The New Luton Airport DART
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- Опубликовано: 9 мар 2023
- There's a new faster way to get from Luton Parkway station to Luton Airport with the opening of DART - cable car hauled system which replaces the bus that used to do the transfer. We popped down for a preview a day ahead of its opening ...
Their website is at: www.lutondart.com/
Roger's written a really good blog post on it here : busandtrainuser.com/2023/03/1...
NOTE : My microphone suffered some technical ... glitches? Which you might be able to hear. I hate it when it does that, apologies!
#luton '#lutonairport #lutondart #lutonparkway
The San Francisco area has the BART system which is Bay Area Rapid Transit. I remember that the city of Fresno, California was going to install a rapid transit system but decided against it because of the name. The city of Seattle has an area called South Lake Union and the new line there was named the “SLUT”- South Lake Union Transit. The promotional campaign used the tag line of ‘Ride the SLUT’. It was ended early because of complaints from residents.
Have a great day everyone!
Fresno's airport was called the Fresno Air Terminal and it still has IATA code FAT. Stories of agents getting slapped when applying FAT tags to people's baggage have been around for decades.
Oh wow! And I always thought the Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino had the worst possible abbreviation (in Italian it's Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi SA, or in short and on their buses and trains, FART).
Seattle was supposed to be "South Lake Union Trolley", which got switched to "South Lake Union Streetcar" and is now "Seattle Streetcar- South Lake Union Line"
There was a bus line from Solano County to downtown San Francisco named Fairfield Area Rapid Transit and proudly carried the initials on their bus(s).
Luton Airport Rapid Delivery?
Luton Airport Direct Access?
Finally, Luton Airport Surface Transit?
"It's slightly disconcerting just looking into darkness."
Welcome to Luton, Geoff. 😱
Literally and metaphorically.
Geoff going to Luton so we don’t have to, what a king
I used the dart on 27th March. Cost per person £4.90 as opposed to the previous bus system of £2.80. To be honest the bus placed you nearer to the terminal than the Dart does. A group of 4 people worked out the cost for them to travel on the Dart. £4.90 × 4 = £19.60. The taxi parked outside the station charged £12 to drop the group at the airport. Let's get real Dart. £3 or £3.50 is a more realistic price to pay.
They should build the fares into the NR ticketing system, effectively treating the airport as a station
exactly it was suppose to REDUCE the cost, not increase it
The more realistic price is £0. And actually let people who don't want to use anything WALK to the airport
@@Psevdonim123 you can do that though. Nothing stopping you walking into the airport via Vauxhall Way or Eaton Green Road
@@peteradams5857 I guess... But the road isn't really suited for it, though not that many airports even allow you to walk forcing you to use dedicated services (in my city it's just a regular city bus with the exact same fare as in the rest of the city, but a lot of airports only provide you with some private "express" services which can double or triple the cost of regular fare. That's where those anti-monopoly organizations should pay their attention rather than forcing this Microsoft/Activision drama...)
£4.90 is sheer extortion given it's less than a mile and a half...doesn't actually go to the terminal (you still have to walk all the way along the concourse)...and most other airports provide this service for free. It may be "more convenient" than the shuttle bus that was already be in operation...but that was half the price.
Then again, Luton Airport charge five quid to drop off at the "express drop off" which is still a 350 metre walk to the terminal building, unlike, say Heathrow, Doncaster, Stansted, Birmingham etc which are right outside. So at least they have previous for this attitude.
Even priced as it was, I'd save the bus fare and walk.
and dropped you outside the terminal entrance.
Travelling from Luton in May. Perfect timing. £4.90 seems steep though
Almost as steep as that gradient!
Yeah seems an insane price. Ah well.
Most expensive ' rail ' journey per distance in the UK.. Good old Luton Airrrrport
I can't imagine there are many people actually paying that fare with locals going free and plane travellers getting tickets going on further anyway.
You have free travel between the terminals at Heathrow on rail and tube. Gatwick provides a people mover to the north terminal at no extra cost.
I think it's short sited for Luton to make people extra for it.
I love that this is finally open, just a bit disappointed at the cost of the ticket. But it's definitely better than the bus which could often be overcrowded. As a regular user of Luton Airport, and always using the train to get there from Flitwick, the Dart will make my life, and many others much easier. Now just to get step free access at Flitwick! Promised but not yet delivered!!
