Luton Airport upgrades rail access for passengers

With 1.3 million travellers transiting the airport and a 18.7 per cent increase in passenger numbers last month only, the government in UK aims investing in rail access upgrades at the Luton Airport Parkway station.

Nick Barton, chief executive at Luton Airport, explained:

“As the fastest-growing major London airport, it is absurd that LLA is the only one with no Express-style service. Each month more and more passengers are choosing to fly from LLA which is why we are currently undertaking this ambitious transformation project to increase our annual capacity. Improved connectivity will not only make the journey to and from LLA as simple and efficient as possible for our passengers but also help address capacity constraints across the south east in the short-medium term.”

To cope with the increasing number of transit passengers, LLA aims to introduce four more fast trains per hour departing from central London to Luton Airport Parkway.

Additionally, Luton Borough Council’s will invest £200 million in light rail links connecting Luton Airport Parkway station and terminals, in order to enable passengers travel from central London to the airport in less than 30 minutes.

Analysts believe that the rail upgrades will almost double the number of passengers accessing Luton Airport by train. The environment will also benefit the investment, as traffic congestions will significantly drop and more than 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be cut down each year. Moreover, rail revenue is estimated to increase by up to £110 million.

As a result, the annual airport’s capacity will grow by 50 per cent per year until 2020, meaning 18 million more passengers will be able to transit LLA at the end of the project.

To meet increasing passenger numbers, Heathrow airport will also upgrade its features during the coming years.