Airlines dismiss high-speed rail plan to replace short flights. The Government’s aim to replace domestic flights with a high-speed train network has been condemned as ‘insane’.

The local airline industry has expressed their dissatisfaction with the plan to replace short-haul air travel, with one leading carrier calling the move ‘insane’.

The move came as Lord Adonis, the transport secretary hoped to replace short-haul flights within the UK.

Chief executive of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, warned against making cross-channel high-speed rail networks between the UK and Europe.

“It is insane. The only link you have is one highly priced tunnel. People are not going to travel to the UK regions, including the Lake District and Cornwall, on a [Eurostar] train that only stops at Kent and London St Pancras,” he said.

O’Leary was less critical on switching air passengers to rail, saying it was a valid alternative for those who do not mind the ‘inefficiency’ and ‘high cost of rail services’.

UK carriers have been hit hard by the Air Passenger Duty (APD) while rail networks receive billions of pounds in subsidies.

British Airways, which has been hit hard by the economic downturn, is also sceptical with Lord Adonis’s plan.

Pro-aviation lobby group Flying Matters, has warned that domestic routes would still have to operate to a hub such as Heathrow, as a rail link between many smaller cities is not likely.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that the country had taken over 20 years to build a third runway at Heathrow, and could take longer to plan and build a high speed rail network.

“When building 3km of runway takes decades, the challenges of criss-crossing the country corridors of high-speed rail infrastructure will be enormous,” an IATA spokesperson said.

Thanks to the Telegraph for the above quotes.  For more information visit their website.