 Hello, thank you for joining me. I'm sat in first class on a 10-link train. I don't have a first-class ticket But I'm not Fair dodging by paying for standard class and then go and sat in first The first class of this train is declassified. It always is at the back But on a train like this which is going from Rainham to Luton It says there's no first-class accommodation so you can always sit in the first class It's quite nice because usually you're about the only person who sits here. There's a few other people Down there. So today we're going to Luton Airport. Now. I'm not going abroad We're going there to ride the new Darts The new Metro like train or two of them two trains that go backwards and forwards take you from Luton Airport Parkway Station There's the handsome aggregate terminal Yes, I get good trains coming in and out of there, but that's not subject to taste video There goes another 10-link train on both sides So we're going to Luton Airport. We're going there to ride the new Darts system It began operations on the 10th of April, but with a soft opening So it was only running a few hours a day now. It's running 24 hours a day So we're going to go there. I've bought a ticket So there's now two options Luton Airport Parkway as a ticket as that's the destination itself or Luton Airport I've bought a ticket to Luton Airport And then that entitles me to travel on the train or the Darts up to the airport So effectively now Luton Airport Parkway is the destination itself Previously that would have been you'd have got off there and you'd have got on the bus something I've done many times before But we're now going to ride the Darts So you do have to pay if you want to turn up at Luton Airport Parkway Station and ride the Darts You still have to pay to go on it. We'll discuss more of that when we get there We're just passing Mapsbury now. I'm not most excited in the area But as you can see over there, there's the Tower of the Old Decisive And now that once had its own railway. Again, that is a video for another day They've built houses all over it, but one day we'll do a video on that And it was awesome. A line that went off on that side and joined the Abbey Line from Watford Junction That line was built purely to bring construction materials to this line because the Midland Main Line Came after the West Coast Main Line and the Great Northern Main Line So hence why places like Luton, Luton's first railway station was actually on the line from Wellington Garden City Across from Wheathamsted to Luton that way and there was also an enter Dunstable And there was also a line from Dunstable to Laiton Buzzard And then they built this line which effectively made those lines redundant Same can also be said from St Albans Abbey Line across to Hatfield Again, they're all videos for another day. We're just coming into St Albans now So I'm going to enjoy the rest of the journey and when we get to Luton Airport Parkway We're going to sample the new Darts system Not too far from Luton now Just down there into that field, that is the old railway line Which ran, as I mentioned earlier, from Wellington Garden City across to Dunstable I did do a video down there once. There was also Luton Who station So if you have a look at the link on screen, their videos of other railways have done Then we're about to go over that line. If you look just there, that's the embankment of that former railway And here, that bridge there, that will have taken that railway underneath us And then it have ran parallel along there So for quite a long time, the two lines ran parallel to each other But the thing is, none of them served the airport And over the years, there's been a lot of talk about how to serve Luton Airport The problem is, it's up, as you can see, it's a bit of a hill, we're in a bit of a valley The Lee Valley, the River Lee flows along there Starts near Lee Grave, hence the main Lee Grave to station after Luton It flows right through wheat hampsteads across and down through places like Ware And eventually down into the River Thames So we're in the Lee Valley The airport is up the hill above the valley on a flat plateau That was where they chose to build the airport, Luton Airport There's a funny thing about it's effectively London's fourth airport But it was renamed, I believe it was renamed London Luton Airport just before it stands it So it's like London's third airport, but it came fourth Like I say, it's just up there, every now and then I'll see a plane taking off So we're getting closer to the airport, also up on the hill over there Another place I'd love to explore, I don't know if I'll see it But there's the Luton Hoo Estate, and as I said, that had its own railway station You should be able to go and visit it, it's a stately home Don't think you can just go and walk in now If you go and have like a spa day and have posh expensive cream tea, you can Although like I said, this is quite expensive doing this journey The line up to the airport is expensive, it costs £4.90 for a single So pretty much all the time you've costed in doing this trip You might have gone and had afternoon tea up there, so yeah, can't quite I could just make out the house in the distance, but the camera wasn't picking it out So the train is now slowing down, it may be that we've caught up with another train I'm just trying to look ahead, trying to judge exactly how far away