The
delayed
Luton
DART
line,


a
people
mover
connecting
Luton
Airport
Parkway
on
the
Midland
Main
Line
with
London
Luton
Airport,
is
expected
to
have
a
‘soft’
launch
on
10
March,
with
full
services
set
to
follow
‘around
the
end
of
March’.

The
DART
was
visited
by
the
King
on
6
December,
an
event
which
recalled
the
previous
visit
to
the
area
by
his
mother
the
late
Queen,
when
she
opened
Luton
Airport
Parkway
station
in
1999.

When
the
new
link
has
opened
fully,
the
existing
bus
link
between
the
station
and
airport
will
be
withdrawn.
Luton
Airport
Parkway
is
served
by
two
fast
East
Midlands
Railway
services
from
St
Pancras
International
each
hour,
as
well
as
Thameslink
trains.

From
10
March,
the
council-owned
airport
company
Luton
Rising
expects
that
the
people
mover
will
run
for
about
four
hours
a
day,
in
preparation
for
a
24-hour
service
from
the
end
of
the
month,
and
the
opinions
of
passengers
will
be
invited.
The
single
fare
will
be
£4.90,
compared
with
£2.50
on
the
bus.

A
council
spokesman
said:
‘The
fare
is
based
on
independent
assessment
and
sound
rationale,
reflecting
the
value
of
time
saved
and
convenience
and
the
quality
of
what
we
are
providing
compared
to
what
went
before.’

Until
the
end
of
March,
passengers
who
have
a
ticket
for
the
existing
bus
transfer
will
be
invited
to
take
the
DART
at
no
additional
charge.

The
cost
of
the
project
has
risen
from
a
planned
£225
million
to
£300
million,
and
the
opening
will
come
two
years
later
than
originally
planned.

Luton
Borough
Council
leader
Cllr
Hazel
Simmons
said:
‘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.’