Passenger trials recently began with the Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART) cable liner, which connects London Luton Airport with one of the city’s train stations.

DOPPELMAYR’s driverless airport shuttle is designed to smoothly transport passengers arriving at Luton by train from London and other parts of the country to the airport terminal.

Important process before the opening

Volunteers recently answered a call to participate in the initial testing of the shuttle system, which faced teething problems.

These included problems with ticket sales, a missing hydrant for Luton Airport Parkway station and an initial failure by telecommunications companies to install the six telephone lines ordered for elevators and information desks.

An official opening date for the system has not yet been announced by Luton Rising, the trading name of the district council’s airport company London Luton Airport Limited.

Luton Rising said the trials are an important part of the countdown process ahead of the opening. The company continues to work toward an Easter opening, he said. The 1.4-mile journey from the station to the terminal takes about three minutes.

Feedback to help development

Luton Rising will ask for feedback from volunteers before considering the next steps in the development. A second trial is due to take place later this month. One of the first to test the Luton Dart was Britain’s King Charles III.