Luton Airport Parkway railway station

Luton Airport Parkway railway station is on the Midland Main Line in England, serving south Luton and Luton Airport in Bedfordshire. It is situated in Park Town, Luton, and is 29 miles 19 chains (47.1 km) down the line from London St Pancras between Harpenden to the south and Luton to the north. Its three-letter station code is LTN, also the IATA code for the airport.

Luton Airport Parkway
Aerial photo of the station with airport shuttle buses waiting in front
Luton Airport Parkway
Location of Luton Airport Parkway in Bedfordshire
LocationPark Town, Luton
Local authorityBorough of Luton
Grid referenceTL105205
Managed byThameslink
Station codeLTN
DfT categoryD
Number of platforms4
AccessibleYes
National Rail annual entry and exit
2014–15 2.754 million[1]
2015–16 3.188 million[1]
2016–17 3.820 million[1]
2017–18 3.965 million[1]
– interchange  0.127 million[1]
2018–19 4.149 million[1]
– interchange  0.119 million[1]
Key dates
November 1999Station opened
Other information
External links
WGS84
London transport portal
Intermediate-level concourse adjacent to Platform 4

The station is served by Thameslink operated trains on the Thameslink route and by East Midlands Railway.

It is situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the airport, to which it is linked by a chargeable shuttle bus service.[2]

History

The station was opened in 1999, specifically to serve Luton Airport. Initially it was linked to the airport by free shuttle buses operated by National Car Parks on behalf of the airport's owners. In January 2008 the free shuttle bus service was replaced by a more frequent, but chargeable, service provided by First Capital Connect.[2] Now that Govia are once again operating Thameslink, the service is planned to revert to being free.[3]

In November 2008, the station became the first on the Thameslink route to have its platforms extended in order to accommodate twelve-coach trains as part of the Thameslink Programme.[4] In April 2013, a new northern entrance was opened on Kimpton Road, Luton.

Future

Luton DART, a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) light rail link is planned to link Luton Airport Parkway station to the airport. The £200 million link, scheduled to open in 2021,[5] is being funded by Luton Borough Council and will be designed by the engineering firm Arup. The link will be operated 24 hours a day by an automated guided people mover which would offer a 5-minute transfer time between Parkway station and the airport terminal.[6] The major challenge faced by railway engineers building a rail link here is that the railway station, although located adjacent to the airport perimeter, lies around 40 metres downhill from the airport.[7] The project will involve the construction of bridges over the neighbouring A1081 dual carriageway and tunnels, along with three new stations. The light rail platforms at the Parkway station will be built on a new level above the current main line rail platforms. A planning application was submitted in 2016,[8][9] and the link was approved by Luton Borough Council in June 2017.[10]

Negotiations are underway with the Department for Transport to extend the validity of the Oyster card contactless ticketing system to the airport by 2018.[11] Contactless bank cards (but not Oystercards) became valid for journeys to and from London from October 2019.[12]

Service Patterns

Rail services

The typical off peak service from this station as of 20 May 2018 is as follows:

Thameslink trains serve several stations in Central London, including London St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars and London Bridge.

Map of London airport Tube and rail connections
Railways around Luton
Midland Main Line
 Leagrave
Branch to Dunstable
 Luton
 Luton Bute Street
 Luton Airport Parkway
 Luton Airport
Luton DART
(under construction)
 Luton Hoo
 Chiltern Green
Branch to Welwyn Garden City
Midland Main Line

Shuttle service to London Luton Airport

The station is connected to London Luton Airport by a shuttle bus which takes 10 minutes for the journey. Services run every 10 minutes during the day and connect with all trains calling at the station overnight. The service is provided by Thameslink, and through booking to the airport is available from all National Rail stations. Passengers without through tickets must pay an additional fare to use the buses.[2][13]

Bus services on the Luton to Dunstable Busway Route A also connect Parkway to Luton Airport.[14]

Station facilities
  • Four platforms
  • Four waiting rooms
  • Newsagent/Cafe
  • Telephones
  • ATM
  • Ticket barriers
  • FastTicket machine
  • Toilets
  • Multistorey car park
  • Free 20 minute wait car park
  • The station participates in the Plusbus scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together for a cheaper price. It is in the same town as Luton and Leagrave stations.

Services
Preceding station National Rail Following station
East Midlands Railway
London St Pancras
Thameslink
Thameslink
  Future Services  
Preceding station   Luton Airport Rail Link   Following station
Terminus   DART   Luton Airport Terminal

References
  1. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  2. Luton on Sunday (20 January 2008). "Airport shuttle bus will charge in future". Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  3. "GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway)".
  4. "Thameslink Programme". Network Rail. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  5. "London Luton Airport Limited - Mass Passenger Transit System". www.llal.org.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  6. "Luton Airport peoplemover plan announced". Railway Gazette. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  7. Topham, Gwyn (15 April 2016). "Luton airport calls time on bus transfers with £200m fast-track to trains". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  8. "Luton Airport could get a new £200m 'Tube-style' link". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  9. "Mass Passenger Transit System". www.llal.org.uk. London Luton Airport Limited. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  10. "New railway connection to London Luton Airport approved". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  11. Topham, Gywm (15 April 2016). "Luton airport to replace bus transfers with £200m light rail link". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  12. Tap, Tap, Fly, from Luton Airport
  13. "How often does the shuttle bus run between London Luton Airport and Luton Airport Parkway Rail Station?". London Luton Airport. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  14. "Routes & Timetables". Busway. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
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