Sadiq Khan backs international trains at Stratford, opposes Heathrow third runway

Mixed · 2London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said he is working with the Government to bring cross-Channel passenger trains to Stratford International station in east London. 1 2 Right · 1In an opinion piece for City A.M., Khan wrote that Stratford International "is not, and has never actually been, international", because the station was built with almost all the infrastructure needed for services to mainland Europe but has been mothballed, leaving passport desks unused and the arrivals hall empty. 2 Right · 1Khan framed the plan as an alternative to expanding Heathrow, arguing that a third runway would undermine climate goals and that a 58 per cent increase in flights would add 22m car journeys a year and worsen noise. 2

Right · 1He also cited figures that high-speed rail can cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 96 per cent compared with flying equivalent routes, that three times more Britons support more international rail than airport expansion, and that international services at Stratford would bring an extra £1.3bn in tourist spending across the UK. 2 Right · 1Khan's economic case rests on Stratford's growth: he said the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park supports more than 38,000 jobs, the area could add more than 11,000 jobs and £2bn a year by 2035, and Stratford station already handles an estimated 100m passengers a year. 2 Centre · 1The Evening Standard reported that rail minister Lord Hendy recently said the Government was pushing for international trains to stop at Stratford as well as St Pancras International, and was "proactively engaging with all industry partners to try to make this happen". 1

Mixed · 2Stratford and Bow Labour MP Uma Kumaran backed the call, and East Ham MP Sir Stephen Timms, who has campaigned for international stops at Stratford for more than 30 years, is credited with first raising the idea in the late 1980s; Khan's article puts the campaign at almost four decades. 1 2 Centre · 1Commercial interest is emerging: Virgin, which the Office of Rail and Road has granted track access for up to 20 new daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040, is exploring a stop in east London, as well as Ebbsfleet and Ashford, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which operates the Westfield centres, supports a second stop. 1