Shortlist drawn up for £84m Luton busway scheme

A shortlist of contractors has been drawn-up for a £84m guided busway scheme in Luton following the confirmation of government funding for the project.

Luton Borough Council is now writing to chosen firms to invite them to tender for the 7.2-mile scheme that will connect Luton and Dunstable town centres via Luton Airport.

The confirmation of Department for Transport (DfT) backing breathes life back into a project that has been in limbo since initial government funding was announced in 2003.

The guided section of the route will be 5.1 miles, with extensions bringing the total distance to 7.2 miles.

The DfT will provide £78.4m towards the total scheme costs of £84.4m. Construction is expected to begin later this year with work on the route scheduled to last at least 30 months.

A council spokesman said: "An OJEU notice was published in February calling for expressions of interest in bidding for the design and build of the busway scheme. A number of organisations responded to this and pre-qualification questionnaires were sent to them.

"During April, all returned questionnaires were evaluated, and in May, a shortlist of organisations to be invited to tender for the main contract was approved.

"Tenders will be issued to those shortlisted organisations in the next few weeks. We are unable to release the number and name of organisations invited to tender because that information is commercially sensitive," the spokesman said.