Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Thousands of passengers to be disrupted by closure of Luton airport road link this weekend

The A1081 is the main link from the M1 and the town of Luton for the vast majority of passengers and staff

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent
Friday 29 November 2019 10:01 GMT
Comments
Luton Airport's new shuttle link under construction

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The main road link to the UK’s fifth-busiest airport, Luton, is to be closed all weekend – disrupting three days of access for more than 120,000 passengers.

A massive bridge is to be moved into place over the weekend, as part of the airport’s Dart (Direct Air to Rail Transit) project.

It is part of a new shuttle link is being built between the airport, which is on a hill, and Luton Airport Parkway station, which is in a valley.

The bridge has been assembled off-site and will be moved into position over the weekend.

The A1081 New Airport Way, the main link from the M1 motorway and the town of Luton, is the means of access for the vast majority of passengers and many staff.

The road will close from 8pm on Friday and is due to reopen, according to Luton Council, at 11.59pm on Monday.

Luton airport recommends: “Cars approaching the airport from the M1 should follow diversions along the B653 Gypsy Lane, A505 Kimpton Road to Airport Way.

“HGVs and coaches approaching the airport from the M1 should follow the diversion route along London Road, onto Castle Street, A505 Park Viaduct to Windmill Road, then onto the A505 Kimpton Road and Airport Way.”

National Express coach services and the bus from Luton Airport Parkway will be diverted and journey times extended.

The £225m Dart project is due to open in 2021. The airport describes it as a “double-shuttle, fully-automated people-mover, based on the latest system technology and design innovation”.

The four-minute journey replaces the existing bus link, which is both slow and unreliable. The shuttle will reduce the journey time between St Pancras station in London and Luton airport to half an hour.

Luton airport is the headquarters of easyJet, the main UK hub for Wizz Air and an important base for Ryanair.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in