Government aims to replace all domestic flights with rail

A high-speed rail network will entirely do away with the need for the need for domestic and short-haul flights according to the transport secretary.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Lord Adonis said that it was “manifestly in the public interest” for the 46 million passengers who take a domestic flight in Britain each year to switch to a 250mph north-south rail line of the future.

It is the first time that the Government has committed to the aim of ending domestic flights.

Plans for a £7bn high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham, which would eventually be extended to reach Scotland will be finalised by the end of this year.

Third runway at Heathrow remains

Despite its opposition to domestic and short-haul air travel, the Government believes that a growing demand for international long-haul flights justifies its continuing support for a third runway at Heathrow. The Conservatives have committed to scrapping the plans in favour of high-speed rail links.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “A high speed rail network whilst extremely welcome does not in itself do away with the demand for domestic air travel – the only way rational and equitable way to change travel patterns is to implement a carbon tax that applies to all modes of transport.”

Will flying ever be regarded as environmentally friendly?

Flying represents the single most polluting activity that the average person does.

Aircraft are becoming more efficient, but such advances are offset by increasing passenger numbers. There is a possibility that algae-derived biofuel may one day provide a sustainable source of aviation fuel, but one of the most radical plans for the future of air travel lies with solar power.

After four years of design and development, Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard this summer unveiled the solar-powered aircraft with which he plans to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies by eventually circumnavigating the globe.

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA prototype the world’s first manned solar-powered aircraft.

It has a wing span of 61m, which is comparable with a commercial airliner, but at 1,500kg the solar-powered plane weighs no more than a small family car.

Dr Piccard plans to test the solar-powered plane by making a crossing of the Atlantic in 2012.