Jim Steer, founder and director of global transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave, has given a speech highlighting the potential benefits of a new rail link to Stansted Airport.

He claimed that a new route from London Liverpool Street could cut journey times to as little as 30 minutes, providing a major economic boost for the East of England. New direct routes to Canary Wharf, Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Ipswich were also suggested.

His comments appear to be well-timed, as this week mayor of London Boris Johnson and chancellor George Osborne launched a taskforce to look into improving rail travel along the Stansted to Cambridge line, due to the projected population growth in the area

Stansted Airport's Managing Director, Andrew Harrison, said: "Unlike other London airports, Stansted has spare runway capacity today and significant room to grow in the future. It is vital that faster rail services are delivered between London and Stansted to ensure this potential is realised as soon as possible."