Luton-9
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Also SEN has considerable local support, but that could easily be put under strain if the infrastructure around the airport becomes heavily overstretched.
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Next summer we have Euro 2020 with England playing three games at Wembley in June and then the two semi-finals and finals also at Wembley in the first two weeks of July. So for example if Spain and Germany meet in the final all London airport's airports are going to have logistical problems, except of course if England play Wales in the final! Also there will be a large executive jet movement with the Wimbledon men's final taking place on the same day and the Open Golf Championship at Royal At George's in Kent commencing in the middle of following week as is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone! Some planning there.
Regarding the cap I think some fudge will occur letting the figure go over the limit - only temporary mind!!
Regarding the cap I think some fudge will occur letting the figure go over the limit - only temporary mind!!
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Construction update
Parkway Dart station is receiving its top floor. Are the side walls going to be attached to the roof or will there be a gap like at the terminal station?
Taken a couple of days ago. The Gateway Bridge is now on jacks with Thunderbirds 2 heavy movers being assembled (remember Fire Flash?)
Taken today. All is ready for the big move that starts tonight. The bridge never did get painted so will have to be done after installation.
With one lane closed on the dual carriageway from the Ibis this was the queue this morning. From 8pm tonight until Monday morning the airports main access road will be closed as will the A1081 to Hitchin in both directions. The diversion route is torturous with many junctions and a retail park so expect massive delays back to the M1.
Above the Dart maintenance area
Taken a couple of days ago. The Gateway Bridge is now on jacks with Thunderbirds 2 heavy movers being assembled (remember Fire Flash?)
Taken today. All is ready for the big move that starts tonight. The bridge never did get painted so will have to be done after installation.
With one lane closed on the dual carriageway from the Ibis this was the queue this morning. From 8pm tonight until Monday morning the airports main access road will be closed as will the A1081 to Hitchin in both directions. The diversion route is torturous with many junctions and a retail park so expect massive delays back to the M1.
Above the Dart maintenance area
Last edited by LTNman; 29th Nov 2019 at 11:07.
Paxing All Over The World
Forgive a dumb question: I have not paid too much attention to this bridge but now, on closer viewing of the new pic: It look slike the 'swoop' on the top is just that - a swoop for decoration? When viewed from a distance, I had presume that was a functional part of it - but it looks as if they are going to put a whole chunck of concrete close to the flight path for ... what?
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Yes it is for decoration. You have to remember the airport operator isn't paying for this otherwise it would have been a standard bridge made out of second hand matchsticks. The council has borrowed the £225 million for the Dart and wants something fancy. The ski slope will be back lit with LED lighting so it looks nice at night. Oh and the high bit is by the approach lights end which isn't even a full set of lights due to the road below and is less than half the length of the 26 end. If you look carefully the approach lights are on the left so the top of the bridge will make an interesting obstacle. I always thought approach lights were designed to snap off if hit by an aircraft.
Last edited by LTNman; 30th Nov 2019 at 04:31.
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They are so short of earth to level the ground for expansion they need to dig their own quarry and import 4 million cubic metres of soil. The average dumber truck carries 7 -10 cubic metres so that is 400,000 trips from the quarry and 400,000 trips to the quarry. As for the cost to move so much earth they're not saying. Not that I want airport expansion but the ground south of the runway is level with the runway but apart from a small chunk of land is outside the towns boundary so the council is not interested. That woodland that can be seen to the left which has tree tops level with the runway would be buried.
Changing the subject the Dart bridge is 26.5m high
Changing the subject the Dart bridge is 26.5m high
Last edited by LTNman; 29th Nov 2019 at 16:03.
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G-AOVS soldiers on.
SLAE getting quite a bit of press now, or so I am told. Dart cost a conservative £225m, any idea how 18m pax per year will pay this back plus interest?
How can a Town Hall borrow this and might it affect the services that LBC provides to the folk that own the airport, the Council Tax payers?
SLAE getting quite a bit of press now, or so I am told. Dart cost a conservative £225m, any idea how 18m pax per year will pay this back plus interest?
How can a Town Hall borrow this and might it affect the services that LBC provides to the folk that own the airport, the Council Tax payers?
