Rebrand EMR Connect to Luton Express with a separate livery?

[dorsetdesiro]

moderator note - split from:

EMR Class 360's

With the first 360 leaving Greater Anglia on path https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R52088/2020-06-07/detailed I thought it were best to create a thread on them to track the progress.

www.railforums.co.uk

Rebrand EMR Connect to Luton Express with a separate livery?

Would have thought Thameslink's frequent services already serves this in a way also handily connecting two airports with Gatwick

 

[swt_passenger]

Rebrand EMR Connect to Luton Express with a separate livery?

Would have thought Thameslink's frequent services already serves this in a way also handily connecting two airports with Gatwick

How many people really need to get between the two airports?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Rebrand EMR Connect to Luton Express with a separate livery?

Would have thought Thameslink's frequent services already serves this in a way also handily connecting two airports with Gatwick

I think not doing that is a missed opportunity. How many people using Luton Airport actually know about the EMR service rather than piling on the every few minutes Thameslink service advertised at the station? Advertising a Luton Express all over the terminal building, DART and station could work well.

 

[Bald Rick]

How many people really need to get between the two airports?

in my experience, it’s almost entirely easyJet cabin crew.

I think not doing that is a missed opportunity. How many people using Luton Airport actually know about the EMR service rather than piling on the every few minutes Thameslink service advertised at the station? Advertising a Luton Express all over the terminal building, DART and station could work well.

when the DART is open, expect much fanfare about the connect service. Also expect Thameslink to remain the more popular service, not least because of a much wider range of connections and the link to Crossrail.

 

[paul1609]

in my experience, it’s almost entirely easyJet cabin crew.

In my experience whilst there is some overlap in Central London there's actually very few genuine cross London passengers on Thameslink and there's actually massive over capacity on Thameslink South of the airport

 

[mmh]

I think not doing that is a missed opportunity. How many people using Luton Airport actually know about the EMR service rather than piling on the every few minutes Thameslink service advertised at the station? Advertising a Luton Express all over the terminal building, DART and station could work well.

With Luton's reputation? Perhaps not, eh.

 

[cle]

With Luton's reputation? Perhaps not, eh.

Luton is pretty decent these days. Not all of the extremities/gates, not least the domestic EZ ones - but the overall passenger experience is 100X what it was. It feels more like a real airport and less like a tin shed. Have to say, the multi-story gives it more of an 'urban', busier feel. DART will add to this immensely.

 

[mmh]

Luton is pretty decent these days. Not all of the extremities/gates, not least the domestic EZ ones - but the overall passenger experience is 100X what it was. It feels more like a real airport and less like a tin shed. Have to say, the multi-story gives it more of an 'urban', busier feel. DART will add to this immensely.

Ah, apologies - I was thinking more of the town's reputation than the airport!

 

[cle]

Ah, apologies - I was thinking more of the town's reputation than the airport!

Yep, that's fair

But Luton Airport Parkway is now as busy as Luton (Town) - yes it began as an airport but also as a railhead and focus point for other development. That side of town is not quite as bad!

 

[Bald Rick]

In my experience whilst there is some overlap in Central London there's actually very few genuine cross London passengers on Thameslink and there's actually massive over capacity on Thameslink South of the airport

presumably you mean South of Gatwick?

 

[mmh]

presumably you mean South of Gatwick?

Given where Luton is, I think you know the answer to that.

 

[paul1609]

presumably you mean South of Gatwick?

I'd forgotten there was another airfield you could reach by bus from a station on the Bedford Branch.

 

[adamedwards]

My experince on Friday evenings is lots of travellers on Thameslink unfamiliar with the route on the all stations to Luton trains because they see Luton as the destination they need and don't realise the fast trains to Bedford will be much quicker. (I get on a Hendon.) You hear the anxious calls to friends when they realise the journey is taking much longer than expected. Needs something big and visible at central London stations to encourage the use of the faster trains.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Happens at Euston as well, for people going to Watford getting on a LO service taking over an hour. False destinations can solve this, but also confuse people in their own right, and given the tendency for out of course running on Thameslink (resulting in the Luton stopper genuinely being the quickest option) are unlikely to be the right answer.

 

[507020]

I'd forgotten there was another airfield you could reach by bus from a station on the Bedford Branch.

This “branch” being the Midland Main Line

 

[Bletchleyite]

This “branch” being the Midland Main Line

And said "airfield" now being quite large, and shortly to be reached via a Birmingham style shuttle, not a scabby bus*. Ringway anyone? Bickenhill Aerodrome?

Oh, and also the subject of the thread

Luton's fortunes are changing.

* This is not a prejudicial statement on bus travel - anyone who has used the awful attempt at an operation there will know this is an entirely fair description of it. In the past I've gone out the back way and used Arriva to avoid it.

 

[JaJaWa]

I actually thought this was originally planned

Luton Airport Express Coming Soon, Delivered by Abellio’s EMR​

September 2019

In August 2019, we were invited to attend the launch of the new East Midlands Railway (EMR) franchise at St. Pancras International. There, we were delighted to witness EMR sign a partnership agreement with London Luton Airport (LLA) to whom we have been Rail Advisor since 2011.
Together, this partnership will deliver a ‘Luton Airport Express’ service from December 2020, another step to matching those services already in operation to Stansted and Gatwick airports, and supporting LLA’s already impressive passenger growth.

