Luton Airport Parkway railway station
Luton Airport Parkway  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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* | |
| 2010/11 |
 2.312 million |
| 2011/12 |
 2.430 million |
| 2012/13 |
2.508 million |
| 2013/14 |
2.567 million |
| 2014/15 |
2.754 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 and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
| UK Railways portal | |
Railways around Luton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Legend
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
London Oyster Cards and contactless cards will be accepted on Thameslink services in early 2016 to Luton Airport.[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.[1] 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.
Services
Rail services
The typical off-peak service from this station is as follows:
- 4 trains per hour (tph) to Brighton via London and Gatwick Airport (Thameslink)
- 2 tph to Sutton via London and Wimbledon (Thameslink)
- 1 tph to London St Pancras International only (East Midlands Trains)
- 2 tph to Luton only (Thameslink)
- 4 tph to Bedford (all stations) (Thameslink)
- 1 tph to Nottingham via Leicester (fast to Bedford) (East Midlands Trains)
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][5]
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.
Service patterns
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Trains | ||||
| Thameslink | ||||
References
- 1 2 3 Luton on Sunday (20 January 2008). "Airport shuttle bus will charge in future". Retrieved 20 January 2008.
- ↑ http://www.internationalairportreview.com/20508/airport-news/london-luton-airport-awards-first-contract-of-100m-redevelopment/
- ↑ GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway)
- ↑ "Thameslink Programme". Network Rail. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ↑ "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. |
- Train times and station information for Luton Airport Parkway railway station from National Rail
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 51°52′23″N 0°23′46″W / 51.873°N 0.396°W