Luton DART

The Luton DART is a forthcoming automated guided people mover (light metro) which will connect Luton Airport Parkway station and Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, England. DART is an acronym for Direct Air-Rail Transit. It is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2023. The line will replace the existing shuttle bus service, with the aim of reducing road congestion and improving journey times from London St Pancras to the airport terminal.[1]

Luton DART
Map of the planned transit
Overview
OwnerLuton Borough Council
Transit typeAutomated guided people mover (light metro)
Number of stations2
Websitelutonrising.org.uk/our-airport/luton-dart/
Operation
Operation will start2023
Number of vehicles2
Technical
System length1.4 miles (2.3 km)
No. of tracks2

History

From the 1950s and 1960s, Luton Airport experienced an increase in business as a result of the growing package holiday market.[2][3] Although the Midland Main Line passed within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the airport, there was no dedicated railway station and public transport connections to Luton Airport were limited. A shuttle bus service operated from Luton railway station, to convey rail passengers 2 miles (3.2 km) from Luton town centre to the airport terminal.[4]

Luton Airport Parkway railway station opened in 1999, providing rail connections to central and south London, Gatwick Airport and Brighton on the Thameslink route, as well as the Midland Mainline routes to the East Midlands. Although the new station was closer to the airport (1 mile (1.6 km) to the west), it was still necessary to run a shuttle bus transfer service.[5][6][7]

The shuttle bus was considered to be unsatisfactory, and proposals were developed to replace the bus service with a new rail link. The situation of Luton Airport Parkway station approximately 40 metres (44 yd) downhill from the airport presented engineering challenges to building a heavy rail spur over the short distance to the airport terminal.[8] In April 2016, London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL) announced a scheme to create a light rail/automated guided people mover connection between the airport and Luton Airport Parkway station.[9] It is envisaged that the introduction of a light-rail link will reduce the journey time between London St Pancras and the airport terminal to less than 30 minutes.[8]

Construction

The Luton DART link was approved by Luton Borough Council in June 2017.[10][11] Construction work commenced in April 2018, contracted to a VolkerFitzpatrick / Kier Group joint venture.[1][12]

The project involves construction of bridges over the A1081 road and tunnels, along with two stations in phase 1. The first station is being built at Bartlett Square in Napier Park on the east side of Luton Airport Parkway station, and the final station at the airport.[13] In 2018, it was announced that the system would be a Cable Liner, manufactured by the Austrian transit manufacturer, Doppelmayr Cable Car (DCC), who also have a contract to operate the system for the first five years.[14] The vehicles will be built by the Austrian cabin manufacturer Carvatech.[15]

In December 2019, a ready-constructed, 80-metre (260 ft)-long, 1,000-tonne curved bridge was moved into place over the A1081 road on large jacks.[16] Construction work on the line was halted briefly in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic over concerns related to Coronavirus Health Protection Regulations, but resumed after a safety assessment.[17] The cable propulsion system was completed in February 2020 and work then began to install the people mover vehicles on the guide rails.[18] A new light rail terminus building has been constructed next to the Parkway station. The DART platforms will be located on a new upper level above the current station, and these will be connected to the main-line rail platforms via a new footbridge with new lifts and escalators.[19]

Testing of the transit vehicles began in 2021. In August of that year, reports emerged of problems experienced with the traction or the pulley system during testing, and that a DART vehicle had become derailed. This was denied by LLAL.[20]

The system was originally scheduled to open in 2021. Following delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening date was revised to late 2022. The planned opening has since been delayed due to further technical testing and development of the ticketing system and the DART is now expected to come into service by Easter 2023.[21][22][23][24]

On 6 December 2022, King Charles III visited the Luton DART terminal station during a royal visit to the town. He unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit before travelling on the new transit system.[25][26]

Passenger trials began in February 2023.[27]

Examples of other Doppelmayr Cable Car (DCC) transit systems
The Air-Rail Link at Birmingham Airport
Aria Express in Las Vegas
Hamad International Airport transit system in Qatar
Examples of DCC transit systems similar to the Luton DART that are already operating worldwide

Route
Luton Airport Parkway DART station under construction (February 2020)

The 2.1-kilometre (1.3 mi) DART line begins at Luton DART Parkway, a purpose-built station adjoining Luton Airport Parkway railway station, which will provide an interchange with East Midlands Railway and Thameslink passenger rail services.[13]

