A £30BILLION high speed rail service which would link Britain to mainland Europe has been given the backing of Hillingdon's council leader.
Councillor Ray Puddifoot (Con) supports the plan - unveiled by the 2M Group of councils opposed to a third runway on Monday - as a counter to the Government's wish to expand Heathrow Airport.
He has also reacted with dismay to reported comments from the Department for Transport (DfT) suggesting it is unwilling to even discuss such a facility.
Mr Puddifoot said: "The Government is spending so much time and effort working out how to increase airport capacity - why does it not look at other means of transport while it is at it?
"The point is to get people from A to B. If there is no need to fly, then our solution will be just the thing."
The 2M Group's plan would see a line running from Scotland through cities in the north of England and the midlands then on into Heathrow Airport and finally, via the Channel Tunnel, to Europe.
They believe it could be completed by 2030 and provide fast connections from various cities to Europe.
However, the DfT is reported to have said it would be wrong to suggest the need for expansion at Heathrow could be removed by investing in high-speed rail.
Mr Puddifoot responded: "If they (the DfT) can just dismiss an idea in such an off-handed way then why can't they do the same for their plan to expand Heathrow?
"All they are doing is showing they have already made their mind up and that any alternative anyone suggests is given very short shrift.
"They are charging headlong into something and seem determined to remain heedless of anything else."
On Saturday members of Climate Camp are returning to the borough to help residents discuss what to do in the event the Government approves a third runway.
The conference takes place at Harlington Baptist Church, in High Street, Harlington, from noon-5pm.
At 9.30am on Sunday the Climate Camp representatives set off from the church to begin a week-long walk to Kingsnorth, in Kent, where this year's camp will be held to protest against a coal-fired power station.