from the airport we're actually are Passing mile post to 28.5 back there So what I'm going to do, as soon as we're not quite there I'll sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride, and very soon we shall arrive at Luton Airport So just pass through the cutting before the airport, we should any second now Get our first glimpse, there it is So that vibe up there, that is what we're going to travel on So that carries the Luton Airport down, and I've got a whole new station for it So I'm excited to explore all of that So the outtimes I've been to Luton Airport over the last few years, and I've seen this taking shape I did want to see the train, the train's been going for quite a while But it's only just open to public services there, looks as Luton and Dart Parkway So we're going to get off the train here And we'll have a look, see what there is So as I said about getting to Luton Airport We're going now back into the standard class section of the train It's always been a little bit difficult by rail For a long time, you used to have to get a bus until 1999 From the main Luton station In 1999 they opened this station You can see you exit into the station down there You've got a footbridge and everything here So that way it's looking towards London These are the fast lines They're not fenced off yet because Well they won't be fenced off like you quite often get with fast line platforms Because you do get quite a lot of long distance trains stopping here Now, as I said, that was the previous way in and out of the station But we want to explore the new way in and out of the station Now I know it's a bit complicated I'm interested to see how it's going to work with the ticket barriers Because I have a feeling we might have to pass through two separate gate lines So as we come down here, there's all these new signs It says way out, it says Kimpton Road and the airport And obviously platforms 1 and 4 So our Thameslink unit is now finally departing And we're walking under the new bridge here This reminds me a bit of Reading Station this bit Just this bit here, it does Except you don't see Thameslink units at Reading No, just... Oh that was in Adalante Used to see those go through Reading Now there's a few 180s on this line I think they're going to be withdrawn This line's not as fun as it used to be It's no HSTs anymore But this makes travelling on the... But this is exciting, something new That's come to the railway There's all these new flats and everything over there There's a retail park Now along in front of that retail park That is where the railway line... The old railway I mentioned used to travel And there was Luton Butte Street station alongside this one As I said that would have been there first But I'll go and do... I've done a few videos already on that We'll do that properly one day Let's see, get my first view of this So I am seeing all this for the first time Apart from speeding through on the train before It's pretty vast So let's go up Yes, later And we'll have a look around I'm interested to see also up there How the old bridge appears to go into the new station building Let's go up another look See what we see Feels weird If I come to Luton Airport There's two obvious things you come to an airport One is obviously to fly The other one is to meet somebody I'm not doing either of those today I'm just coming here purely to ride the dart system There is a similar ones At Gatwick airports and Birmingham airports Those ones you don't have to pay for But this one you do So sometimes If I ever change trains at Birmingham International I'll ride the Birmingham one just for fun Just because I can But this one It's going to be an expensive one If you just want to have a joy ride My plan is to ride both carriages So I'll go one way Come back on the other So there's no entrance out the station this way So I'll walk down here Get a view Another tending train coming in Get a view over Luton Where that McDonald's is there That's about where the old railway is Often joked that where the drive-thru on the McDonald's Is exactly on the trackbed of the old railway Luton Town Centre is that way Getting more escalators from the fast-flying platform So it's a big space up here Typical foot modern railway station Now let's go and have a look at the dart I'm really excited to see this It's always exciting You know, a new form of light rail opens Like whether it be a tramway Or an extension to a metro line Or indicated Elizabeth line A whole new line, it's always exciting So what happens? Okay, that's interesting Oh, so look, the old station footbridge When you get to the name Come up this corridor here And then when you get to here So there's a gate line here I'm going to have to get my ticket out Got a gate line here And then there's space over there And then there's another gate line So if you did want to come here Just to ride the dart We'll go and have a look Once I'm out, we'll find that there is probably a way out So you go through that gate line And ride on up to here So I'm going to find my ticket And we'll go out there And have a look, see what it is to see So I've come out of the first gate line And that one there That's where I was a moment ago I've spotted something I don't like I don't like that science It's exit to train station It's a railway station Term train station is incorrect English There's various arguments