It's really cold, and it's really raining
and i'm in Luton, at the brand new ...
Luton DART, this is the new
well, is it a light rail? is it a cable car? is it a train?
we're gonna find out, but it connects
from Luton Airport Parkway station, to the airport
in under four minutes, and we're here
for a press preview, to have a look around
Since Luton Airport parkway station opened in 1999
you'd have to use a shuttle bus to take you from the station to the airport terminal
but now there's the new Luton DART
there's here to speedily take you
from the station
to the airport, in under four minutes
and General Manger Lindsey, was on hand to show us around
Two bridges, connecting ... Luton airport parkway
either end of their platforms
so access to EMR trains
will be from platforms 3 and 4
so this gate line here is
where you end being a national rail customer
and you become a DART customer
and then these are our ... DART customers
i'm amused by the way that it's
DART, Direct Air ...
Rail, Transit. but there's other
transport system all over the world in fact, so like
Dublin has the DART i think
Dallas has the DART
but lots in America, hello! if you're one of our American viewers
and your local transit system is called D A R T, Dart
let me know in the comments, but there's a lower concourse
and an upper concourse
and i've, i've lost them already
technically, it's an automated people carrier
that's cable hauled
so that's the cable, that's bringing the system down
and on the other side, it's propelling it up
there's also this great ... Luton DART has this great little 'D' logo here
see that? it's a D. which in reverse looks like a G
G for Geoff
right, we're getting on!
so it's a walk through carriage?
yes how many carriages Linsey?
so capacity is 170, with seating for 38
but there are seperate units, separate carriages?
yes four four!
and we can add one more
because you'll notice that the platform is longer than the current shuttle
so for future proofing, we can add another carriage
doors are shut ...
when it moves, i'm gonna hit 'start'. Moving ...
now you're saying four minutes
but i'm gonna time it * Please Hold the Handrail *
officially, you're saying under four minutes
but you think it might do under three minutes?
actually, travelling time, was 2 minutes 39 seconds
well ... alright
tunnel section
tunnel's not lit
* We are approaching the airport *
ah, we've gone over two thirty nine
i've just been told we're not at full speed today
we're not at full ...
it's slightly disconcerting
looking into darkness
this is extremely well lit, yeah
and there we go, light
into the ... are we calling it the terminal?
Central .. Terminal .. Station
i'm taking that as, when the doors open
there we go
three thirty six
yes, but it's .. snowing
err, they've all jumped out, i'm just enjoying a moment
it's really really bright
seating, there
absolutely level boarding, obviously
loads of space
extremely spacious
we then had a quick peek at the maintenance area
at the airport end of the cable hauled line
so both sides
the cars can go in, and will be maintained
on each side, and below you, is the maintenance vehicle
which is self propelled
so if they have to do something on the guideway
we're looking down onto the maintenance bay
you can see the wheels, the wheels that actually revolve
of the cable car, nice!
there was discussion about the possibility of expansion for the airport
and therefore, the DART
it's quite a lengthy process to get that approved, but if it is
then those works will be going on for the next 10, 15, 20 years
and if that were to happen then they could extend the DART
onto the second terminal building, is that correct?
yeah exactly, so the current system is 2.2 kilometres long
it could be extended, another kilometre or so
to directly beneath the second terminal
glad we're sheltered from the snow and the rain
that we're having today!
this fencing area will be down
obviously, they're not letting us through
but you can see the airport terminal is just there
i'm gonna go and have a plat at the ticket machine and see how much it costs
yes unlike other airport transfers, it's not free
there is a charge involved
it's four pound ninety for an adult
but half price for children
and is is free for under 5's. we well as if you live locally in Luton
you can registed on their website
at Luton DART dot com and travel for free
it seemed to me though that the best option would be that if you're making this journey from London
is to buy a ticket from St Pancras that is a combined through ticket
all the way through to the airport, and that one ticket
will work the whole way through
so there are two ... Trains? are we calling them that?
that will run twenty four hours a day
every 4 minutes, at their most frequent
to cover the 2.1 kilometers length of track
and having got here, i turned around
and took a trip back
* Doors beeping *
* PLEASE HOLD THE HANDRAIL SHUTTLE IS DEPARTING *
i am holding, the handrail
and it's another ... three minutes back
to Parkway station
the reason why it's cable hauled by the way
is to get up the 25 metre gradient
between the DART station at Parkway
up to the level of the airport
this also here
is not provision for another station stop
but is actually an emergency escape platform
in case of breakdown
Ruud's just saying that at night, the bridge
* WE ARE APPROACHING THE STATION WITH CONNECTIONS TO NATIONAL RAIL SERVICES *
* PLEASE HOLD THE HANDRAIL *
going over the main road, the brige is a very impressive structure
and it's lit up at night, and it looks great
Ok, we're curving back in
another ... three minutes, i didn't time it this time
back into, Luton parkway station
* WE HAVE REACHED STATION DOORS WILL OPERATE ON LEFT HAND SIDE *
* THIS SHUTTLE TERMINATES HERE ALL ALIGHT PLEASE *
aaaaand, it's all controlled from the control room in here
where we're going in, Lindsey is taking us in
there we go
so you got four main screens
just to explain what they are
one complete screen for each shuttle
and the operator here, is ...
got full sight of the interior of the shuttle
and then an exterior camera
front and reverse
you've got a track map of exactly where the shuttles are on the system
and how they're perfroming
and then the far end is the
duty control managers, that's for the security of the station
customers, and the ground staff
and then just time for a quick look at the new infrastructure
at parkway station
i've come back to the station
still raining, that's alright we're gonna chat to Ruud one more time
and also Tom Moran from GTR Thameslink is here
so the old bridge, which had direct access to the building
to the [ ??? ] station building
which then has access on the back and the overbridge
into the DART station
and then the new bridge
is built there, which is quite wide
and big, which gives you direct access to the DART
from all the platforms
so if you get on the train at St. Pancras
you'll be here at Luton Airport Parkway in half an hour
which is fantasic, and when you get here
until now, you had to go round the corner
get on the bus, go up the hill
which isn't the end of the world but it is inonvenient, now ...
you've got step free access on the fantastic new DART
you'll be zooming up to the top of the hill to the airport in a few minutes
so yeah, it's really really exciting
so at the moment, one in five people
are coming to the airport via train
and now we're what, there's a ...
we're trying to encourage people to make that figure higher is that correct?
absolutely, so it is about one in five
and one of the reasons why there aren't more people
choose to get the train to Luton Airport
is because it has been a bit inconvenient to get from the station
to the top of the hill
to the airport, so with the DART
now being the really fantastic step free connection
we're really hoping that that one in five
will increase massively
that's really imporant for the sustainability
if the airport and you know
the wider economy, because every person
who gets on a train is hopefull someone who has not got
into a car or any other type of gas guzzling vehicle
so that's it!
it's a very impressive large building, ah these gates
this fencing will be down by this time tomorrow
by the time you see this video
it'll be up and running, the new Luton DART
connecting the parkway station to the Airport
it's open, really quick
transfer times, making it a fantastic way
to get the airport and great for Luton too, that's iy
press subcribe! thanks for watching
see ya soon, bye
*WHISTLE BLOWS *