The ticket price is significantly cheaper when bought as part of a national rail ticket. The high price of the single fare is to avoid car drivers from parking in Luton instead of the official airport car parks
Hello fellow Flitwickian! 👍
@@Croz89 Unfortunately making it free here would cause a massive influx of car drivers to park all over South Luton, so it's a bad idea
@@asdaneedsfunds Do you know if you can get the same through ticket discount using contactless card payment? Or do you have to buy a paper ticket? I can't figure it out online
@@Skalekul thanks for the info!
A similar cable car system is installed for the Air-Rail Link at Birmingham airport, connecting Birmingham International train station to the airport itself. Its free for the public and passenger transit through an area around ticket hall. The car is significantly smaller than the new DART though.
I live in Luton and actually worked on the DART. I managed the laying of the track. It was a great project and great to see it's finally being put to good use.
You deserve a medal for surviving your trip to Luton.
🥇
Also, one fact that many sources have been saying, is that this service will actually be one of the most expensive "rail" systems in Europe, and the most expensive in the UK, at £3.95 per mile (Obviously costing £4.90 total to ride.) - It certainly looks like a very impressive system though!
Oof, pain :/
Yes, but as others have already said in the comments this pricing strategy is actually very clever. It is to dissuade people parking their car at Luton Airport Parkway station and then taking the DART to the airport, instead of parking in an airport car park. The DART fare is included in train tickets provided your destination is Luton Airport and NOT Luton Airport Parkway. Its a rare case when the cost of public transport is actually planned to not in any way reduce ridership.
Very true, I will consider to stop using Luton for the cost of DART
Around the same price as the Pisamover.
@@cameronallan5624 and those tickets are only £2.40 more than to Parkway.
It will cost £4.90 one way for a 1.4 mile journey. This has to be one of the most expensive shuttle links. The bus used to be free and the Birmingham airport shuttle system is free.
Hi Geoff, I travelled on the very first public "train" of the Luton DART on 10th March 2023 which was free of charge on that day. I must say it is very impressive, the way it climbs up to a rather dizzy height across a link road to the M1 before plunging into a tunnel to arrive at the sub-surface airport terminal. It did, however, open about 20 minutes late on the day, some people were growing restless until some wag cried out: "don't moan about waiting 20 minutes for this, we've got to wait 20 years for HS2!" Thanks very much for a great and informative video. Kind regards, David, Crouch End, N8.
"3 : 36"
"Yes, but it's snowing".
Quality dialogue 😏
Hi Geoff! Here in Toronto, our airport has a very similar train.
It's called the LINK train (the capital letters don't stand for anything, by the way). It runs just like the Luton DART - remotely controlled with cables underneath. It goes from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, then on to a nearby parking garage. This train is free, can hold roughly the same amount of people both standing and sitting, and there's trains every 4-8 minutes (depending on whether the hours are peak or not). It takes about 8 minutes including stops from one end to the other. You're never exposed to the elements either.
As usual, another great video!
Only thing I'd add is that our trains in Toronto aren't open between cars; once you get in one, you're stuck.
Fantastic video I remember see this on testing when we went to luton Airport on a school trip to look round. It's nice to see its now up and running
Live, Laugh, Luton! (I'm so sorry)
Ahh, a trip to Luton. What a joy. You can now get to Britain's worst airport more quickly. I love the moniker of Britains Most Expensive Rail Journey.
Luton Airport Authority just keep getting it right. Oh by the way, good luck getting a taxi either to there or when trying to escape. Lovely stuff.
And we all thought the Great Train Robbery was in 1963 !
Landed into luton tonight (10/3). Genuinely had reason to use it. It was shut at 10:50pm and people were cramming onto the newly upgraded name of the “DART replacement shuttle bus”. Using the buses that the DART should have been replacing in the first place. The irony.
I liked the ‘G for Geoff’ bit 😂
This is going to put Luton on the map! A most acceptable start to the weekend! Keeping them on their toes Geoff! Nice
Just like Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook.
It's 20 years too late and has incurred a massive debt that will never be paid off.
