Luton Rising and Luton Borough Council have announced that the Luton DART station-airport shuttle service will open fully for commercial operations around the end of March.
The Luton DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit) is a new fast passenger transit system that connects Thameslink's Luton Airport Parkway station to London Luton Airport in just over 3 minutes. London Luton Airport is the UK's fifth-largest airport.
The fully-automated people mover is a major local investment by Luton Rising – the Council's business and social enterprise that owns Luton Airport – and the Council itself.
Luton DART will provide a seamless, sustainable journey between the airport and Luton Airport Parkway, where direct services connect with more than 50 Thameslink stations, including five in Central London. Using Thameslink's frequent services, the complete journey from the airport terminal to London St. Pancras International will take around 40 minutes.
With four carriages and a capacity for 170 passengers, the DART will replace the existing bus transfer service. It will also provide step-free, indoor transfers between the station and the airport in less than half the time and at more than twice the frequency than by bus, and with no possibility of traffic delays.
Thameslink Managing Director Tom Moran said: “This is exciting news. We're delighted for our customers travelling to and from Luton Airport, whose transfers between train and plane will soon be so much faster and easier. It's another reason to choose the train when travelling to Luton Airport.
“The DART provides seamless, step-free transfers inside Luton Airport Parkway station, which is served by up to eight Thameslink trains an hour. You can board a direct train to the airport from over 50 Thameslink stations, including five in Central London and busy hubs such as Bedford, Brighton and the Medway Towns in North Kent.
“The network's great connections, including the Elizabeth line at Farringdon, make a train to London Luton Airport a simple, sustainable option for millions of people in the South East.”
Why do we still need a coach link from Reading to Heathrow when the journey is possible by rail? The calling patterns on the GW main line have barely changed since a frequent service from Hayes to Heathrow was introduced.
Competition over cost?
It should take around 5-6 minutes from Luton Airport Parkway railway station to Luton Airport main terminal at London Luton Airport. It’s been a long time coming for Luton Airport.
Glasgow Airport needs a direct rail link which should happen and a new railway line to be built from Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Airport and to be built above the car park at Glasgow Airport.