind the plans, said that 20 per cent of the route would be undergrounds, with another 40 per cent using previous tracks, MyLondon reports.
Sadly, the plans never went ahead with no further planning applications submitted.
Not only was it due to opposition from the communities, but it was also said to not be financially viable.
Despite this, back in 2003 Jeremy Hunt called for the train line, saying: “I really want to have HS3, HS4 and HS5.
“We have got to have much better connectivity.”
A train station in the UK nearly become an airport as well.
London’s King’s Cross Station, which opened in 1852, nearly become an airport in the 1930s.
Ambitions plans revealed a circular airport, called Aerial Kings Cross which would have both passenger flights and private plans.
Set to cost £5million at the time, it was never build due to concerns over the shape.
Being circular, it could never be lengthened if it needed to be expanded, and there were fears planes could fall off the edge.
Thankfully, current UK airports are all undergoing huge renovation plans.
London Heathrow Airport confirmed back in December that a £2.3billion revamp of the terminals will make them “better” for passengers.
Works have already started and are to be completed by next year.
Top 15 busiest airports in the UK
Here are the 15 busiest airports in the UK by passenger numbers in 2023
- London Heathrow – 79.2 million
- London Gatwick – 40.9 million
- Manchester – 28.1 million
- London Stansted – 28.0 million
- London Luton – 16.4 million
- Edinburgh – 14.4 million
- Birmingham – 11.5 million
- Bristol – 9.9 million
- Glasgow – 7.4 million
- Belfast International – 6.0 million
- Newcastle – 4.8 million
- Liverpool – 4.2 million
- Leeds Bradford – 4.0 million
- East Midlands – 3.9 million
- London City – 3.4 million
Bristol Airport’s £400million renovation will see the terminal made 70 per cent larger.
And Manchester Airport’s major renovation – costing £1.3billion – is set to be finished by this year, with more shops and restaurant as well as a champagne bar.