DART rail link opens to passengers at London Luton airport

This week saw the official opening to passengers of the Luton DART rapid transit system, a major part of Luton Rising and Luton Council’s investment into making London Luton Airport one of the most sustainable airports in the UK.

Working in close partnership with Arup, we designed the Gateway Bridge and approach viaduct to form an important moment in the passenger journey. The distinctive and flamboyant asymmetric truss guides the eye skywards, conveying a sense of both arrival and departure.

The truss structure spans 72m across the busy Airport Way, with the top chord tracing a parabola that springs from deck level before tapering to a slender profile which suits the moving viewpoint of both the road and DART users.

The Luton DART is an innovative passenger transit system, connecting Luton Airport Parkway station to London Luton Airport in under 4 minutes. The new link replaces the original bus shuttle, delivering a significantly better passenger experience to and from the airport.

Related project: Luton DART Gateway Bridge