THE Airports Commission has supported proposals to build a third runway at Heathrow, in the face of rigorous opposition from environmental groups and politicians, including Boris Johnson.
The report says a new runway would cost £17.6 billion but boost the economy by £147 billion. Major transport upgrades costing some £5 billion would be needed to cope with the additional demand. Some new rail schemes -- particularly Crossrail -- are already in progress.
The Commission also envisages direct railway connections from the west and south but rules out a spur from HS2 at Old Oak Common, saying there is no robust business case and that such a link would be "likely to attract only a small number of passengers, carry a high capital cost and represent an inefficient use of HS2 capacity". The Commission said it did not receive any 'persuasive arguments' in favour of a high speed spur during its national consultation.
It does however favour the planned Western Rail Link from the Reading direction, which would involve a new western-facing junction on the Great Western Main Line, and also a Southern Rail Access link, which would connect the airport to London Waterloo and other destinations such as Richmond, which it says "are currently poorly linked to the airport by public transport".
Diagrams in the report also suggest that the Piccadilly Line would be 'upgraded', but no details are given.
The Commission chairman Sir Howard Davies said that the alternative of a second runway at Gatwick was a 'credible' option but was less able to provide connections to long-haul destinations and would lead to lower levels of economic growth.
Heathrow Airport Limited welcomed the report, saying it would now work with the Government to 'deliver expansion for all of Britain'.
Meanwhile the Government has yet to react in detail. In a holding statement, the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "“My department has received the final report from the Airports Commission and will now consider that advice in detail. As a nation we must be ambitious and forward looking. This is a once in a generation opportunity to answer a vital question. I will make a statement to Parliament later today in which I will set out the process for that decision to be made.”
The Mayor of London and MP Boris Johnson said the plans were 'catastrophic'. He wants a new airport to be built in the Thames Estuary instead.