Tories plan railway instead of bigger Heathrow

By Tim Castle and John Bowker

BIRMINGHAM/LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives would scrap a proposed third runway at Heathrow airport and instead build a new high-speed rail line between London and northern England, a party official said Monday.

Conservative transport spokeswoman Theresa Villiers said the 20 billion pound railway would cut 66,500 flights a year, some 44 percent of the capacity of the proposed new runway.

"Evidence from right around Europe clearly shows that high-speed rail provides a viable and attractive alternative to short haul flights ... And it could deliver this without the environmental penalties of a third runway," she told the party conference in Birmingham.

She said a new high-speed rail network could add 60 billion pounds to the economy, and boost transport links between the north of the country and the south.

Opinion polls suggest the centre-right Conservatives are on course to return to power at the next election, due within 18 months.

Conservative leader David Cameron has already questioned the case for a third runway at Heathrow on environmental grounds, upsetting business leaders who say the economy will suffer if the airport is not enlarged.

The business-focussed Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said Monday a new rail link would not be enough to offset a refusal to expand Heathrow.

"A high-speed rail link would have a lot going for it, but don't think for a minute that it will solve the capacity problems at Heathrow," CBI Director-General Richard Lambert said in a statement.