Luton Airport Parkway railway station

Luton Airport Parkway National Rail
Location
Place Luton
Local authority Borough of Luton
Grid reference TL105205
Operations
Station code LTN
Managed by Thameslink
Number of platforms 4
DfT category D
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2008/09 Decrease 2.589 million
2009/10 Decrease 2.339 million
2010/11 Decrease 2.312 million
2011/12 Increase 2.430 million
2012/13 Increase 2.508 million
2013/14 Increase 2.567 million
History
Key dates Opened November 1999
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Luton Airport Parkway from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Railways around Luton

Legend
Midland Main Line
Luton North Parkway (proposed)
Leagrave
Branch to Dunstable
Luton
Luton Bute Street
Luton Airport Parkway
Luton Hoo
Chiltern Green
To Welwyn
Midland Main Line
Intermediate-level concourse adjacent to Platform 4

Luton Airport Parkway railway station is the railway station for London Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, England. The station is situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the airport, to which it is linked by a frequent shuttle bus service.[1]

The station is located on the Midland Main Line and is served by Thameslink and East Midlands Trains. From the station, services are available north to Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. Passengers can also travel south to London, Wimbledon, Sutton, London Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

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.[1] Now that Govia are once again operating Thameslink, the service is planned to revert to being free.[2]

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.[3] In April 2013, a new northern entrance was opened on Kimpton Road, Luton.

Services

Rail services

The typical off-peak service from this station is as follows:

There are also peak-time services by the jointly run Thameslink and Southeastern trains running from Bedford to Sevenoaks.

Other East Midlands Trains services, from Leeds, Sheffield and Derby, run through at high speed, but do sometimes stop. Interchange with these services can be made at Leicester and St Pancras.

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.[1][4]

Station facilities

Service patterns

Preceding station National Rail Following station
East Midlands Trains
St Pancras International
Thameslink

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Luton on Sunday (20 January 2008). "Airport shuttle bus will charge in future". Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  2. GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway)
  3. "Thameslink Programme". Network Rail. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  4. "How often does the shuttle bus run between London Luton Airport and Luton Airport Parkway Rail Station?". London Luton Airport. Retrieved 2013-08-09.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luton Airport Parkway railway station.

Coordinates: 51°52′23″N 0°23′46″W / 51.873°N 0.396°W