Richard Brown, North Star Managing Director and Lead Rail Advisor for LLA, says: “It is great to see our work in developing solutions to rail connectivity to LLA over the past eight years reach another milestone. This is a fantastic opportunity for LLA and EMR, and most importantly, is attractive to the current and future customers of the railway and airport.”
Click here to read more about LLA’s journey.

Source: https://www.northstarconsultancy.co...xpress-coming-soon-delivered-by-abellio-s-emr

 

[Bald Rick]

I'd forgotten there was another airfield you could reach by bus from a station on the Bedford Branch.

Heathrow, presumably? Roughly hourly.

 

[Towers]

"Luton Express". What a grim spectacle!

 

[dk1]

"Luton Express". What a grim spectacle!

Doesn’t fill much inspiration I agree.

 

[swt_passenger]

I actually thought this was originally planned



Source: https://www.northstarconsultancy.co...xpress-coming-soon-delivered-by-abellio-s-emr

I mentioned this in the 360 thread before these posts were spun out of it, I think there was a mistaken belief by the airport PRs that they were going to get a branded service like Gatwick or Heathrow express, but this was never EMR’s intention.

 

[Horizon22]

Happens at Euston as well, for people going to Watford getting on a LO service taking over an hour. False destinations can solve this, but also confuse people in their own right, and given the tendency for out of course running on Thameslink (resulting in the Luton stopper genuinely being the quickest option) are unlikely to be the right answer.

I've also stopped people boarding the "Gatwick" Thameslink service via Merstham before not realising a Brighton service will get them their 20 minutes earlier.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

"Luton Express". What a grim spectacle!

Knowing Luton it’s more likely to be sponsored and renamed as the easyJet express or Ryanair Rocket. easyJet already have a dual ticket arrangement with Thameslink I believe.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

How many people really need to get between the two airports?

Forgot about this thread.

Probably not many, I'm sure quite a bit do use both airports as I have had "one way holidays" by getting TL from Gatwick to fly out from Luton then to later fly back into Gatwick. I went to Kaunas then returned from Riga.

"Luton Express". What a grim spectacle!

Fair enough, then maybe rebrand as "EMR Airport Express" keeping the 360s in the same EMR livery (as Stansted Express looks identical to Greater Anglia) so no need for a garish special livery and the "Luton" name to be visible.

 

[Bletchleyite]

"Luton Express". What a grim spectacle!

The whole route is, to be honest. Luton, Bedford and Corby... not much to say about any of them, really! (Wellingborough and Kettering are reasonably OK though).

 

[cle]

Nobody at any scale whatsoever travels between airports by rail enough to action or model it. Beyond an edge case - however nifty it might sound for connectivity.

Even then it would be staff, and most are tied to a home base. BA and Virgin are done at Gatwick, for now, so I don't even see that (and that is a bus/shuttle journey over rail). Not to mention the different crew contracts/teams or pilot metal certs (e.g. WW/Mixed etc - it was never necessary)

 

[Bald Rick]

Nobody at any scale whatsoever travels between airports by rail enough to action or model it. Beyond an edge case - however nifty it might sound for connectivity.

Even then it would be staff, and most are tied to a home base. BA and Virgin are done at Gatwick, for now, so I don't even see that (and that is a bus/shuttle journey over rail). Not to mention the different crew contracts/teams or pilot metal certs (e.g. WW/Mixed etc - it was never necessary)

agreed. There’s a small flow of easyJet personnel between the two but that’s about it. It’s not unheard of for EZY to fly crew between the two (normally because an aircraft needs to go too!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

agreed. There’s a small flow of easyJet personnel between the two but that’s about it. It’s not unheard of for EZY to fly crew between the two (normally because an aircraft needs to go too!)

Yep, I've on a few occasions seen a flight to Gatwick on the board at Luton (it appears, unlike rail, that if it's operating and isn't general aviation it shows, regardless of if it's open to regular passengers or not).

 

[miklcct]

My experince on Friday evenings is lots of travellers on Thameslink unfamiliar with the route on the all stations to Luton trains because they see Luton as the destination they need and don't realise the fast trains to Bedford will be much quicker. (I get on a Hendon.) You hear the anxious calls to friends when they realise the journey is taking much longer than expected. Needs something big and visible at central London stations to encourage the use of the faster trains.

Happens at Euston as well, for people going to Watford getting on a LO service taking over an hour. False destinations can solve this, but also confuse people in their own right, and given the tendency for out of course running on Thameslink (resulting in the Luton stopper genuinely being the quickest option) are unlikely to be the right answer.

I've also stopped people boarding the "Gatwick" Thameslink service via Merstham before not realising a Brighton service will get them their 20 minutes earlier.

We should really bring continental-style train classification here.

 

[Bald Rick]

Yep, I've on a few occasions seen a flight to Gatwick on the board at Luton (it appears, unlike rail, that if it's operating and isn't general aviation it shows, regardless of if it's open to regular passengers or not).

there was a Luton to Stansted flight on Sunday. It was in the air about 12 minutes.