as to why I just personally think railway station sounds a lot better My favourite one is There's always a railway there There isn't always a train And you also get people saying Well, you call a bus station a bus station Not a road station So why a train station? Well, buses are not the only form of transport They use roads And if you want another reason So why it's not a train station Are we going to go on the dart up to Luton Plain Station or Plainport? No, of course we're not We're going to the airport So it's a railway station Not a train station Anyway, enough of that This looks like they're developing a whole quarter Out there That's where all the old voxel works Well, I think they do some work for voxel here But not as much As I used to That looks like a hotel Obviously always get your usual hotels around the car But this space is quite empty And then you've got three random flowerpots Just there Not sure It seems funny Why is there three flowerpots? Just there And it's, yeah I suppose it brightens the place up a bit But three of them Just there Why not like spread out a bit? Anyway What we'll do Of course we're going to ride the dart Because that's the whole point of coming here We seem to come into this new sort of golden colour scheme Look, everything here is gold Funny enough, it is Easter, though It's actually filming on Easter Saturday I feel like it's like a lint bunny And I can open it There'll be chocolate behind it But maybe I'm just thinking Sort of along the Easter Easter sort of forts Now, here is the dart in front of us So there's two tracks So the two trains go backwards and forwards So both trains go in both directions So we're going to do that in a minute There we are We're all at two airport Really, should we do the airport? But anyway, I'm going to stop complaining about grammar Welcome to Luton Dart That looks exciting What we're going to do, though Because we're going to fully explore this place We're going to go down this escalator And we'll just see what's outside this front of the new station Because this is, like I say This is also a new entrance to Luton Airport Parkway Station Oh no, that's interesting That they have another gate line down here I might come back that way So you could from the dart You come straight down here and go through that gate line And again, it says exit to train station It's a railway station I said I'd stop complaining That's better, look there It just says Luton Airport Parkway Station Just saying station is fine Right, OK, I promise I'll stop complaining About the term train station I just don't like it, it annoys me And I'm sure a lot of my viewers will agree with me As we now come out of the railway station It's pretty big and vast Up there it says Luton Dart Parkway It's not the Dublin area rapid transit If anyone's thinking of Dart, that's a separate There is the Dart, the Dublin area rapid transit This is just the Luton Dart, it's pretty big And the railway goes up there on the viaduct And it goes over what's known as the Gateway Bridge There's been lots of different talks of how to bring The railway up to Luton Airport They had talked about a standard gauge spur Or a heavy rail spur, but that was decided too costly Too complicated There is a bridge up near the airport If you ever go up to the airport You'll find you go through under a bridge under the taxiway That originally was designed potentially to have trams A project that was mooted in the past Which would have been great if it never happened Was a tramway from Luton Airport Running along beside the middle and main line here And then up to Dunstable along the Old Railway Which is now a guided busway Let's go in and lift Chewie for a bit of fun I think that would have been a great thing I'm not so keen on guided busways To give you an idea, I haven't actually even bothered To ever have a ride on one But you know, maybe one day Because it is an old railway We'd do that So a light rail system to me would be the best idea A tramway running from the airport Across to Dunstable Serving Luton on the way But I think now we've got this This is what we've got We will stick with this There's talk of extending it There was also talk of an intermediate station But that never happened So there's only two stations There was talk of I used to get the bus from the mid-term car park Because it's free to drop off there Now I just walk I mean, it says on the website They, or I did say at one point That we've drawn the buses due to COVID Which was a lot of rubbish Because the buses had already been withdrawn What's wrong with that old building out there? I hope they don't knock it down Anyway, there's no trains in the station at the moment But we're going to go through the gate line And we're going to go and ride the car I'm really looking forward to this It's really exciting to sample these new trains So here we are at the gate line And my ticket hasn't opened What a surprise Hello, my ticket didn't open Yes, there's a thank you very much That gentleman kindly let me through Every time I try and make a video As if on queue The ticket doesn't open the barriers But the staff are usually kind enough to let you through Anyway, here we are So They've got what they call the PEDS Platform Edge Doors Which is what PEDS stands for There's no train in at the moment I don't know if it will point out which side it's going to be Of course, the