"Why do we need a hub? Doesn't benefit the UK at all. Let Schiphol or CDG handle that, they have the terrain for it. London's airport capacity should be prioritised to serve flights for people travelling between London and places not reachable easily by rail, end of."
Not quite. The transfer of any ever greater proportion of shorthaul flight routes by rail is likely to continue. And there are very good reasons for that in terms of drastically reducing emissions. Have you seen the arctic volume loss since 2000? It looks like we've only got a few years until there are no icecubes left to keep the arctic cool in summer. Then the weather could get very interesting.
After the unavoidable longhaul portion of a trip, where most of us will be in 80 mpg A380-900's, or bigger, the priority will be getting everyone onto rail. I think it's very prudent to consider a future where an airport has to be sitting on a massive international railway station serving the major population centres of northwest Europe.
You're right, this could be done at Schipol or CDG, but the centre of gravity of the NW European population is a little to the west of Amsterdam and a bit to the north of Paris, maybe somewhere in the Thames estuary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EU_NUTS_2_population_density_2007.svg
And of course we need a location that's relatively easy to plug into the European high-speed rail network.
You might be surprised to hear this, but Boris might be on to something. I think it's worth being even more ambitious: a EuroRailAirport that would certainly take over from LHR, probably CDG and Schipol, and possibly even Frankfurt. If most of air mileage was in A380-900 class planes, emissions would be really cut, even if overall point-to-point passenger mileage grew.
The cries of anguish over shutting down the existing airports might be too much, and the cost is certainly steep, though offset by the houses that could then be built on land freed up. But taking the piecemeal approach of bulldozing extra runways onto the sides of LHR, while aviation emissions are projected to take the lion's share of the UK's entire carbon budget by 2050, seems about the worst choice possible.
I might be with Boris on this one. |
| Topic | Date Posted | Posted By |
| Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 27/08/12 19:32:00 | Will Watson |
| Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 27/08/12 23:41:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 07:40:00 | Tim Henderson |
| Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 12:02:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 12:06:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 12:59:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 14:09:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 14:39:00 | George Knox |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 14:44:00 | Neil Muller |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 15:53:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 16:10:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 16:51:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 17:13:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 18:00:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 19:19:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 29/08/12 09:46:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 15:36:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 15:58:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 28/08/12 16:09:00 | George Knox |
| What Tim Yeo MP says does not matter | 28/08/12 16:45:00 | David Giles |
| Re:What Tim Yeo MP says does not matter | 28/08/12 16:53:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:What Tim Yeo MP says does not matter | 28/08/12 17:15:00 | Roger Talbot |
| Re:Re:What Tim Yeo MP says does not matter | 28/08/12 18:41:00 | David Giles |
| Nice try David | 28/08/12 20:27:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Nice try David | 28/08/12 22:56:00 | David Giles |
| It's not just Tim Yeo, of course | 28/08/12 20:33:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 28/08/12 21:26:00 | Isabelle Kendall |
| Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 28/08/12 21:33:00 | Iris Hill |
| Re:Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 28/08/12 21:40:00 | Isabelle Kendall |
| Re:Re:Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 28/08/12 22:51:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 29/08/12 00:15:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 29/08/12 07:33:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 29/08/12 08:47:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Re:Re: Mary MacLeod and Zac Goldsmith | 31/08/12 08:49:00 | David Giles |
| Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 29/08/12 06:47:00 | Will Watson |
| Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 29/08/12 07:46:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 29/08/12 09:41:00 | Neil Muller |
| Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 29/08/12 09:53:00 | Guy Lambert |
| Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 29/08/12 17:55:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 29/08/12 18:45:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 29/08/12 19:12:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 29/08/12 21:26:00 | Tim Henderson |
| Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 09:26:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 09:43:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 10:03:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 11:59:00 | Vanessa Smith |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 13:39:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 18:10:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 18:14:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Let's get away from this Londoncentric approach | 30/08/12 18:32:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 31/08/12 18:29:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 31/08/12 18:44:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 01/09/12 08:37:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Closing Heathrow ? | 01/09/12 09:35:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Closing Heathrow ? | 01/09/12 11:04:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 01/09/12 09:35:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| BAA - the elephant in the room | 01/09/12 09:41:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:BAA - the elephant in the room | 01/09/12 11:20:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:BAA - the elephant in the room | 01/09/12 12:05:00 | George Knox |
| Re:Re:BAA - the elephant in the room | 01/09/12 14:14:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 01/09/12 13:23:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 01/09/12 13:54:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 03/09/12 10:22:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 03/09/12 11:17:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Heathrow capacity 'harms' economy, say MPs | 03/09/12 11:10:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Drip, drip, drip | 03/09/12 09:22:00 | Will Watson |
| Re:Drip, drip, drip | 03/09/12 09:27:00 | Claire Moran |
| A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 09:30:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 09:47:00 | Roger Talbot |
| Re:Re:A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 10:52:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 13:04:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 13:46:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:Schiphol | 04/09/12 14:19:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Schiphol | 04/09/12 14:39:00 | Edward Przepiora |
| Re:Re:Re:Schiphol | 04/09/12 15:04:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Regional airports in England | 05/09/12 12:19:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Aerogare London Charles de Gaulle | 05/09/12 13:34:00 | David Giles |
| Re:Re:Re:A Goldsmith writes... | 04/09/12 15:19:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Boris Island reconsidered | 04/09/12 19:12:00 | Tom Pike |
| Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 04/09/12 20:13:00 | Edward Przepiora |
| Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 00:11:00 | Tom Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 10:39:00 | Edward Przepiora |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 10:46:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 10:57:00 | John Hickman |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 11:00:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 11:37:00 | Edward Przepiora |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Boris Island reconsidered | 05/09/12 13:20:00 | Tom Pike |
| The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 13:52:00 | David Giles |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:13:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:17:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:44:00 | Tom Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 15:31:00 | Jonathan Bingham |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:24:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:24:00 | Dave Robertson |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 14:35:00 | Tom Pike |
| Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 15:22:00 | Will Watson |
| Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 15:38:00 | Edward Przepiora |
| Re:Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 15:43:00 | Claire Moran |
| Re:Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 16:39:00 | Tom Pike |
| Re:Re:Re:Re:The Government still opposes the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 16:42:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| The Treasury still supports the Third Runway. | 05/09/12 16:49:00 | Thomas Barry |
| Re:The Treasury still supports the Third Runway. | 06/09/12 10:00:00 | Richard Greenhough |
| Re:Heathrow third runway rethink urged by Tory MP | 06/09/12 09:54:00 | Andrew OSullivan |