@@byteme9718 yeah agree with that
Like a Simpsons episode, what we need is a monorail lol
Map of place to avoid.
Nice to see it open. I marked out some of the track in the tunnel and in the piled cutting (only for a few weeks - but long enough to appreciate the effort that had been put in by everyone else). Impressive.
Worked near Luton Airport Parkway for 2 years, travelling from London, that was 5 years ago and it is shocking it has taken this long to open. Looks great though!
I love airport trains!
They are very useful instead of walking.
Perfect video as always!
Hi Rex lol
£4.90 for a 1.25 mile journey means some would rather walk.
hi lol
@@bw1376 *cries in JFK*
@bw1376 why isn't it free wtf like most airports are or at least something cheap like £1
Even though there’s no driver you would think they would install windscreen wipers on the end windscreens.
We have DART here in Dallas, Texas, and I used to be a bus operator, and light rail train operator with them!
Was lucky enough to go on a few months ago as part of a council day out, great service from Luton parkway and will cut journey time down from St Pancras - looking forward to watching later on
A council day out to Luton.... Guess cuts mean they can no longer take people to the seaside....
@@Jennyeq haha yeah not too many beaches in Luton I’m afraid
This would have been SO convenient about a year ago when I was there. But I'm prob coming back this year anyway so I can't wait to try it out!
Being from Ireland the DART to me has always been the ones you get in Dublin which stands for Dublin Area Rapid Transit but I wasn't aware that there are other places that also call their urban transit networks the Dart also its very surprising to me
Love Dublin, Love Ireland
Like many in the comments below, having done the awkward bussing from Luton Airport Parkway station to the airport quite a few times, I certainly welcome this DART - not that price though! Really wish it had been be free much like the Birmingham International Airport (BHX) shuttle between National Rail and the airport. Surprisingly, I've also lived in Dublin and have enjoyed the - much more reasonably priced - DART for part of my commute :)
I’m in Dallas and have DART. Dallas Area Rapid Transit. And even more amusing, our primary livery color is yellow! I love your videos! I can’t wait till I can visit the UK and explore all of it by rail!
Reminds me of the Mini Metro in Frankfurt, Germany. Connects the Airport-Trainstation to a car park. It’s way smaller but runs in a similar way and you can also see the wheels turning! It’s a fun little thing to do when you have to change at that station :)
There’s actually quite a few similar systems across Europe. Here in Italy, I can think of Pisa Airport and Bologna Airport. In Venice, a people mover connects a P+R facility on the mainland to Venice proper. In Milan, a people mover connects the metro network with San Raffaele, a huge healthcare centre. The most impressive of all is probably Perugia, whose MiniMetro system works like a real metro with several stations across a long route, that starts in the modern suburbs and ends -inside the hill- in the hilltop medieval centre.
"Were you truely wafted in from paradise?"
"Naa, Luton Airport"
Lorraine Chase.
@@surreygoldprospector576 Well remembered 👋
As someone who has flown into Luton in order to visit London on many occasions?
I am pleased to see this development.
Before I have frequently chosen to walk, suitcase and all, down the hill to the station as the buses were usually too full or not frequent enough.
I am a railway worker, so I hope my 'priv' discount works on the full ticket from luton airport to London terminals.
But even if it doesn't, a fiver or so down to the parkway at regular, convenient intervals? That still works for me :)
Thanks for the video! I was really looking forward to see what it would be like.
I find it ironic that they're talking about the "sustainability" of an airport. And it's a shame it's not free, at £4.90 it's also double the cost of the existing bus transfer available (which is priced at £2.40). But I'm all for the improved accessibility that this has brought with it!
This does suggest that the buses will remain as a cheaper alternative... A question I've asked in the comments which Geoff doesn't answer in the video does this replace the buses... I imagine from the price it doesn't
Something has to pay for it. If not in your fair, than in your airport fees when you buy your plane ticket...
@@danm4320which sounds fair to me. That way I can more easily compare the cost when planning my trip. Now I have to mentally add £10 to every Luton fair.
@4:43 a combined ticket still costs an extra £5 for the 2.1km journey. Did you ask the management why it is the most expensively railway in the UK, and whether it will actually encourage more people to take the train?
