A New Proposal for the Thames

Aerial view of the proposed Thames Hub, image credit Foster + Partners

A radical new £50bn solution to transport logistics in South East England is being proposed by Foster + Partners, Halcrow and Volterra. The proposal involves the construction of a new airport in the Thames estuary, a tidal barrier incorporating electricity generating capability and integrated rail services.

Thames Hub is a bold new approach to future infrastructure development in Britain. It brings together rail, freight logistics, aviation, energy and its transmission, flood protection and regional development. It is unique for its scale and strategic cross-sector thinking. Recognising the synergies between these different strands, it reaps the benefits of their integration. It is an opportunity to reassert Britain’s role as an international gateway for people, freight and communications. The Thames Hub will help to balance the economy across the UK. It will create a coherent high-speed rail network that opens up a direct route from the North and the Midlands to Europe, avoiding London congestion; and it will put in place the transport connections Britain needs in order to maximise its trade links with the rest of the world.”

You can read more about the project vision here, and an article in the Guardian about the proposal here.