Luton DART Opening Day, afternoon of Friday, 10.3.23

The brand new £300 million Luton DART Railway opened 25 minutes late at 14.25 on Friday, 10th March 2023. I was a passenger on the VERY first train and I suppose waiting 25 minutes extra for it to open is better than waiting 25 YEARS for HS 2 to open.
David Bosher

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<h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_Airport_Parkway'>Luton Airport Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/London_Extension_Midland_Railway'>London Extension (Midland Railway)</a></small></p><p>View south from the footbridge at Luton Airport Parkway station at 13.44 on Friday, 10th March 2023 with an empty train on the brand new DART still testing even though the line was due to open at 14.00. I was the first to arrive, at 13.30 off a train from St. Pancras International, but quite a crowd had turned up by the time it did open (25 minutes late) to be, like me, the first to ride this new line on the first train on the first day. 1/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>Train on the new £300 million Luton Airport DART (Direct Airport Rapid Transit) line approaching Luton DART Parkway to take up the very first journey on this line to Luton Airport itself, a journey of just three minutes, on the afternoon of Friday, 10th March 2023. The people inside are DART staff who, when the doors opened to allow everyone on board, seemed mighty pleased that so many people had come to ride the line on its very first day. Of course, the fact that it was free of charge on this day might have had something to do with the numbers! 2/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>View from the front of the first train on the new £300 million Luton Airport DART Railway, setting out on its maiden voyage from Luton DART Parkway for the airport, on 10th March 2023. In the morning, before the line opened, passengers were still using the bus to get from Luton Airport Parkway station to the airport. The route operates as two parallel single lines. 3/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Terminal'>Luton DART Terminal</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>View from new Luton Airport DART train, on its first run on Friday 10th March 2023, around the halfway point as the line climbs towards the airport, only to plunge into a tunnel for the last 100 yards to the terminal station. I overheard somebody ask the DART staff if this was a possible future intermediate station to be told that it is actually an emergency alighting point. 4/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Terminal'>Luton DART Terminal</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>The new DART Terminal station at Luton Airport, the upper yet sub-surface terminus on the first day of service, Friday, 10th March 2023. 5/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Terminal'>Luton DART Terminal</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>Interior of the unit that provided the first service on the new £300m pound Luton Airport DART Railway, seen here at the London Luton Airport terminus, waiting departure on the afternoon of opening day, Friday, 10th March 2023. There was no service in the morning and the line opened 25 minutes late at 14.25. 6/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>View from Luton Airport DART Railway train approaching Luton DART Parkway, on the line's first day of service, Friday, 10th March 2023. Just visible at lower left is Luton Airport Parkway station with a class 700 unit on a Thameslink service waiting to depart south towards St. Pancras International. 7/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>The very first train to run with passengers on the brand new Luton Airport DART line is seen here at Luton DART Parkway station, having returned from London Luton Airport station, on the afternoon of Friday, 10th March 2023. There was no service on the morning of this day (passengers to and from the airport still had to use the bus) as the line was not due to open until 14.00 but for reasons that were not made clear did not, in fact, open until 14.25. 8/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>The very first train to run with passengers to Luton Airport on the new DART Railway is now back at Luton DART Parkway station after its maiden voyage, on the afternoon of Friday, 10th March 2023. 9/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>Having travelled on the first train of the new Luton Airport DART Railway on its first day of service, Friday, 10th March 2023, after arriving back I decided on one more trip to the airport before going home. This is the view from the rear of the unit, on the substantial bridge over a motorway link road, with the haulage cable clearly visible. 10/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>Luton DART Parkway on its first day of operation with, at the lower level, a Class 700 Thameslink unit just departed from Luton Airport Parkway with a service to St. Pancras International and beyond on Friday, 10th March 2023. 11/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p> <h4><a href='/locations/L/Luton_DART_Parkway'>Luton DART Parkway</a></h4><p><small><a href='/companies/L/Luton_DART'>Luton DART</a></small></p><p>Luton DART Parkway concourse, towards platforms, on the afternoon of the first day of operation, Friday, 10th March 2023. 12/12</p><p>10/03/2023<br><small><a href='/contributors/David_Bosher'>David Bosher</a></small></p>
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