Luton Dart airport shuttle route set to launch next month

The Luton Dart will eventually run 24 hours a day

Passenger will be able to use a much-delayed driverless railway linked to an airport terminal from next month.

The £290m Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) was due to open in 2020 but will now take its first customers on 10 March.

The 1.4-mile (2.2km) railway links Luton Airport Parkway station to London Luton Airport in about three minutes.

Luton Rising, which owns the airport, said it would initially operate on a restricted timetable.

The Dart is "electrically powered, energy efficient and future-proofed", Hazel Simmons, the leader of Luton Council, said

During the three-week period of restricted timetables, services will run for about four hours a day with passengers asked to give their feedback.

Luton Rising hopes it will be fully operational by the end of March.

The King was one of the first people to ride the cable-drawn shuttle, when he was given a special trip on 6 December during his visit to the Bedfordshire town.

Passenger trials took place on 1, 8, 15 and 22 February.

King Charles III took a ride on the Dart in December

The Dart, which saw its costs rise from £200m, will run 24 hours a day and will eventually replace shuttle buses at Luton Parkway, which pick up passengers every 10 minutes.

Luton Rising confirmed the bus transfer would be "withdrawn at a later date".

The price of the journey is included in any rail ticket "where customers choose Luton Airport as the start or end" of their journey.

Luton residents will be able to apply for half-price travel, it added.

Luton Dart: A timeline

Passengers have been trailing the Luton Dart with suitcases at a number of sessions in February

• July 2017: Planning permission for the project is granted

• April 2018: Construction work begins

• December 2020: Original completion date passes

• December 2022: King Charles III given a special trip on the Dart

• February 2023: First trails begin on 1 February

• March 2023: Passengers to start using the service

The Luton Dart is "electrically powered, energy efficient and future-proofed", Hazel Simmons, the leader of Luton Council, said

Labour councillor Hazel Simmons, leader of Luton Council, 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."

Graham Olver, chief executive of Luton Rising, said: "Luton Council owns the airport for community benefit and the Luton Dart helps ensure a bright future for people in Luton and nearby communities who depend on and benefit from its success."

The trails of the Luton Dart involved "customer service sceneries" Luton Rising said

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