The San Francisco area has the BART system which is Bay Area Rapid Transit. I remember that the city of Fresno, California was going to install a rapid transit system but decided against it because of the name. The city of Seattle has an area called South Lake Union and the new line there was named the “SLUT”- South Lake Union Transit. The promotional campaign used the tag line of ‘Ride the SLUT’. It was ended early because of complaints from residents. Have a great day everyone!

"It's slightly disconcerting just looking into darkness." Welcome to Luton, Geoff. 😱

Geoff going to Luton so we don’t have to, what a king

I used the dart on 27th March. Cost per person £4.90 as opposed to the previous bus system of £2.80. To be honest the bus placed you nearer to the terminal than the Dart does. A group of 4 people worked out the cost for them to travel on the Dart. £4.90 × 4 = £19.60. The taxi parked outside the station charged £12 to drop the group at the airport. Let's get real Dart. £3 or £3.50 is a more realistic price to pay.

£4.90 is sheer extortion given it's less than a mile and a half...doesn't actually go to the terminal (you still have to walk all the way along the concourse)...and most other airports provide this service for free. It may be "more convenient" than the shuttle bus that was already be in operation...but that was half the price. Then again, Luton Airport charge five quid to drop off at the "express drop off" which is still a 350 metre walk to the terminal building, unlike, say Heathrow, Doncaster, Stansted, Birmingham etc which are right outside. So at least they have previous for this attitude.

I love that this is finally open, just a bit disappointed at the cost of the ticket. But it's definitely better than the bus which could often be overcrowded. As a regular user of Luton Airport, and always using the train to get there from Flitwick, the Dart will make my life, and many others much easier. Now just to get step free access at Flitwick! Promised but not yet delivered!!

Travelling from Luton in May. Perfect timing. £4.90 seems steep though

A similar cable car system is installed for the Air-Rail Link at Birmingham airport, connecting Birmingham International train station to the airport itself. Its free for the public and passenger transit through an area around ticket hall. The car is significantly smaller than the new DART though.

I live in Luton and actually worked on the DART. I managed the laying of the track. It was a great project and great to see it's finally being put to good use.

Also, one fact that many sources have been saying, is that this service will actually be one of the most expensive "rail" systems in Europe, and the most expensive in the UK, at £3.95 per mile (Obviously costing £4.90 total to ride.) - It certainly looks like a very impressive system though!

You deserve a medal for surviving your trip to Luton.

Hi Geoff, I travelled on the very first public "train" of the Luton DART on 10th March 2023 which was free of charge on that day. I must say it is very impressive, the way it climbs up to a rather dizzy height across a link road to the M1 before plunging into a tunnel to arrive at the sub-surface airport terminal. It did, however, open about 20 minutes late on the day, some people were growing restless until some wag cried out: "don't moan about waiting 20 minutes for this, we've got to wait 20 years for HS2!" Thanks very much for a great and informative video. Kind regards, David, Crouch End, N8.

It will cost £4.90 one way for a 1.4 mile journey. This has to be one of the most expensive shuttle links. The bus used to be free and the Birmingham airport shuttle system is free.

Hi Geoff! Here in Toronto, our airport has a very similar train. It's called the LINK train (the capital letters don't stand for anything, by the way). It runs just like the Luton DART - remotely controlled with cables underneath. It goes from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, then on to a nearby parking garage. This train is free, can hold roughly the same amount of people both standing and sitting, and there's trains every 4-8 minutes (depending on whether the hours are peak or not). It takes about 8 minutes including stops from one end to the other. You're never exposed to the elements either. As usual, another great video!

"3 : 36" "Yes, but it's snowing". Quality dialogue 😏

Live, Laugh, Luton! (I'm so sorry)

Ahh, a trip to Luton. What a joy. You can now get to Britain's worst airport more quickly. I love the moniker of Britains Most Expensive Rail Journey. Luton Airport Authority just keep getting it right. Oh by the way, good luck getting a taxi either to there or when trying to escape. Lovely stuff.

This would have been SO convenient about a year ago when I was there. But I'm prob coming back this year anyway so I can't wait to try it out!

