Luton Airport train services to London

Featuring Thameslink trains to / from St Pancras, City of London and Gatwick

Shuttle: Luton Airport bus outside Luton Parkway Station

Luton Airport at the moment has no train station in the airport complex. The nearest train station is about a mile from the Luton Airport passenger terminal, called Luton Parkway Station.

 

Shuttle buses like that pictured right run roughly every 10 minutes between the station and the passenger terminal from 5am to midnight.

 

Thameslink trains operate a fast, frequent service direct between central London and Luton Airport Parkway train station, a journey of around 25 minutes from St Pancras International Station. The trains go beyond St Pancras to several other stations in the centre of London.

The Luton Airport train service, even with the bus shuttle, is still the fastest option to travel between Luton Airport and Central London, the alternative Luton - London bus is cheaper though. The bus also operates a full 24/7 timetable.

Luton Airport Express in 2023

A new rail service is now available featuring fast trains between St Pancras and Luton Airport Parkway every 30 minutes. This is called the Luton Airport Express and consists of a new all-electric fleet of trains.

 

The planned Luton Direct Air-rail Transit service (DART) which will link Luton Airport Parkway directly with the airport terminal should arrive in 2023. This will speed up transfers between the airport and London. It is clear there is major investment in progress at Luton Airport which reflects its continuing growth.

 

Currently at Luton Parkway Station there are two train operators (the UK has competition on its railways) into London. Thameslink Trains is the main train operator with up to 6 trains an hour that run through the city centre of London. These stop at several stations after the first London station, St Pancras, terminal of the Paris Eurostar trains.

 

Less frequent trains terminate at St Pancras station and do not go onto stations beyond St Pancras.

 

The first major stop of the trains is St Pancras that shares its Underground station with adjacent King's Cross Station. This is a major transport hub and an obvious place to interchange for most travellers. King's Cross St Pancras is also a major district for cheap hotels in London.

You may find it advantageous to interchange at Farringdon.

 

Here Thameslink Trains and underground trains share the same platforms, making an easy interchange. London Bridge is also another major interchange with the Jubilee Line to the West End. Many trains continue onto Gatwick Airport and then to Brighton, other trains serve Sutton via Wimbledon and Carshalton.

 

Luton Airport Shuttle Bus

The shuttle connecting Luton Parkway station and Luton Airport runs every ten minutes between 05:00 and midnight and also connects with all trains calling at Luton Airport Parkway overnight.

 

If you have a train ticket to Luton Airport the shuttle is included in the price. If you only have a ticket to Luton Parkway you will have to pay a small supplement.

 

As you exit the main entrance of the Luton Airport passenger terminal, the bus station is right in front of you. The rail shuttle bus leaves from the first bus stop on the left hand side.

 

Luton Parkway is just at the bottom of the hill up to Luton Airport so the journey only takes 5 minutes.

 

St Pancras Station London - key Luton Airport train station in London

Although the Luton Airport train stops at other stations in London, the station that most visitors will use to interchange is St Pancras Station.

 

St Pancras Station is a major London transport hub that has no less than six Underground lines to interconnect with. The Kings Cross St Pancras area is also a major hotel district, with a lot of cheap budget accommodation.

St Pancras Station and the district around it

 

Purchasing train tickets & timetables

The complexity of UK rail fares are legendary. For short journeys like Luton to London things tend to be much simpler. There is no need to purchase tickets in advance, there are no seat reservations, though at the moment Visit Britain are offering very good return ticket deal in advance online (see section below).

The three types of tickets are outlined below. At weekends there is a good chance that an off-peak or super off-peak fare will be available, during the week in all probability only the anytime fares.

 

It is rare that an advance purchase ticket is made available on this run, though see the Visit Britain section below

• Advance Purchase: Buy in advance, sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. These tickets will have restrictions specified when purchasing.

   

• Off Peak: Buy any time, travel off-peak. The definition of off peak can vary from ticket to ticket. These tickets may require you to travel at specific times of day, days of the week or on a specific route. Where there is more than one Off-Peak fare for a journey, the cheaper fare with more restrictions will be called Super Off-Peak.

   

• Anytime: Buy any time, travel any time. (the standard ticket). Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no time restrictions on when you can travel. You can make the return journey within one month of the outward journey.

   

• GroupSave: If you’re travelling as a small group by rail, GroupSave could well be the perfect train ticket for you. When two adults buy Off-Peak Day Return, one or two more people travel for free.

At train stations there are manned ticket offices and also ticket machines and at Luton Airport there is a ticket kiosk in the passenger terminal. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash.

 

For fares and timetables use the 'Trainline' website where you can also order tickets for delivery to your home address. Type in your dates and number of travellers and the system will present the various fares available to you.

 

Railways 2 for 1 sightseeing promotion

If you buy return train tickets into London from the railways then you qualify for the railways long running 2 for 1 sightseeing promotion.

 

Essentially you just print 2 for 1 vouchers out from the promotion website and present them with your train tickets at the ticket desk of the attraction being visited in London. One adult pays full admission another irrespective of age gets in free.

 

There is a long list of London attractions participating in the scheme, some of the most popular include the Tower of London, London Dungeon and Madame Tussauds.

 

More about Railways 2 for 1 promotion

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London - Luton Airport Comparison of Fares 2023
Service	Standard Adult Fare
	One-Way	Return
Bus Service
National Express Bus	From £7 - £11	From £15
Green Line / Terravision Bus	£11.50	£18
Train Service
Thameslink (Anytime Fare)	£16.50*	£19.50
* Anytime Single ~ Off-peak return

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