easiest way to find out Is to go and stand at the end of the platform And that's what I'm going to do I'm going to stand by this glass And see the train arrive And whichever one I go on I'm going to go back on the other one One thing I do wonder Is once you're in here Could you kind of go backwards and forwards all day? If we're not supposed to But could anything stop you? Anyway, here we are We get a good view now Of the track You can see the bridge down there Is in the main line So, I'm going to wait for the dart to arrive So, here we are We're on the shuttle We're about to travel up You can see it's already quite busy Quite a few people have boarded the shuttle On my other hand Try and walk through it When it gets empty But right now we're going to get Effectively get a driver's eye view Of the line up to the airport These holes are hand-drawn The shuttle is in the pocket So, here we are It's not helpful It's not right Yeah Yeah Should I be on the side? Why am I on the side? Can I see? Yeah For your security CZT Look at those power washers Have some time Okay, we can fix it So, we're going to get a driver's eye view And then we're going to get a driver's eye view Put a key on it Look at what I said Sign the shift And then we're going to get a driver's eye view We are approaching the airport Please hold the hand-drawn We have reached the airport Doors will open on the left-hand side Please stand clear of the doors So, here we are at the upper end The track does continue a little way Into a depot Let's go walk through the shuttle So, I can't say the seats are the most comfortable But then, you're not going to be Sat on it for a long time It's, you know It took, I think 10 seconds Less than 5 minutes to ride So, that's the shuttle Now, I'm going to go back to the airport We'll step out onto the platform So, this is taking off a new railway station here Not only did I get a winning shuttle First observation Perhaps we're done with two escalators They're probably our lifts as well Somewhere we might go and have a look at them So, you can see we're in a sort of subterranean area It feels very cold It's that sort of springtime Where you can go out in the day I don't really need a jacket, but it'll be cold in the evening So, as we saw on the train We kind of gradually went underground So, there's the shuttle Just there You can see that the platforms are quite a lot longer Than the shuttle The plan is, or there's a possibility That they could extend it That's interesting There's like a number there 2.9 So, I can say 2.3 I'm not quite sure how the numbering system works But there's only two units So, it's not like I Don't need to worry too much about Finding them and everything So, there it is I think the shuttle's going to go So, what we could do Let's walk along beside it And by then The queue on the escalator should have emptied So, down there's a depot We can't see anything Potentially in the future That may be extended If they ever build a terminal 2 A loot and airport The shuttle could be extended To serve both terminals I noticed on the way In the midterm car park There was Someone doing line-tiding And trying to do that That's interesting There's like a red light there That should turn green in a moment And the shuttle will pass us So, I think what's going to happen Is the shuttle Yeah, I know it's going to go forward There's the escalator Exits the airport To lift to the trains And then The shuttle turns off around there So, I'm going to stand here Watch the shuttle go And then we'll go and have a look Upstairs So, the shuttle has departed For the railway station Might be able to hear a sort of Noise I don't know if it's picking out That is the cable there That is moving fast That is the cable that holds the trains So, they're on a continuous cable So, if we go over to the other side If that cable's going that way We should see this cable going this way I did notice that red light on the end Changed to white before it went Yeah, so that cable Appears to be moving as well It says there's stairs up to the airport I reckon that's that secret way out What we'll do I'm tempted to try that out But let's go up the escalator Want to get up before the next Dart arrives Because obviously we saw how busy it gets Before we go I've just spotted something That I was going to look out for Look, here's the plaque Saying that it commemorates The visit by King Charles He's managed to, King Charles III Visited on the 6th of December 2022 So, it's quite a while ago That King Charles came to visit It's only now that it's finally Up and running So King Charles has been And enjoyed his trip on this railway Just to make you wonder though It was a bit late Due to Covid and various other delays Probably had it opened on time I suspect the Queen would have come here To open it But most of the duties All duties should have formed Obviously now they've been formed By Prince Charles Or King Charles as I should call it We are rising Funny, because the airport Is run by Luton Rising Run to net But we're rising to Back to terra firma From this subterranean landscape There's still some buses about There goes a bus there There's buses to and from the airport But it's not how it was So when we get to here So that There's like one of those glass walls See, people see over there There on the other side of the glass wall There's the lifts And then I said There's