London Luton Airport is moving ahead with its £225m investment in a connectivity and infrastructure project known as the London Direct Air Rail Transport (DART).
As recently explained at the third annual British-Irish Airports Expo in west London, London Luton council, whom own the airport are spearheading the project in order to better connect Luton Airport with London and increase passenger satisfaction with connectivity from the airport.
By 2021, the rail system known as DART will become fully operational. It is a direct rail service which connects passengers from Luton Airport to nearby rail facilities, to which London becomes more accessible.
The council are constructing the project with environmental concerns and obligations in mind. It is also a boost to the local and surrounding economies. At the conference, Anita Gackowska, Development Director, London Luton Airport, stated 70% of materials for the project will come from within 20 miles and the technical specialists working on it will also be sourced from within the same boundary.
Speaking with Airside International at the conference, London Luton council noted that it is the time for Luton Airport to become better connected. They noted that the current process of using a bus to transport passengers between landside and rail facilities is outdated and inefficient.
Overall, the council wish to take up the industry’s call to make better use of existing capacity by maximizing the use of its runway. 1m more passengers mean 3m more in revenue for the council. The council’s concession runs out in 2031 – the time is now to expand and deliver, it says.
