HEATHROW campaigners have attacked plans for a high-speed rail link, saying they fall well short of what is needed.
Transport secretary Lord Adonis last week announced detailed proposals for a new network linking London with Manchester and Leeds, with trains travelling at up to 250mph.
He said the £30 billion project would create 10,000 jobs and slash journey times between Euston and Manchester from more than two hours to just 80 minutes.
However, he claimed building a new high speed station at Heathrow would cost an estimated £2 billion and a detailed investigation was required to determine whether the cost could be justified. The 2M Group, a coalition of councils opposed to Heathrow expansion, criticised the plans, saying they fell well short of what was needed to provide an alternative to short-haul flights.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Hounslow council leader Peter Thompson said: "This announcement looks more like extending the third runway to the Chilterns than building a credible national high speed rail network. With proper links to the European network, around a quarter of the destinations served by Heathrow could be reached within four hours by high speed rail. That's the kind of ambition we want for high speed rail."
The group, which has produced its own plans for a more extensive high-speed network, also criticised the 'environmentally sensitive' route chosen and called for a public debate on the future of rail travel.
BAA Heathrow, which runs the airport, welcomed the plans, claiming they would make it easier for people from across the UK to reach Heathrow and reduce the need for short-haul flights.
"Currently, around four million people a year fly from UK regions to make their long-haul connections at a European hub airport, taking two flights instead of one direct service from Heathrow," said a spokesman for the company. "It is clear that high-speed rail will strengthen the case for additional capacity at the UK's only hub airport."
Campaigners from the No Third Runway Action Group (NOTRAG) said it would only support the plans if they meant a third runway would be dropped.
NOTRAG also called for the link to be extended to Scotland and questioned why Sir David Rowlands, chairman of Gatwick Airport, was chosen to head the High Speed 2 group which put together the plans.
Should the proposals be approved, building will not begin until at least 2017, when Crossrail, linking Heathrow with stations across the south-east, is due to be completed.