Fantastic video I remember see this on testing when we went to luton Airport on a school trip to look round. It's nice to see its now up and running

I love airport trains! They are very useful instead of walking. Perfect video as always!

Landed into luton tonight (10/3). Genuinely had reason to use it. It was shut at 10:50pm and people were cramming onto the newly upgraded name of the “DART replacement shuttle bus”. Using the buses that the DART should have been replacing in the first place. The irony.

I liked the ‘G for Geoff’ bit 😂

Nice to see it open. I marked out some of the track in the tunnel and in the piled cutting (only for a few weeks - but long enough to appreciate the effort that had been put in by everyone else). Impressive.

As someone who has flown into Luton in order to visit London on many occasions? I am pleased to see this development. Before I have frequently chosen to walk, suitcase and all, down the hill to the station as the buses were usually too full or not frequent enough. I am a railway worker, so I hope my 'priv' discount works on the full ticket from luton airport to London terminals. But even if it doesn't, a fiver or so down to the parkway at regular, convenient intervals? That still works for me :)

Reminds me of the Mini Metro in Frankfurt, Germany. Connects the Airport-Trainstation to a car park. It’s way smaller but runs in a similar way and you can also see the wheels turning! It’s a fun little thing to do when you have to change at that station :)

"Were you truely wafted in from paradise?" "Naa, Luton Airport"

Looks great, I love it!

Another great video. Thank you. 😀

Was lucky enough to go on a few months ago as part of a council day out, great service from Luton parkway and will cut journey time down from St Pancras - looking forward to watching later on

And we all thought the Great Train Robbery was in 1963 !

I’m in Dallas and have DART. Dallas Area Rapid Transit. And even more amusing, our primary livery color is yellow! I love your videos! I can’t wait till I can visit the UK and explore all of it by rail!

Thanks for the video! I was really looking forward to see what it would be like.

Worked near Luton Airport Parkway for 2 years, travelling from London, that was 5 years ago and it is shocking it has taken this long to open. Looks great though!

This is going to put Luton on the map! A most acceptable start to the weekend! Keeping them on their toes Geoff! Nice

Thanks for the great video, Geoff. Cheers! Peter.

Oh a video from my local area!

Like many in the comments below, having done the awkward bussing from Luton Airport Parkway station to the airport quite a few times, I certainly welcome this DART - not that price though! Really wish it had been be free much like the Birmingham International Airport (BHX) shuttle between National Rail and the airport. Surprisingly, I've also lived in Dublin and have enjoyed the - much more reasonably priced - DART for part of my commute :)

Even though there’s no driver you would think they would install windscreen wipers on the end windscreens.

Nice to here about new unusual transit

I find it ironic that they're talking about the "sustainability" of an airport. And it's a shame it's not free, at £4.90 it's also double the cost of the existing bus transfer available (which is priced at £2.40). But I'm all for the improved accessibility that this has brought with it!

Definitely makes rail more appealing to get to Luton Airport!

“Yes, but it’s snowing” already well versed on the excuses…

Being from Ireland the DART to me has always been the ones you get in Dublin which stands for Dublin Area Rapid Transit but I wasn't aware that there are other places that also call their urban transit networks the Dart also its very surprising to me

You looked and sounded just like I feel whenever I have to go to Luton Airport. Don't worry, it's the sort of place most people struggle to enthuse over.

New trains!

As a person who spent decades living in London Luton was the only airport of the London area I never got to use and to be fair that is something I dont lose sleep over

In our county (King County, WA, USA), we have DART - Dial-A-Ride Transit. It is our combination of fixed route and on-call bus service. I think that acronym is fairly common in the US. Our system is small buses on a fixed route, but if you call the bus will deviate a little and come pick you up at your house or business.

You mentioned my local train - the DART in Dallas! Hello from North Texas. Actually, my local train is the Denton A Train. It couldn't be called the Denton Area Rapid Transit, for obvious conflicting reasons with the Dallas Dart rail. (Plus, there is nothing Rapid about the Denton A Train, lol. ) BTW, I have paper maps of both to send you if you are interested and still collecting transit maps. The front of the Luton DART reminds me of the Skylink "train" at DFW Airoprt. You can stand at the front and pretend to be the driver. (yes, KZfaq, I know the Skylink is not a train since it runs on tires.)

