Architects Foster + Partners and engineers Halcrow have unveiled proposals for an airport and transport hub on the Thames estuary, 55 kilometres from central London.

The Thames Hub would include a new flood barrier crossing the estuary, a four-runway airport, a freight port and an Orbital Rail link around London connected to the north of Britain and Europe.

The proposal was jointly funded by Foster and Halcrow, who claim it would cost £50 billion to implement and would generate £150 billion in economic benefits.

The freight port and Orbital Rail route would allow goods to be transported directly to Britain's other container ports, bypassing the congested area around London.

The proposed airport could handle 150 million passengers per year, would be 30 minutes from central London by high-speed rail and would use tidal power to generate energy.

A new flood barrier closer to the mouth of the Thames estuary would offer lasting flood protection for London and provide more land for housing in a heavily populated part of the country.

The team behind the Thames Hub proposal plan to conduct further research to demonstrate its viability as a solution to the UK's future unfrastructure.

See all our stories about Foster + Partners here, more infrastructure stories here and click here for a detailed presentation of the project from the developers.

Here is some more information from Foster + Partners:

The Hub UK vision

World-leading architects Foster + Partners and global infrastructure consultants Halcrow have collaborated on a self-funded study to produce a detailed vision for the Thames Hub – this would bring together rail freight connections between the UK’s main sea ports; utilities and data spine; a 150 million passenger airport in the Thames Estuary; a tidal energy barrage and a new flood protection barrier.

The long-term vision, which spans the next 50 years into 2060, is designed to reinforce the United Kingdom’s position as one of the world’s leading commercial, tourist and financial centres, ensuring that the country remains globally competitive in the late 21st century and beyond.

The Foster + Partners and Halcrow vision builds on the significant development of the Mayor of London’s call for a new airport in the Estuary, while developing the capacity across all of the UK’s transport modes and trade routes.