Thanks for the great video, Geoff. Cheers! Peter.
Just a small correction that tickets (up to 4) will be half price for Luton residents, not free.
At least that's what the website currently states alongside what I've seen on Twitter.
Definitely makes rail more appealing to get to Luton Airport!
As a person who spent decades living in London Luton was the only airport of the London area I never got to use and to be fair that is something I dont lose sleep over
This comment made me laugh so much more than it should have 😃
I'm currently in a similar position but in a few days I'll be using Luton for the first time. I was dreading the experience but somehow the knowledge that there is this new link makes it all seem worthwhile. 😁
@@rogerfoster1201 Maybe not now but then it seemed to be the most difficult of all the London airports to get to
Looks great, I love it!
Another great video. Thank you. 😀
Oh a video from my local area!
Shout out Dallas DART! Longest light rail in the USA
Now my only proplem is that the flights from NI to Luton go from Belfast International which has no rail connection despite fully serviceable railway line running just outside the perimeter fench.
In our county (King County, WA, USA), we have DART - Dial-A-Ride Transit. It is our combination of fixed route and on-call bus service. I think that acronym is fairly common in the US. Our system is small buses on a fixed route, but if you call the bus will deviate a little and come pick you up at your house or business.
“Yes, but it’s snowing” already well versed on the excuses…
Love Luton Airport, it's very handy. Looking forward to trying the DART. Good job they decided against calling it The Fast Air-Rail Transit.🤣
You mentioned my local train - the DART in Dallas! Hello from North Texas. Actually, my local train is the Denton A Train. It couldn't be called the Denton Area Rapid Transit, for obvious conflicting reasons with the Dallas Dart rail. (Plus, there is nothing Rapid about the Denton A Train, lol. ) BTW, I have paper maps of both to send you if you are interested and still collecting transit maps. The front of the Luton DART reminds me of the Skylink "train" at DFW Airoprt. You can stand at the front and pretend to be the driver. (yes, RUclips, I know the Skylink is not a train since it runs on tires.)
Raining AND in Luton? How can one man be so lucky?
Geoff
I'm not sure if you're aware, but EMR are branding some of their connect EMU's as "Luton Airport Express". I only noticed this the other day, when travelling home to Wellingborough.
These are the trains that run between London and Corby every 30 mins and run non-stop between Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras in about 22-25 mins.
Problem is, while these EMU's have a very smart vinyl wrap scheme on them, they were promised to be refurbished when they started operating as EMR Connect over two years ago. In a comfy 2+2 seating configuration, and extra luggage storage for airport passengers.
However it's still in the old tired and worn out 16 year old, high density 2+3 seating, it inherited from Greater Anglia.
Problem is you can use contactless to Luton Airport Parkway but need to pay for this separately. You did also for the bus, but that was still usually cheaper than a paper ticket. With this I'm not so sure.
You looked and sounded just like I feel whenever I have to go to Luton Airport. Don't worry, it's the sort of place most people struggle to enthuse over.
Hello Geoff
We have Darts in our city Hamilton that is a non profit organization that provides specialized transportation for those with needs it is usually vans and small buses and it is used by older people and those who need assistance to get around. Thanks for the video. Take Care Chris and Sandra of Canada.
In the San Francisco CA area, there's Bay Area Rapid Transit: BART.
Defiantly looks like a game changer for airport passengers. Great video Geoff.
Are you high lol? £4.90 for that!? That's absolutely scandalous. The money invested in this could have run the shuttle busses, for free, for years! It's a complete rip-off.
@@leothompson2777 I am aware that the price is ridiculous but it depends how desperate people are for taking it, end of the day yes it a game changer but at a cost.
It's "definitely". "Defiantly" means something else.
Hello from Canada!!
One of our cities, Saskatoon, used to have a bus service branded DART for Direct Access Rapid Transit!
Welcome to the UK = you have to pay £4.90 to get from the airport station to the airport. The trick here is to call the station "Luton Airport Parkway" not "Luton Airport" which basically means you get to NEAR the airport, not at it - so you then have to pay a bit more to get to the check-in desk! Still, nice shuttle, and as ever great video! The top transport geek is Geoff!
