Busy road next to Luton train station closed over safety fears

A major road been closed after concerns over the safety of the car park at Luton train station.

Yesterday (February 26), Hucklesby Way was closed by traffic officers after reports of a “loose panel” on the car park’s structure, Network Rail said. The A6 was shut at the junction of Old Bedford Road and Hitchin Road, a major stretch that passes through the centre of the town.

In a statement, a Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “Network Rail has instructed a team to carry out the works required to get the car park safe. A Network Rail structural engineer will meet a representative from the Building Control Team tomorrow morning (Wednesday, February 28). As soon as building control are satisfied that the works are complete, they will notify our highways team to arrange the reopening of the road.

"The road will remain closed until the works are complete.”

The council apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure and said: “We understand that this is very frustrating for residents and those travelling in the area. Our priority is to ensure that the road is safe before reopening.”

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We are carrying out a safety inspection of the car park at Luton station following reports of a loose panel on the car park structure.”

“Currently, there is an emergency road closure in place on the A6 as it passes under the car park while we carry out the inspection.

“We want to reassure passengers that we believe the wider car park structure is unaffected and we are working to reopen the road as quickly and safely as possible.”

Network Rail has insisted that no debris had fallen onto the road under the car park, despite the council initially claiming this to be the reason for closing the road. In a post on Facebook yesterday, the council said: “Hucklesby Way has been closed at the junction of Hitchin and Old Bedford roads as there is debris on the road from the railway car park.”