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https://stoplae.org/council-leader-t...port-spending/
https://stoplae.org/the-dart-link-lu...g-225-million/
The aim is to get 34% of those 18 million to use the Dart. With a return fare costing £1.90 each way on the shuttle bus the maths don’t really add up as the debt will have yearly interest charges applied of several million and then there is the maintenance contract cost to consider plus any staff employed on the Dart. No wonder the rail operators, network rail and the airport operator all said no to any funding leaving it to the council to fund.
SLAE certainly ask the questions the council would prefer not to answer. The Council have always claimed their plans for a second terminal was not the motivation for spending £225 million for the first part of the Dart to T1. They claim it is being built to reduce traffic but fail to mention that if a second terminal is built, using their own figures, road traffic will increase by 70% despite the Dart.
There is no doubt the Dart is a game changer for Luton, as the shuttle bus is a nightmare, but seeing the airport has reached capacity without it why are they spending £225 million? Its construction is all about serving a second terminal but the council is so dishonest they will never admit the truth.
The Council is planning to spend £460 million on the Dart, the new airport access road, and the DCO that is required for a planning application to government. Bad news for the council if they don’t get planning permission as it will have been money wasted.
https://stoplae.org/the-dart-link-lu...g-225-million/
The aim is to get 34% of those 18 million to use the Dart. With a return fare costing £1.90 each way on the shuttle bus the maths don’t really add up as the debt will have yearly interest charges applied of several million and then there is the maintenance contract cost to consider plus any staff employed on the Dart. No wonder the rail operators, network rail and the airport operator all said no to any funding leaving it to the council to fund.
SLAE certainly ask the questions the council would prefer not to answer. The Council have always claimed their plans for a second terminal was not the motivation for spending £225 million for the first part of the Dart to T1. They claim it is being built to reduce traffic but fail to mention that if a second terminal is built, using their own figures, road traffic will increase by 70% despite the Dart.
There is no doubt the Dart is a game changer for Luton, as the shuttle bus is a nightmare, but seeing the airport has reached capacity without it why are they spending £225 million? Its construction is all about serving a second terminal but the council is so dishonest they will never admit the truth.
The Council is planning to spend £460 million on the Dart, the new airport access road, and the DCO that is required for a planning application to government. Bad news for the council if they don’t get planning permission as it will have been money wasted.
Last edited by LTNman; 30th Nov 2019 at 05:51.
Bad news for the council if they don’t get planning permission
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They voted through the Dart and the access road by putting in separate planning applications as they were sneaky. There is an argument that the road and the Dart should have been part of the Development Consent Order.
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26.5 metres high
They are so short of earth to level the ground for expansion they need to dig their own quarry and import 4 million cubic metres of soil. The average dumber truck carries 7 -10 cubic metres so that is 400,000 trips from the quarry and 400,000 trips to the quarry. As for the cost to move so much earth they're not saying. Not that I want airport expansion but the ground south of the runway is level with the runway but apart from a small chunk of land is outside the towns boundary so the council is not interested. That woodland that can be seen to the left which has tree tops level with the runway would be buried.
Changing the subject the Dart bridge is 26.5m high
Changing the subject the Dart bridge is 26.5m high
Dannyboy - If Luton Council were to suddenly find itself with a £1bn pile of cash, I imagine all kinds of corrupt people would suddenly appear wanting a slice. Think of the poor man who wins the lottery, goes crazy with spending, burns through their winnings in 10 years and finds themselves broke at the end of it. The current structure of receiving a more modest annual dividend keeps Luton council from getting too excitable
Norway used to be a poor country until the 1950s. They had the self control to set up a trust fund for all the money from oil/gas - so that when the North Sea reserves run out, there would be something as a fallback for their economy. There are other countries in the world where Govt has been spendthrift with oil revenues and it all ended up in tears.
I doubt Luton councillors hoping for re-election have the same degree of self-control - and even if they do, Westminster might find itself looking greedily at the cash with its own ways of squeezing LBC
Norway used to be a poor country until the 1950s. They had the self control to set up a trust fund for all the money from oil/gas - so that when the North Sea reserves run out, there would be something as a fallback for their economy. There are other countries in the world where Govt has been spendthrift with oil revenues and it all ended up in tears.
I doubt Luton councillors hoping for re-election have the same degree of self-control - and even if they do, Westminster might find itself looking greedily at the cash with its own ways of squeezing LBC
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As the bridge gently draws closer to its final resting place I can see that it’s highest point is around 25 to 30 feet lower than the runway height.
Last edited by LTNman; 30th Nov 2019 at 10:35.