Various studies had been carried out since 1989 which examined options for solving transit problems in the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area, including British Rail's Network SouthEast Plan published in May 1989. Bedfordshire County Council considered a number of possible schemes, including a single-track extension of Thameslinkheavy rail services from Luton to Dunstable; a single-track diesel-powered rail shuttle service; a twin-track light rail system, with a possible extension to Luton Airport; and a segregated guided busway system. The guided bus scheme was selected in 1996 as the most cost-effective option. In April 1997, the newly created unitary authority of Luton Borough Council took over the lead role in the project. A process of ongoing consultations, grant applications and a public enquiry delayed the project by several years. Luton Borough Council's early announcements for the Busway indicated that it would be designed as a bus rapid transit system named Translink Expressway, operated with a fleet of articulated buses of the Phileas type. The route was built on the old railway trackbed of the former Dunstable Branch Lines, which closed to passenger traffic in 1967 under the Beeching cuts. After 20 years of planning, the Busway took three years to construct, at a cost of £91 million. It was originally budgeted at £51 million, but costs increased due to underground utilities, soil contamination and the removal of Japanese knotweed. Design and construction was carried out by Arup and Parsons Brinckerhoff, including seven new bridges, and reconstruction of three bridges, bus stops and a new transport interchange at Luton Railway Station. The bulk of funding for the scheme came from the central government, with additional funds from Luton Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, with additional section 106 contributions from developers. The Busway was opened 24 September 2013, five months later than scheduled, by Norman Baker MP, a Minister for Transport. Two new bus stops were added to the system in early 2016 to serve the Chaul End area of Luton and Townsend Farm Road, near Houghton Regis.
Features
The guided section is a rollway built from concrete beams. Standard buses that have been fitted with two small guide wheels can join the track and travel along it at speeds of up to. Because it is a segregated route, other vehicles are prohibited from using the Busway. "Car traps" have been installed near junctions with the public highways to prevent motorists from using the route.
Services
In accordance with the requirements of bus deregulation, bus services on the Luton to Dunstable Busway are operated by private bus companies: Arriva, Centrebus and Grant Palmer Limited. Initially at peak times upon opening, buses ran up to every seven minutes, but frequencies have increased greatly with the introduction of new services.
Incidents
The have been incidents involving buses on the Busway, including a bus becoming accidentally "derailed" from the concrete rollway, and buses moving at speed colliding with stationary buses. On 18 November 2019 an Arriva bus crashed on an un-guided section of the Busway whilst heading towards Houghton Regis, after being derailed by car-trap. In January 2020, a man was killed when he was hit by a bus travelling towards Dunstable at the Jeans way bus stop. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
