Ever experienced the horror of arriving at the wrong airport? A mate of mine once booked an overnight stay at the Premier Inn near Gatwick Airport, only to realise on his flight day that he was meant to be at Heathrow.
Thanks to a frantic taxi ride and a lot of stress, he just made it to the gate in time…Plans in 2018 for a high-speed rail linking the two major airports in just 15 minutes (compared to the current one hour and 30 minutes) would have significantly eased my friend’s predicament.
The proposed £10bn train line, dubbed ‘HS4Air’, sparked headlines and chatter about the future of British transport but never progressed beyond the planning stage, being turned down by the Government in December 2018. Seven years later, it’s intriguing to consider what the plans involved and how they might have influenced international travel.
HS4Air was proposed by Expedition Engineering in response to a call for ideas from the Department for Transport (DfT), as a super-fast train line connecting Gatwick and Heathrow in just 15 minutes. Expedition Engineering saw HS4Air as a fourth chapter in the existing High Speed 1 (HS1) network, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel.
The line would also have linked to the HS2 and HS3 lines, offering a quick link to the two airports from Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham, reports MyLondon.
An early evening train waits to depart the station at Gatwick Airport
(Image: Getty Images)
Expedition Engineering’s ambitious proposal to connect the HS4Air line to Manston Airport in Kent, dubbed ‘the M25 for high speed trains’, faced hurdles from the outset. The Department for Transport (DfT) questioned the project’s financial viability, stating: “The call for ideas sought market led proposals to enhance our railways which were financially credible without government support. The HS4Air proposal did not meet the requirements as set out in the call for ideas.”
Local communities were also expected to resist the plans, particularly due to the route passing through green belt land.
However, Expedition Engineering suggested that 40% of the route could utilise existing tracks, with another 20% underground, and included station upgrades at Ashford International and Tonbridge. Alistair Lenczner, a director at Expedition, expressed his views to City AM, highlighting that the DfT’s reluctance was based on cost concerns and potential local opposition to green belt development.
He remarked, “Green belt opposition didn’t stop them progressing the Lower Thames Crossing project. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette with infrastructure projects like this.”
Since then, there have been no further proposals for a high-speed line connecting Gatwick and Heathrow. In the meantime, it’s worth taking note of a friend’s cautionary tale – if you’re due to fly out in a few hours, always double-check you’re heading to the correct airport!