Luton Rising and Luton Council announced that the Luton DART connection is expected to enter passenger operation by the end of March.
Over a three-week period, plans are being made for passengers travelling to and from Luton Airport Parkway station and London Luton Airport to benefit rail transport services for the first time on a restricted timetable. From March 10, it is expected that the Luton DART will operate initially for around four hours per day, gradually extending over three weeks towards a 24-hour service.
The 2.1 km Luton DART is a new automated people mover connecting the airport terminal and the mainline railway at Luton Airport Parkway in just over three minutes. It will support seamless, sustainable travel to London Luton Airport, connecting to more than 60 stations across the rail network, and replacing the existing bus transfer service once fully open.
The journey from London St Pancras International to London Luton Airport terminal will take 32 minutes on the Luton Airport Express, connected by East Midlands Railway, and from around 40 minutes on Thameslink’s current frequent services.
The system is designed for passengers with reduced mobility providing new lifts, escalators, tactile paving, audio frequency induction loops and several help points which are installed across the stations for a seamless accessible journey.
“The Luton DART is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Luton and promises to put our town and our airport firmly on the map for all the right reasons. Electrically-powered, energy-efficient, and future-proofed to support sustainable growth of the airport, it is a vital sign of our commitment to encourage more passengers to take the train rather than individual car journeys to and from our airport,” Cllr Hazel Simmons MBE, Leader of Luton Council, said.
The system has been approved in 2017 and construction works performed by a VolkerFitzpatrick – Kier Group joint venture started in 2018.
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