To your question about DART: Yes, Dallas has the DART. Full name is Dallas Area Rapid Transit (although the "Rapid Transit" part is debatable).
It's like a combination of the DLR, Waterloo & City line, Elizabeth Line and a lift (elevator).
How?
@@bfapple Dlr- automated
Waterloo & city - two stop shuttle
Elizabeth line- platform screen doors
@@aliceji498 So just like any other people mover e.g. Birmingham International !
That shuttle bus will not be missed. But it was really good in diverting people to other airports for sure.
"It's slightly disconcerting looking into darkness" - a very blunt opinion of Luton! 😂😂
As I remember, Birmingham airport connected with the NEC, using the same type of free train in the late 1970's. There actually a type of funicular train, due to the cable.
Worth noting that it was originally a Maglev (magnetic levitation) system. Also it was introduced in the 1980s when the new airport terminal building was built to replace the original on the opposite side of the runway.
@@marcelwiszowaty1751 Indeed, and I believe it was the first commercial maglev in the world. At the time it was thought it would be the first of many. It wasn't! It ran for eleven years before being replaced with the cable hauled system in use today. Incidentally, I've been on the Shanghai maglev which was very impressive.
@@egpx Yes, of course, although I hadn't remembered that it ran for that many years. I find the current system smoother and there's more capacity with it's two-car units.
@@egpx PS Thanks!
Hi Geoff, it is not actually free for the locals. They give a 50% concessionary discount for the locals. Also, looking at their website, the price seems to be £2.40 for a single. Maybe the prices are different if you buy at the stations?
Also, if you didn't know, there is a bus that does the exact same journey and only costs £1.50 for a single.
@@geofftech2 I am indeed! I have put my information through. It said I will get a reply in 3 working days.
As for the bus, there are 2 services currently running. One is the official airport to railway transfer which costs £2.40 each way. The other is the local bus service which is £1.50 each way. The local services have the same frequency as the official transfer service but just start at 6:30 am (vs 5 am for the official transfer service) and finish at 11:30 pm (vs 1 am for the official transfer service)
Hello from Dallas,TX! We do have DART, It stands for Dallas Area Rapid Transport. DART has buses, trams, trains for the Dallas area
Another great video. An impressive system. It would be interesting to know the pros and CV cons on the cable system compared to alternatives. I wonder too what the steepest gradient is.
Hey Geoff, it was great to see you yesterday again! And thanks for featuring me in your video at the end 😉 great content as always
New trains!
there is a similar system under Zurich airport in Switzerland. it plays cow sounds as it moves between the terminal and arrivals..
hopefully one day I will get to use it! Nice video Geoff.
The impressive bridge was put in place over a weekend - it’s been quite exciting seeing the test vehicles running over the past few months. And for train-averse folk (who probably aren’t watching 😀), parking at Luton Airport Parkway is way cheaper than any of the airport car parks.
True, but the dropoff charge is absurd, Luton is my local airport.
@@CT_97 mine too. Drop off is appalling, the point I was trying to make is that parking at LAP then using public transport, bus or DART, is way cheaper than the airport parking. If you are local, either get dropped off at Mid Stay and walk, or get the free shuttle that goes to car hire and long stay.
On a tangential note, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the local transit agency has a nonprofit DARTS service (Disabled and Aged Regional Transportation System) that provides a critical van/bus service connecting people in the region who can't effectively use other modes of transportation due to proximity and/or capability. Not at all the same as Luton, but I thought it was an important point for the goal of ensuring accessibility for all.
Tucson, AZ has s service very similar to that called the Sun Van.
Fitting, given I get the sense Luton is the Hamilton of England
My hometown of Bologna has a similar system which connects the main railway station to the airport in around 7 minutes and an intermediate stop.
I tried it a few times and it is pretty efficient, although sometimes it has maintenance issues and due to a non-competition agreement which their company imposed on transport between Bologna Centrale Railway Station and Bologna Airport, it has taken advantage of it, as now a single ticket costs €11 and €19 of return. Hence double than the Luton DART.
