High speed rail link welcomed
The UK government’s approval of a second high speed rail link from London to Birmingham is " excellent news for the future growth and prosperity of the UK," according to one of the copuntry's leading architect-planners.Sir Terry Farrell, considered to be the UK’s leading architect-planner and masterplanner for Crossrail's proposed Old Oak Common interchange, said:
“The commitment to a new high speed rail link announced yesterday is, I believe, excellent news for the future growth and prosperity of the UK. The new interchange we have proposed at Old Oak Common together with our new city quarter at Park Royal City will be London’s largest regeneration project.
"Our vision for Old Oak Common is for a world class ‘mega-hub’ that will rival other high speed rail interchanges my practice has designed in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Seoul."
He said it is not just the East side of London that needs regeneration – the West side needs it too and this project will create at least 20,000 jobs and 10,000 homes.
"Additional high speed links between Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton and the potential for new runways at Luton and Gatwick would provide a huge amount of additional capacity. This ‘recession friendly’ plan, which I am working on with world class engineers and discussing with interested parties, can be implemented in a phased and incremental way anticipating future demand and responding to the tough economic climate we find ourselves in.”
"The Government has recognised Old Oak Common’s vital role in taking pressure off busy central London terminals like Euston – which could not have coped with 13,000 extra passengers an hour.
"Around a third of all high speed (HS2) passengers are expected to transfer at Old Oak Common onto the station’s unrivalled rail and road connections, including a new Crossrail and orbital rail interchange
For more information, www.terryfarrell.co.uk
