Luton calls for express service to St Pancras

Business groups and politicians are calling for four fast trains an hour to Luton Airport from 2018 to help meet rising demand for travel while waiting for a new runway to be built at Heathrow.

Luton Airport has had 30 consecutive months of passenger growth, with traffic up almost 50% in two years, but says insufficient rail links are currently the major limiting factor to growth.

"LLA is currently the fastest growing major London airport, but is the only one without an Express-style service with four fast trains per hour," it said.

"The new East Midlands Trains franchise is a chance to change this."

Luton claims introducing an express service could be delivered through a timetable change only, requiring no new capital spending on infrastructure.

Nick Barton, CEO of Luton Airport said: "The current £110m redevelopment of LLA will grow the number of passengers by 50% to 18 million a year by 2020. Rail service improvements are needed to ensure that this capacity can be efficiently and sustainably used.

"The introduction of Express type services on existing infrastructure has clear benefits to people all along the line from north to south as well as generating significant revenue benefits for the rail industry.

"The East Midlands refranchising is a huge opportunity to create an integrated end-to-end transport hub for the benefit of the UK and Beds, Herts and Bucks region in particular.

"Luton is at the intersection of two strategically important economic corridors from north to south along with Midland Mainline, and from east to west between the high employment and high skill Cambridge and Oxford corridor. There is a clear economic and social benefit to improving connectivity in the region."

Sophie Dekkers, UK Country Director at easyJet said; "Despite London Luton’s strategic importance for the UK, LLA has the lowest share of passengers using public transport of the London airports and lacks the Express service that other London airports and their passengers benefit from.

"Simply stopping more of the fast trains that already pass through the station will provide a significant benefit to passengers from London as well as passengers in the east midlands at the other end of the line."

Louise Ellman MP, chair of the Transport Select Committee said; "Surface access to airports is critically important. These proposals must be seriously considered to enable Luton airport to continue to attract a growing number of passengers."

Andy McDonald MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport said: "Improving the rail connections to our airports is key to growing passenger numbers and getting as many airline passengers as possible to leave their cars at home. The East Midlands refranchising is a big opportunity for Luton that should be looked at closely."