I would also suggest you to try the Pisamover, which is a people mover which connects Pisa Centrale railway station and Pisa Airport with one intermediate stop and you can also buy a combined train+people mover ticket as well
I will love to try this once fully operational
We have a similar cable hauled train at Pearson intl Airport in Toronto called the "LINK Train"
Same model too DCC Cable Liner
I don't think I've ever seen so many happy faces in luton
The misery will quickly return
@@rockerjim8045 so much happier now I've left.
4.95? What a cheek! No fee for taking the shuttle within Heathrow! Did they cancel the original shuttle bus? It didn't take much longer than Dart and cost only 2GBP. When booking your thru ticket check to see how much extra you're paying for the Dart.
Good video geoff I live in luton and it will be a good addition to luton transport system
My initial thought was where else have I seen DART but you answered that question
Nice to see the role of Lorraine Chase being reprised.
Yep. And was Geoff truly wafted there from paradise? I think we should be told.
I'm not American, but I am from Dublin and we do indeed have a DART!
Nice to here about new unusual transit
Hello from Dallas Texas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
£290m for a 1.25-mile shuttle service that costs £4.90 a trip. Expensive to build. Expensive to use.
Why on earth did it cost almost 1/3 of a billion pounds? Smells like corruption to me...
Expensive per minute ouch
It’s alright folks, it’s alright, it was tax payer funded, so it’s free money really.
@@AVV_Beats Will be interesting to see how many centuries elapse before it pays for itself
@@AVV_BeatsThis is Luton
I might go there one day
A quicker way to leave Luton. Love it!
Look forward to riding it when I fly into Luton in a few days time.
Atlanta has it's own Airport Underground train.. Take the train to the plane
Welcome to Luton Geoff, my hometown. While it has it's downsides (like most other places) it also has the quaint Luton Park Museum, Stockwood Park and Luton Hoo as seen in films like Eyes Wide Shut and Four Weddings and a Funeral!
Pisa (yes the one with the leaning tower) has a similar cable system to connect the airport to the main railway station. It replaced a previous railway shuttle line and is called PISAMOVER.
Geoff you're the best!
Love trains! JL
I flew from Luton to Girona in 1973 and from memory, the airport {at both ends} were less than basic. We came back two weeks' later and have never been in a plane since...
About time! It always seemed odd to arrive at Luton Airport Parkway and have to go hunting for a bus which then gets stuck in traffic. Tbh I gave up flying from there years ago as the train station seemed so creepy in the evenings; I used to be the only one there and trains to anywhere other than London seemed few and far between.
Luton is awful for traffic, its a horrible place 😮
I had the good fortune (sic) to be in Luton on 27/03/23 and to take a run on the DART. It is certainly an impressive bit of new infrastructure.
The ticket machines are pretty straightforward though it might be easier for passengers (prefer that to customers) if the option ‘Luton Airport’ was supplemented by one saying ‘DART’ as that is the word being used to differentiate it from the former bus service.
Passengers waiting for a DART have no indication which platform will be used for the next departure if the platforms are vacant. Not a big deal except that on arrival the DART doors open on one side only but once passengers have alighted the other side opens too by which time some passengers, I observed, had made their way round to the other side.
On arrival the at airport end, it was a wet, windswept walk across to the terminal - some better protection than that afforded by the existing canopies would be worthwhile.
In the airport terminal there was nothing to direct passengers to DART per se just a sign to the trains. I’d have thought that, after spending so much on the DART, the airport would have made maximum effort to make its existence clear. The airport website seems to have the DART well publicised now though why at midday it was showing ‘next trains’ at 23.30 the previous day was a mystery. The rail map is misleading as it implies that southbound Thameslink trains go solely to Brighton whereas, in fact, they also go to Sutton, Orpington etc.
Overall, looks like a much better option than bus transfer so well done to those who conceived it and enabled delivery of the scheme.
I was lucky enough to be involved with the emergency procedure training and trials of this with the local ambulance service. Got to have a ride on the dart from the terminal to the station and back again.
Will be convinient for sure, but 4.90 is too much for 159sec of travel
Had to make the journey between Parkway and the airport a couple of times just last week. Something like this is much needed!
There seems to be a trend for airport transfers to charge rip off prices, Heathrow Express, Edinburgh Trams (beyond Ingliston P&R), and now Luton DART
This is a very nice video Geoff. I would really like to ride on this train