I’m writing to apologise for the way this project has started. We did not specifically provide advance notice about the piling work that took place over the weekends of 24-25 May and 31May to 01 June, and we are sorry that you were not warned about the noise this would generate.
During this time we needed to use percussion piles to ensure the work was completed quickly so that the platforms could be reopened in time for services on Monday morning. Percussion piles are very noisy and we’re sorry for the disturbance this caused. For the remainder of the project we will use Auger piles which are screwed into the ground rather than being hammered in from above. While this will cause noise, they are considerably less disruptive than percussion piles.
Although we hand delivered letters in advance of the second weekend, the work ended up taking significantly longer than expected. This was due to the discovery of an unmapped cable during construction. Unfortunately, the work had to continue in order to ensure the station platform could open as scheduled the following day.
This is not how we intended to begin the project and we are committed to rebuilding trust with the community and to keep you updated about the work. In this letter you’ll find information about our upcoming scheduled work as well as details of an in-person event where we’ll be available to answer any questions you may have.
We would like to invite you to a public information drop in event from 3:30pm to 7:30pm at Harlington Parish Hall, Church Road, Harlington, Dunstable LU5 6LE on Friday 11 July 2025.
Construction work started in May 2025 and is planned to finish in May 2026. We will maximise the use of daytime shifts to undertake the work however some of our activities have to be carried out when trains aren’t running because we’ll need to have staff and equipment on the track. For work on platform 1, we will need to access the worksite using Paxton Approach, access will be maintained for the residents in the locality.
Our team will be using a variety of equipment, including excavators, breakers, circular saws, concrete pumps, generators, mixers, telehandlers and hand tools, and as a result some disturbance is unavoidable. However, every effort will be made to minimise any unnecessary noise, and those working on site are briefed on working responsibly in the local community.
We will be undertaking as much of the noisy work as possible on day shifts and will use measures such as acoustic noise barriers during night shifts to minimise the noise, using hand tools for the breaking out of material on night shifts, with saw cuts undertaken on days wherever this is possible.