Letters to the editor – 30/07 – Heathrow debate, Best of Twitter
Heathrow debate
[Re: Forget disastrous Heathrow and build a more efficient hub to London’s east, yesterday]
The aviation debate shows no sign of abating. And despite all the arguments to the contrary, the cost, economic benefits, and practicality of a Heathrow extension still make serious consideration of other options borderline nonsensical. The alternatives are costly, will take up to 20 years to deliver and, when complete, give no guarantee of attracting the long-term inward investment to make them practically viable. It’s time for our country to get serious about the infrastructure options that are practically open to us.
Chris Carter Keall, Oxford Properties
Relocating something as large and complex as Heathrow – and all of the jobs and businesses tied to its current location – would be about as easy as moving London, brick by brick, one mile to the left. If we really want to give the construction lobby lucrative 30 year contracts, we should focus on projects that would actually deliver some direct improvements. Forget High Speed 2, forget relocating Heathrow, let’s look at how hard it would be to dig our current train tracks slightly deeper to allow double-decker trains. This project would be of a similar scale, but would actually alleviate a current problem – train overcrowding.
Name withheld
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