rising There's the gate line The airport itself is over there It's pretty much a go So then there's also a staircase So I didn't say you can't go in here So I'm not You know, I don't think it matters Probably most people Especially a luggage wouldn't choose To come this way But I feel like I've now Stuck into like a back door area Where I shouldn't be But as I said I don't think it matters There's a door there Through an air vent There's stairs To the airport It's funny because you're here It's obvious you're on the stairs To the airport Anyway We should soon be back down Doesn't make you wonder What's behind all these doors Like the other one It said air vent there It says no unauthorized access Then we come to down here We should be back At the end of the platform Yes, here we are Dart, shuttle and two trains You can't actually get on a train Down this end Because the trains aren't that long In fact there is a shuttle It's now arrived In the time We went off up the escalator And came down the stairs The other shuttle train arrived So like I said I think you probably could Once you're in the gate line Interesting there's no staff here I don't normally promote ticketless travel But you probably could Simply hang about here like I have Get on that one Ride it back down to the station Be a bit more harder at the other end Because there They have it that There's doors on each side I noticed So when the train arrives Everyone gets out on the other side Here Everyone gets in and out I'm going to go up And we'll go and I don't know Have a look at the airport Perhaps do some Line siding in the midterm car park Maybe So here we are We've arrived at Luton Airport The nice lady on the gate line Let me keep my ticket Especially for a journey like this I do want to keep it As a souvenir We can now have a look At the station from above So we were down there By the way Now if we have a look Those people there They're queuing up to buy train tickets If you look down there CD escalators And you can just see The platforms So underground Over there Is the depot For these trains Where they go to At night And as I said Potentially one day You can just see an aeroplane Over there Funny you can see An aeroplane An airport An aeroplane A little small jet Crossing in front of us That's where the depot is Just down there Underground beyond the station I'm going to go to The midterm car park now And do a little bit of Line siding So here's all the buses And the coaches at Luton Airport And just over there Is the dart terminal Now This is somewhere I used to come to Quite a lot This is bus bay closed That's because this is where The shuttle bus To the railway station used to go And there's now signs Telling people Not to wait here And to walk Right the way Around there To get on the dart So No longer Will we see The buses Which we use to Connect to the station Some of them used to have Like the sort of tram Like from Like If you ever been to Belfast They have what's called The glider buses So as I have this Unplanned disused bus stop Which I didn't even think about When I left home this morning We're visiting a disused bus stop I suspect other buses Will call there in the future And it all says Runs from there One thing I want to know Is anyone know What's happened to the buses Have they been Given a new job somewhere else Or have they just been strapped What's happened to the Old Luton Airport buses If you know Please do comment I'm going to continue now Over to the midterm car park So once again There's the dart terminal So the dart itself Must run under here Must run right underneath Where I'm stood Right now You've got various Most of the car parks And everything Like there goes a plane Taxiing across That's this bridge Or tunnel Whatever you want to call it That we're going down To have a look at now Because this is part Of the story Of the whole rails To Luton Airport Which as I said Has finally Happened now In the opening of the dart You can You know Even if it's not A typical railway It's not trains That can battle With any other line It's still A form of Guided transport This is the bridge Which I believe Was originally built For trams Now for a long time It wasn't A dual carriageway It was today It was simply Up and down traffic And the other side That was just empty Nothing ever ran there But the plan had been To provide a tram line From the airport Sort of one of those things There never really was The planning It was just sort of built I suppose it was a good point Of They were future proofing They kind of You know Plans Should a tram link Ever happen They could You know Have the trams running through here So it's a good job In a way With the amount of traffic That comes in now here There is room For four lanes But really It's a shame the trams Never happen Because if they had There probably wouldn't be Anything like as much of This traffic But anyway That's not what happened They didn't ever Bring the trams to the airport Maybe one day in the future I mean We're talking A long time in the future But this dart Is brand new I don't want to start You know Talking about The end of it But 30, 40 years time Will it be replaced Maybe then They'll decide to Replace it with You know Something new Even new trains Or potentially A light rail system Time will tell The Birmingham transit You've got from Birmingham International Station To the airport That's