Luton railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Luton | |||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Luton | ||
| Local authority | Luton | ||
| Operations | |||
| Managed by | First Capital Connect | ||
| Platforms in use | 5 | ||
| Annual Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 ** | 3.064 million | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Luton (source) | |||
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Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.
It was built by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its extension to St. Pancras. For some years it was known as Luton Midland Road to distinguish it from the earlier Luton Bute Street, built in 1858 on the GNR line from Hertford North.
In order to build the line a public area known as the "Great Moor" had to be built through. The remainder of the land was bought for development by John Crawley, who provided a replacement in what is known as the "People's Park." This proved a worthwhile investment because, as the town's staple trade in straw hats diminished as they went out of fashion, it was replaced by engineering works. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the population had nearly trebled., and the station had become an important stop for main line expresses. The station was modernised in 1937 then again in 1960 when a further platform was added for the suburban services to and from St. Pancras.
[edit] Services
Luton station is served by First Capital Connect and Midland Mainline trains. From Luton, trains go north to Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham. Southbound trains go to Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London, Gatwick Airport, Brighton, Wimbledon and Sutton.
The typical off peak service from this station is as follows:
- 4 trains per hour (tph) to Bedford (operated by First Capital Connect)
- 4 tph to Brighton via Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London and Gatwick Airport (First Capital Connect)
- 2 tph to Sutton via Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London and Wimbledon (First Capital Connect)
- 1 tph to Nottingham via Bedford, Kettering, Leicester and Loughborough (Midland Mainline)
- 1 tph to London St Pancras (Midland Mainline)
First Capital Connect trains serve several stations in Central London, including Kings Cross Thameslink and Blackfriars.
There was previously a shuttle bus service from the station to nearby London Luton Airport. However, this ceased following the construction of Luton Airport Parkway station.
[edit] Facilities
Luton station has the following facilities:
- 2 waiting rooms
- Newsagent
- Cafe
- Telephones
- ATM
- Toilets
- Car Park with 669 spaces
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Luton railway station from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of Luton railway station from Multimap.com
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luton Airport Parkway | Midland Mainline Midland Main Line |
Bedford | ||
| Luton Airport Parkway | First Capital Connect Thameslink |
Leagrave | ||
 This article on a railway station in the East of England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
