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  • Luton DART

Get to Luton airport in only 30 minutes

Luton Airport is London’s fourth-largest airport, with 16.5 million passengers per year. As from 2021, an automated guided people mover, or light metro, will improve passenger experience and enable those travelling to reach London in less than 30 minutes. ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products Sheet Piling supplied sheet piles for the project.

Our sheet piles on the Luton DART Project

The Luton DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit) will connect the Luton Airport Parkway railway station to the terminal of London Luton Airport. It will replace the current shuttle bus, relieving the roads in peak times and providing a higher transport capacity.

ArcelorMittal steel sheet piles are being used in the construction of this state-of-the-art £225 million. The works started in April 2019 and will be completed by summer 2021. The 2.1-km transit link consists of:

  • a viaduct
  • Gateway Bridge
  • DART Parkway and Central Terminal Stations
  • a maintenance area
  • tunnel and approaches to the airport terminal

The project is full of complex technical challenges, but the main one is to minimise disruption to passengers and to the day-to-day operations of the airport.

ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products Sheet Piling supplied AZ 32-750 sheet piles up to 18.9m long, produced in its mill of Belval (Luxembourg). The sheet piles were delivered in 3 phases, according to a customised delivery plan developed with the main civil contractor, VolkerFitzpatrick - Kier, to make sure that the sheet piles arrive to the jobsite as the construction advances.

Fast, energy efficient and environmentally friendly

Thanks to the DART, Luton Airport Parkway railway station will be linked to the airport terminal in under four minutes and passengers will be able to travel between St Pancras and Luton Airport in just 30 minutes.

Transportation will be operated by a fully-automated double-shuttle, based on the latest system technology and design innovation, capable of operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This cable-driven system is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

Key dates of the project

  • July 2017: planning permission received
  • December 2017: contractors appointed
  • April 2018: start of works
  • December 2018: opening of temporary new drop-off zone
  • Autumn 2019: bridge installation
  • Autumn 2020: train installation
  • Autumn 2021: open for service

ArcelorMittal sheet piles in the construction of a tunnel under a taxiway