already His second generation The first one they have Was a Maglev system One of the Maglev cars Is now at The I think one's at National Rail Museum One's at Rail World Wildlife Haven In Peterborough Which I went to earlier this year If you want to see that Have a look at Link on screen now This was opened In 1996 There we are It's called the airport way I'm going to continue As I keep saying Over there So here we are The midterm car park The place where it's free To drop people off As long as you're In and out of there Within 15 minutes But the only thing that Is free at The airport these days So Here we come To a cutting So how good A view we're going to get But yeah That Is the dark It's not I will film The train passing It's not going to be that easy There goes A little jet Taking off So This is where Originally Of there being Another station Now as I said I used to Get dropped off here Quite a lot When I was Going off to Europe Especially prior To Covid And you get a bus To the airport Then As I said The buses got less and less And then one day I literally realised It was quicker To walk And I've always walked Since then And they went through The buses As I said before Covid I once read That Covid Was the excuse For drawing the buses So for The foreseeable future Wherever I come to Luton Airport Parkway I'm probably going to Have someone Drop me off here And I'm sure So will Many other people So this brand new Dark system As fun as it is to ride And as expensive as it is To ride It's not really going to Take this traffic away I mean This is probably one of The most expensive videos I've made We're, you know Traveling up from To Luton today And then the extra Because if you bought The tickets to Luton Airport Parkway It would not be valid If you're thinking of Coming here to ride the dark It's important you buy A ticket to the airport Pretty cost you more Because then you'd have to pay The £4.90 That's £4.90 one way So you're already Looking at nearly £10 And the Have started turning I can Hear the wheels turning Of the cables So it's already cost me At least £10 To go back Across and forth So it's expensive Anyway I am enjoying this video If it's not somewhere I would have chosen To have come to Otherwise Start train pass And then I'm going to head back To the airport And we'll do Another Driver's eye view Driver's eye view Because not actually Driver back down To the parkway station Eventually that was Not the best line So I should have taken But it's the best I can do With this big fence Which I suppose On this occasion I can understand Why they need A big fence Because you've got The runway Literally just over there Right, time to go back To the airport And we're going to head Back down the hill On the dump The dark station The dark train just went out On that side The next one to come in Will be on this side Which isn't the one I want to do Both of them I mentioned earlier In the video about the numbering I was a little bit confused Why I was there 2.9 I've realised That is train 2 And that is train 1 And it goes 2.1 2.2 Or 1.11 Etc But of course If they ever extend them It's going to be Middle segments The end Will always be The end So potentially These trains Are just the conclusion I've come to So they could be Pretty long one day now Looking at the amount Of people that use these It's nice and quiet now As we saw earlier When one of those trains Comes in They do Pile out a lot of people When I came in To the ticket bar There was loads of people Up there And some of them You know If you're a foreign tourist To the UK This is your first To the UK You may have not seen Our UK ticket bar It's now people Trying to go in The wrong way All sorts I'm going to basically Be The standing there Claiming my place I need to get the front To do As I said The In brackets Drivers I view Back down the hill To Luton Airport Station Stand clear of the doors Holds the handrail The shuttle Is departing It's an operation When we shut them I'm launching the station With connections to National Railways Please hold The handrail At each distinction Doors will open Right hand side Please stand clear of the doors So terminate here All at night please Remember to take all Person of belonging to you Out of the shuttle Well then We're back at Luton Airport partway Shuttle number one Yeah, that is number one It's going to go Back off up to the airport It's interesting here You've got all the As you would expect In the airport All the departure boards The flight to Riga Went to Riga recently Had a lot of fun Trambashing on Much, much older vehicles And they say You want to see that video Have a look at the link on the screen now Completely different Type of light rail To what we have here So here we are The newest Light rail system In the UK Please stand That shuttle is Ready to depart So people need to Stand clear of the doors So you might as well Watch that go It'd be a nice way to End the video So I have enjoyed My trip to Luton today To ride the shuttle As I said It's been a bit expensive But you know And it does make me wonder Am I going to Be a regular user of this Probably not Because it's free To drop off in the midterm Car park But you know It's all been fun So in a minute The shuttle would go The cable's going So thank you very much for watching Please do feel free to like, Subscribe and comment And from the Luton Apple Shuttle, good bye