I don't think I've ever seen so many happy faces in luton

@4:43 a combined ticket still costs an extra £5 for the 2.1km journey. Did you ask the management why it is the most expensively railway in the UK, and whether it will actually encourage more people to take the train?

"It's slightly disconcerting looking into darkness" - a very blunt opinion of Luton! 😂😂

A quicker way to leave Luton. Love it!

£290m for a 1.25-mile shuttle service that costs £4.90 a trip. Expensive to build. Expensive to use.

Shout out Dallas DART! Longest light rail in the USA

Look forward to riding it when I fly into Luton in a few days time.

Hello from Canada!! One of our cities, Saskatoon, used to have a bus service branded DART for Direct Access Rapid Transit!

Love Luton Airport, it's very handy. Looking forward to trying the DART. Good job they decided against calling it The Fast Air-Rail Transit.🤣

Defiantly looks like a game changer for airport passengers. Great video Geoff.

loved hearing a dutch sound from one of the project managers.

Geoff you're the best! Love trains! JL

Geoff I'm not sure if you're aware, but EMR are branding some of their connect EMU's as "Luton Airport Express". I only noticed this the other day, when travelling home to Wellingborough. These are the trains that run between London and Corby every 30 mins and run non-stop between Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras in about 22-25 mins. Problem is, while these EMU's have a very smart vinyl wrap scheme on them, they were promised to be refurbished when they started operating as EMR Connect over two years ago. In a comfy 2+2 seating configuration, and extra luggage storage for airport passengers. However it's still in the old tired and worn out 16 year old, high density 2+3 seating, it inherited from Greater Anglia.

Hey Geoff, it was great to see you yesterday again! And thanks for featuring me in your video at the end 😉 great content as always

Hello Geoff We have Darts in our city Hamilton that is a non profit organization that provides specialized transportation for those with needs it is usually vans and small buses and it is used by older people and those who need assistance to get around. Thanks for the video. Take Care Chris and Sandra of Canada.

Great tip about the dual Ticket.

I might go there one day

In the San Francisco CA area, there's Bay Area Rapid Transit: BART.

That shuttle bus will not be missed. But it was really good in diverting people to other airports for sure.

I was lucky enough to be involved with the emergency procedure training and trials of this with the local ambulance service. Got to have a ride on the dart from the terminal to the station and back again.

As I remember, Birmingham airport connected with the NEC, using the same type of free train in the late 1970's. There actually a type of funicular train, due to the cable.

4.95? What a cheek! No fee for taking the shuttle within Heathrow! Did they cancel the original shuttle bus? It didn't take much longer than Dart and cost only 2GBP. When booking your thru ticket check to see how much extra you're paying for the Dart.

Keep up the good work

Pisa (yes the one with the leaning tower) has a similar cable system to connect the airport to the main railway station. It replaced a previous railway shuttle line and is called PISAMOVER.

Problem is you can use contactless to Luton Airport Parkway but need to pay for this separately. You did also for the bus, but that was still usually cheaper than a paper ticket. With this I'm not so sure.

It's like a combination of the DLR, Waterloo & City line, Elizabeth Line and a lift (elevator).

hopefully one day I will get to use it! Nice video Geoff.

Good video geoff I live in luton and it will be a good addition to luton transport system

To your question about DART: Yes, Dallas has the DART. Full name is Dallas Area Rapid Transit (although the "Rapid Transit" part is debatable).

Nice to see the role of Lorraine Chase being reprised.

Raining AND in Luton? How can one man be so lucky?

