Doppelmayl, who are the manufacture of the Dart trains have now confirmed that the Dart will open in the Autumn of 2021, which is some 6 months later than originally planned. The Dart will travel at 31.3mph and will take 3 minutes 45 seconds to complete each journey. The Dart will spend 45 seconds at each station before it departs. Despite the total time coming to 4 minutes 30 seconds the manufacture states that the trains can run every 4 minutes at peak times which indicates that there could well be longer gaps or single train running during the quieter times. Each train will consist of 4 cars with a capacity of 170 passengers per train. The peak delivery will be 2,700 passengers per hour.
The first vehicle to run on the Dart route shown on the viaduct.
The route crosses the bridge, which is seen in the background, before passing alongside the approach lights.
The Dart then passes through the approach lights. For most of the route passengers will see very little of the airport due to the tunnel and long cutting.
Meanwhile back at Parkway the existing passenger footbridge can be seen. This can connect to the Dart station and will be used if the new footbridge does not open on time.
