Is it a tram? Probably not! But it is still a modern rapid transit system, and as local authorities look at ways of moving people around their towns it is possibly technology that we may see utilised elsewhere. The Luton DART line opened in March 2023 to link Luton Airport Parkway railway station to the Airport and in this article Ken Jones takes a look at the line.
The Luton DART (which stands for Direct Air-Rail Transit) runs between Luton Airport Parkway station and Luton Airport and uses a Cable Liner automated people mover system. The line opened in March 2023 and replaced a shuttle bus service,. In fact, it is neither a rail or tram system as there are no tracks, so probably best described as a rapid transit system.
Luton DART is operated by a subsidiary company wholly owned by London Luton Airport Limited and operates 24 hours a day. Trains run every four minutes throughout the day and every eight to 15 minutes at other times. It takes less than four minutes to go from end to the other.
The line is 1.3 miles (2.1km) and the journey commences at a purpose built station alongside the main railway station. The DART station is built at a upper level above the station, which are connected via a footbridge and concourse to the rest of the railway station. The concourse includes separate barriers for main line rail and DART, with an unpaid area in between. This meant we had to enter and leave this area through 2 ticket barriers where they were not working so needed staff to man them. There is a small coffee shop in this area but no other facilities.
DART vehicles go south-east along a 380 yard viaduct and then cross the A1081 road before going eastwards along a 0.68 mile cutting. There is then a 350 metre tunnel before it reaches an eastern airport terminus which is under the drop-off area in front of the terminal building.
Luton DART uses the Cable Liner automated people mover technology which was manufactured by Doppelmayr Cable Car. The line uses the Cable Liner’s Double Shuttle configuration, with two unconnected tracks, each with its own independent cable haulage system. There are two four-section articulated trains, with one on each track. Each train has a capacity of 170 passengers, and operates at a maximum running speed of just over 30 mph. The four-minute interval service requires the use of both trains, whilst the eight-minute interval can be maintained with a single train in service.
If you are travelling to or from St Pancras your DART fare may be included in the price of your ticket, but if you are travelling to or from another town or city the price is not included. So, driving from Coventry to Luton airport to catch a train to St Pancras, meant we had to buy a ticket for the Luton DART – just too much of an opportunity for us to miss. That single journey cost us £4.90 each, but the return from St Pancras to the airport station included a DART ticket, if we wanted it. The pricing has been criticised as too expensive for the short journey; at £3.95 per mile, it is claimed by The Guardian to be the most expensive train in Britain by distance. However, if you do intend to fly from Luton it is cheaper to use the station carpark and the Luton DART than to park at the airport.
If Luton Airport’s expansion proposal go ahead, DART would be extended eastwards to terminate a new station serving Terminal 2.
Inside one of the units as it heads for the airport
Unit arriving at airport terminal
Unit on way to airport
View of Main line railway station and DART station from a unit. (All Photographs by Ken Jones, 8th April 2025)
It most definitely DOES run on track. Those long metal sections are the rails, albeit they are not formed of conventional rail they are both wight carrying and guiding. In concept it is closest to the Great Orme Tramway except the trains are not connected.