Extend HS2 To Heathrow
Tuesday 10th January 2012
GMB CALLS ON PARTIES TO REOPEN POLICY
ON BUILDING THIRD RUNWAY AT HEATHROW AIRPORT TO SAFEGUARD ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY AND JOBS IN WEST LONDON AS HIGHSPEED 2 GETS GO
AHEAD
HS 2 should be extended to Heathrow as
building a third runway at Heathrow is far less expensive and can
be completed earlier than starting from scratch to build a new
airport hub in north Kent or in the Thames estuary says
GMB
GMB, the union for airport workers, is calling
on the major political parties to reopen their policy regarding the
building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport as part of union’s
response to high speed 2 (HS2) which must include a Heathrow
connection.
Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for the civil
aviation industry, said “This go ahead for HS2 is
welcome but it should be extended to Heathrow. It puts into sharp
contrast the announcement by George Osborne in the Autumn Statement
that the Government was looking at another airport hub in the South
of England, but not at Heathrow. GMB consider that this is
profoundly wrong and calls on all political parties to reopen the
issue of the 3rd runway at Heathrow.
Government recognizes that there
is a shortage of runway capacity and that the prosperity of London
and the UK will be held back unless this shortage is addressed.
Those who deny this are either fooling themselves or trying to fool
the electorate.
Government also recognizes that
not building a third runway at Heathrow will not cut aircraft
carbon emissions - as the hub will be built somewhere else in the
region or if not built in the UK the traffic will move onto
mainland Europe. Those who deny this as well are either fooling
themselves or trying to fool the electorate.
GMB is dismayed that the government is
looking at another airport hub in the South of England when we
already have the world’s largest airport hub at
Heathrow.
Building a third runway at Heathrow is
far less expensive and can be completed earlier than starting from
scratch to build a new airport hub in north Kent or in the Thames
estuary.
The site for a third runway at
Heathrow is adjacent to the existing runways at the airport. Those
with expertise to operate an international hub already live in West
London. The transport links are mostly there already. Building a
third runway opens up updating to an integrated
transport hub, which could reduce road congestion, and increase
public transport access for the benefit of travelers and the
workforce. A third runway will safeguard the jobs of the tens of
thousands of workers in West London whose livelihoods depend on
Heathrow. Moving to a new hub location will devastate jobs in West
London.
The billions that would be wasted
building a new hub elsewhere in the region should instead be spent
on much needed energy and transport infrastructure projects across
the UK. Some of this money saved could be spent on sound insulation
for properties in Heathrow’s flight path.
Heathrow’s world- wide destinations
are already decreasing, due to capacity constraints, which have not
been addressed by successive governments. New runways at many
European hub airports are already taking Heathrow business. This is
already having a detrimental knock on effect to jobs, skills and
the economy of London and the UK.
GMB call on all major political
parties to reopen their policy on expanding Heathrow. It is time to
confront the reality that the future is Heathrow and any other
solution like Boris Island is “pie in the sky”.
End
Contact: Mick Rix, GMB
National Officer on 07971 268 343 or GMB Press office Steve Pryle
on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251 823.