Press release -
Thameslink makes it even easier to reach London Luton Airport by train
Govia Thameslink Railway is to boost the number of shuttle buses running between Luton Airport Parkway railway station and London Luton Airport by over 200 services a week making it even easier for passengers to travel by train.
The company already runs up to seven of its Thameslink trains an hour from St Pancras International to Luton Airport Parkway.
Now, from Sunday 5 November, the current 6 minute peak-time frequency of the shuttle buses used for onward connections will be extended throughout each day until 9pm, increasing the off-peak timetable by four buses an hour (from 10 minute frequencies to 6 minute frequencies).
The 230 extra services each week will be achieved by increasing the fleet from five to seven, with two additional Mercedes Citaro buses. Govia Thameslink is already recruiting and training the new staff.
Thameslink and Great Northern Passenger Services Director Stuart Cheshire said: “By increasing the number of shuttle buses between the airport and our station, we’re making it easier than ever to reach London Luton Airport, supporting the local economy and providing fast, sustainable connections with population centres as far afield as Brighton, Bedford and, of course, London.
"It's all part of our plans to modernise the railway, with a new fleet of cutting-edge Thameslink trains that are already in service and, from next year, more frequent services to and from the capital."
Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer at London Luton Airport commented: “Excellent rail links to and from the airport are absolutely essential to the airport’s on-going transformation and future success. The expanded shuttle service with more capacity for passengers is a welcome addition in satisfying the ever-increasing demand for quick and easy connections between the terminal and major towns and cities up and down the rail line.”
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Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – services between Bedford and Brighton, Luton/St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
GTR is the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff. The operator carries about 326 million passenger journeys per year, and employs around 6,500 people. Its aim is to improve services across all four networks.
Southern has the fastest passenger growth in the UK with numbers into London having doubled in 12 years - compared with the industry as a whole doubling over the past 20 years. To meet this growth and to future-proof the network, GTR is modernising the rail service for passengers.
GTR has introduced more new trains in the past year than all other franchises put together, with 500 new carriages so far.
The transformative £7bn Thameslink Programme will bring hundreds more daily services from 2018, increasing the number of trains though the central London core from up to 15 to 24 trains per hour. Network Rail has also launched a £300m programme to improve resilience across the GTR network.
GTR is modernising how it works, with new technology in use at our stations and on our trains, smartcard ticketing and a new, flexible on-board role on many Southern services. This ensures fewer cancellations, and with more staff on board our trains now than ever before, passengers are enjoying a much better level of on-board customer service.
The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.
www.southernrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com,www.greatnorthernrail.com