DART vehicles will head south-eastwards along a 350-metre (380 yd) viaduct. After crossing the A1081 road, the vehicles will curve eastwards along a 1.1-kilometre (0.68 mi) cutting and concrete trough before entering a 350-metre (380 yd) cut-and-cover tunnel under the airport apron. The eastern terminus will be at a new subterranean Central Terminal station underneath the current drop-off area in front of the terminal building.[13]

Operation

Luton DART will be operated by a new subsidiary company, wholly owned by London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL, trading as Luton Rising).[28]

It is envisaged that the Luton DART link will operate 24 hours a day. In 2016, LLAL were negotiating with Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport with the aim of streamlining ticketing arrangements by enabling contactless payment for combined rail and DART journeys, with the possible inclusion of DART on TfL's Oyster Card payment system.[8]

In October 2022 it was announced that the single fare for the DART would be £4.90, with concessions for Luton residents and free travel for holders of concessionary travel passes.[29] This represents an increase of 158% compared to the existing shuttle bus fare.

Future extension

As part of the proposals for the expansion of Luton Airport, it is envisaged that the DART line would be extended eastwards to terminate at a new station serving Terminal 2.[30][31]

References
  1. "Work begins on new £225 million rail link at Luton Airport". ITV News Anglia. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  2. "Airport History". London Luton Airport. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  3. "Luton Airport marks 80th birthday". BBC News. 16 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. Beddall, David (30 October 2022). Luton's Transport: A Journey Through Time. Pen & Sword. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-5267-5561-2. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. Haywood, Russell (23 March 2016). Railways, Urban Development and Town Planning in Britain: 1948–2008. Routledge. p. 225. ISBN 978-1-317-07164-8. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  6. Shannon, Paul D. (30 November 2019). British Railway Infrastructure Since 1970: An Historical Overview. Pen & Sword. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-1-5267-3480-8. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. David, Gareth (30 September 2017). Railway Renaissance: Britain's Railways After Beeching. Pen & Sword. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-4738-6202-9. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. Topham, Gwyn (15 April 2016). "Luton airport to replace bus transfers with £200m light rail link". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  9. Luton airport peoplemover plan announced Railway Gazette International 15 April 2016
  10. "New railway connection to London Luton Airport approved". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  11. "London Luton Airport peoplemover approved". Metro Report International. Sutton: DVV Media Group. 6 July 2017.
  12. VolkerFitzpatrick-Kier jv wins £119m Luton airport rail link Construction Enquirer January 2018
  13. Horgan, Rob (30 April 2021). "Luton Dart: Autonomous rail link between airport and station nears completion". New Civil Engineer. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  14. "Doppelmayr Cable Car to build Cable Liner in London" (Press release). 18 April 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  15. "Luton Dart". Carvatech. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  16. Sketchley, Elisha (3 December 2019). "1,000 tonne Luton DART bridge opens". Planning, BIM & Construction Today. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  17. "Work restarts on the Luton DART after review of how government's COVID-19 guidance was being implemented". www.lutontoday.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  18. "DART train between London Luton Airport and St Pancras one step closer". ITV News. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  19. "Transforming Luton Airport Parkway". www.thameslinkrailway.com. Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  20. "'Testing problems' with £225m Luton DART, meeting told". www.lutontoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  21. "Luton DART". Luton Rising. London Luton airport Ltd. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  22. Horgan, Rob (5 October 2022). "Luton Airport's £260M autonomous light rail link delayed". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  23. Duncan, Euan (4 October 2022). "£225million DART air to rail transport link for Luton Airport delayed until 2023". www.lutontoday.co.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  24. "Luton airport shuttle used by King to open by Easter". BBC News. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  25. Hutchinson, Laura (6 December 2022). "In Pictures: King Charles rides Luton DART during visit to the town". Luton Today. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  26. "King Charles III boards delayed Luton DART airport shuttle". BBC News. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  27. "Luton DART: Passenger trials take place on £290m air-rail transit system". Luton Today.
  28. "Luton Airport's new £225m DART project will be run by a new subsidary company". www.lutontoday.co.uk. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  29. Duncan, Euan (19 October 2022). "Fares for new Luton Airport DART transport system unveiled". bedfordshirelive. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  30. "Future LuToN Statutory Consultation 2019" (PDF). London Luton Airport Ltd. October 2019. pp. 4, 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2019.
  31. "Welcome to our expansion proposals". Luton Rising. 30 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
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