History
Luton and Leagrave stations were built by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its extension south from Bedford to St Pancras. The old Leagrave Midland station buildings still exist, having been restored in the 1980s. For some years Luton station was called Luton Midland Road to distinguish it from the earlier Luton Bute Street, built by the Luton, Dunstable and Welwyn Junction Railway Company in 1858, later part of the GNR. Bute Street was closed in 1965.
Construction of the first section of the M1 in 1959 meant that Luton being one of the first towns in the United Kingdom to be linked to the new motorway network.
The A5 road, which passes through nearby Dunstable, is on the route of the Watling Street, an ancient route of England.
Luton Airport was opened for passenger services at the end of World War II. Passenger numbers more than doubled from 1992 to 1998 when the growth of new low-cost flights rejuvenated the airport, and it was expanded in 1999 with a new terminal building and Luton Airport Parkway railway station was also opened.
Read more about this topic: Transport In Luton
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind.”
—Imre Lakatos (1922–1974)
“We don’t know when our name came into being or how some distant ancestor acquired it. We don’t understand our name at all, we don’t know its history and yet we bear it with exalted fidelity, we merge with it, we like it, we are ridiculously proud of it as if we had thought it up ourselves in a moment of brilliant inspiration.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)
“It’s a very delicate surgical operation—to cut out the heart without killing the patient. The history of our country, however, is a very tough old patient, and we’ll do the best we can.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)