I had the good fortune (sic) to be in Luton on 27/03/23 and to take a run on the DART. It is certainly an impressive bit of new infrastructure. The ticket machines are pretty straightforward though it might be easier for passengers (prefer that to customers) if the option ‘Luton Airport’ was supplemented by one saying ‘DART’ as that is the word being used to differentiate it from the former bus service. Passengers waiting for a DART have no indication which platform will be used for the next departure if the platforms are vacant. Not a big deal except that on arrival the DART doors open on one side only but once passengers have alighted the other side opens too by which time some passengers, I observed, had made their way round to the other side. On arrival the at airport end, it was a wet, windswept walk across to the terminal - some better protection than that afforded by the existing canopies would be worthwhile. In the airport terminal there was nothing to direct passengers to DART per se just a sign to the trains. I’d have thought that, after spending so much on the DART, the airport would have made maximum effort to make its existence clear. The airport website seems to have the DART well publicised now though why at midday it was showing ‘next trains’ at 23.30 the previous day was a mystery. The rail map is misleading as it implies that southbound Thameslink trains go solely to Brighton whereas, in fact, they also go to Sutton, Orpington etc. Overall, looks like a much better option than bus transfer so well done to those who conceived it and enabled delivery of the scheme.

The impressive bridge was put in place over a weekend - it’s been quite exciting seeing the test vehicles running over the past few months. And for train-averse folk (who probably aren’t watching 😀), parking at Luton Airport Parkway is way cheaper than any of the airport car parks.

I'm not American, but I am from Dublin and we do indeed have a DART!

Can't wait to try it as off to Luton Airport at the end of April

My hometown of Bologna has a similar system which connects the main railway station to the airport in around 7 minutes and an intermediate stop. I tried it a few times and it is pretty efficient, although sometimes it has maintenance issues and due to a non-competition agreement which their company imposed on transport between Bologna Centrale Railway Station and Bologna Airport, it has taken advantage of it, as now a single ticket costs €11 and €19 of return. Hence double than the Luton DART. I would also suggest you to try the Pisamover, which is a people mover which connects Pisa Centrale railway station and Pisa Airport with one intermediate stop and you can also buy a combined train+people mover ticket as well I will love to try this once fully operational

On a tangential note, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the local transit agency has a nonprofit DARTS service (Disabled and Aged Regional Transportation System) that provides a critical van/bus service connecting people in the region who can't effectively use other modes of transportation due to proximity and/or capability. Not at all the same as Luton, but I thought it was an important point for the goal of ensuring accessibility for all.

It reminds me of the shuttle pod from the classic sci fi show space 1999. I love the look.

Welcome to the UK = you have to pay £4.90 to get from the airport station to the airport. The trick here is to call the station "Luton Airport Parkway" not "Luton Airport" which basically means you get to NEAR the airport, not at it - so you then have to pay a bit more to get to the check-in desk! Still, nice shuttle, and as ever great video! The top transport geek is Geoff!

My initial thought was where else have I seen DART but you answered that question

wooow this is so different now. I worked in the covid testing lab at this airport January to October 2021. Although my lab was on the carpark we of course went into the terminal to grab food. At that that time the Luton airport parkway rail station just looked very crappy, with construction sites everywhere...guess now most of those crap are gone now haha

£4.90 is an utter disgrace, and we weren’t told the DART would be so extortionate when it started construction. Simply appalling in my opinion.

I have just booked seats on a flight out of Luton for this summer, and I will be arriving by train. Thanks for the advice to buy tickets all the way to the airport, not just to the parkway.

Great seeing my mate Mo in the background- resplendent in his posh coat, umbrella and epic moustache

Will be convinient for sure, but 4.90 is too much for 159sec of travel

Hi Geoff, it is not actually free for the locals. They give a 50% concessionary discount for the locals. Also, looking at their website, the price seems to be £2.40 for a single. Maybe the prices are different if you buy at the stations? Also, if you didn't know, there is a bus that does the exact same journey and only costs £1.50 for a single.

This is a very nice video Geoff. I would really like to ride on this train

Now my only proplem is that the flights from NI to Luton go from Belfast International which has no rail connection despite fully serviceable railway line running just outside the perimeter fench.

Atlanta has it's own Airport Underground train.. Take the train to the plane

Welcome to Luton Geoff, my hometown. While it has it's downsides (like most other places) it also has the quaint Luton Park Museum, Stockwood Park and Luton Hoo as seen in films like Eyes Wide Shut and Four Weddings and a Funeral!

Hello from Dallas Texas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

Keep up the amazing work Geoff Marshall