영국, 런던 루턴공항(London Luton Airport) 직통 철도건설 추진 Luton Airport reveals plans for direct rail line
source londontoolkit.com
런던 루턴 공항공사는 금년 7월 런던 중심부와 공항 간의 이동거리를 대폭 단축시키기 위하여 직통 철도를 건설하겠다는 계획을 발표했다. 동 프로젝트는 총 1억 파운드(미화 약 1.6억불) 규모의 공항 재개발 사업의 일부다. 이번에 발표된 계획(안)에 따르면 동 열차노선은 미들랜즈(Midlands) 본선과 연결되게 되며 현재 영국 교통부를 중심으로 타당성조사가 진행 중에 있다. 한편, 런던 루턴 공항공사 측은 연간 승객 수송 능력을 현재 1,200만 명에서 2026년까지 50% 증가한 1,800만 명으로 끌어 올리겠다는 야심찬 목표를 세운 바 있다. 출처 : dailymail(2015.7.20) |
Ambitious plans are being drawn up to cut the journey time from central London to Luton Airport to just 20 minutes by constructing a direct railway line.
The Bedfordshire airport, though marketed as London's fourth airport, has submitted plans for a £100million upgrade of the site that will increase passenger capacity by 50 per cent as well as enhance the customer experience.
And key to that is cutting any journey time to and from the airport from the capital.
London Luton Airport has put forward its plans for a £100m upgrade that it hopes will enhance the customer experience when travelling
Currently the shortest train journey from London to Luton Airport Parkway is 20 minutes from St Pancras International, but passengers are forced to ride a bus for the final mile of the journey.
With waiting times, and stops along the way, this can mean the journey time is almost doubled.
But the project is looking at the idea of connecting the airport directly to the Midlands rail line, which will mean the entire journey will take 20 minutes non-stop.
Speaking to The Times, chief executive at the airport Nick Barton said: 'The bus service meets the basic criteria [but] the plan is to come up with a long-term solution.
'The options are around a mass passenger system which could be light rail or heavy [conventional] rail.'
And Ollie Jaycock, head of Marketing & Strategic Affairs at London Luton told MailOnline Travel: 'The project has been gearing up over the last year to see how building and improvement work could improve the transport infrastructure at the airport.
'The greatest opportunity for us to do that is rail, and there are two big things we are trying to do.
Passengers currently arrive in from London at Luton Parkway, where they get a bus to the terminal
Firstly we are working with the Department for Transport to increase the number of fast trains that leave London St Pancras, we want four fast trains an hour as oppose to one.
Then the final piece of the jigsaw is how we can speed up the 'last mile,' and that is the biggest hurdle for us.
'We are working with central government to see whether there could be a direct rail solution for this.'
While the Davies Commission recommended Heathrow for a seventh runway, it also said: 'It is imperative that the UK continues to grow its domestic and international connectivity in this period, and this will require the more intensive utilisation of existing airports other than Heathrow and Gatwick.'
And it appears London Luton Airport is doing just that. The aim is to increase passenger footfall from the current 12 million to at least 18 million by 2026.
As well as looking into a direct rail service, Luton Airport will be added to the Oyster Card network in September.
The project also plans to double existing retail space and develop a new world-class executive lounge, as well as improve road travel links in and out of the terminal.
Passenger numbers at London Luton Airport grew by 16 per cent in June compared with the same month last year. A record-breaking 1.2million passengers travelled through the airport in June, marking 15 months of consecutive growth.
Luton offers a choice of low-cost airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, yet it is believed the staggered journey to and from the airport puts many travellers off.
A spokesperson for the airport added: 'At the moment you can get to the Airport from London St Pancras in just 20 minutes and we're working closely with the train operators to introduce more frequent fast trains from London, the Midlands and the South East.
'From December 2015 trains will operate services throughout the night, with at least two trains per hour, so you can get to the airport or get home quickly after you land even when your flight is in the early hours.
'We're upgrading the shuttle bus service between the station and the airport so you are picked up and dropped off right outside the terminal.
'We're also looking into a longer-term improvement such as a mass passenger system that could be light or conventional rail.'
Sophie Dekkers, director of UK Market for easyJet, who are based at the airport, told MailOnline Travel: 'London Luton Airport is a hugely important part of our London airport strategy and it remains our head office base.
'The transformation of the airport was a key factor in our commitment to double our passenger numbers at London Luton Airport over the next 10 years and we have ambitious plans for growth which will result in an even greater range of business and leisure destinations for our passengers.
'We have already started this expansion with new routes for next winter in addition to those which launched earlier this Summer. We are also basing three more aircraft at the airport this year and we're really pleased to be supporting the airport in this way.'
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