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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchises |
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| Main regions | |
| Other region | East of England |
| Fleet | Class 803 |
| Stations called at | 7 |
| Parent company | FirstGroup |
| Reporting mark | LD (ECML) LF (WCML, future) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Lumo is a Britishopen-access operator owned byFirstGroup that operates passenger trains on theEast Coast Main Line betweenLondon King's Cross,Edinburgh Waverley andGlasgow Queen Street. It is headquartered inNewcastle upon Tyne.
Lumo originated in 2015 with the submission of a bid by FirstGroup to theOffice of Rail and Road (ORR) to establish a new open-access operator to use additional rail paths on East Coast Main Line. It faced competition fromAlliance Rail Holdings, whose bid was rejected due to high estimated revenue abstraction from the existing franchised operator. In May 2016, the ORR granted a ten-year track access agreement to the FirstGroup subsidiaryEast Coast Trains Limited, which would later be rebranded as Lumo. During March 2019, a £100 million order for fiveClass 803electric multiple unit high speed trains was placed to operate Lumo's services.
Lumo's inaugural service was conducted on 25 October 2021. Initial operations involved the running of two trains per day in each direction on most week days; this was expanded to five trains per day by early 2022. Onboard catering is available, consisting of an at-seattrolley service, while an identical all-standard class two-by-two seating arrangement is present in every carriage.
In 2015, following an announcement by theOffice of Rail and Road (ORR) thatopen-access operators would be permitted to bid for additional rail paths on theEast Coast Main Line alongside the existing franchised operator,Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC), the British transport conglomerateFirstGroup submitted a proposal to operate services betweenLondon andEdinburgh.
Under the proposal, FirstGroup planned to compete directly with existing road, rail, and air services by offering all-standard class accommodation with an average ticket price of approximately £25.[1] A rival application fromAlliance Rail Holdings was also submitted but was rejected by the ORR after projected revenue abstraction from VTEC was estimated at £115 million. By comparison, FirstGroup’s proposal was forecast to abstract £7.9 million.[2][3]
In May 2016, the ORR granted a ten-year track access agreement to FirstGroup subsidiaryEast Coast Trains Limited, permitting it to operate up to five services in each direction from May 2021.[4][5][6] This made it the third open-access operator on the East Coast Main Line, followingHull Trains andGrand Central. At the time, it was acknowledged that services would not commence until 2021 to allow for the procurement of new-build rolling stock.[2]
In September 2021, the company confirmed its launch under the Lumo brand, described as a combination of “luminosity” (Lu) and “motion” (mo).[7][2] Two months later, Lumo relocated to its permanent headquarters inNewcastle upon Tyne.[8] In June 2022, Martijn Gilbert was appointed managing director of both Lumo and Hull Trains, succeeding Phil Cameron and David Gibson respectively.[9]
In February 2024, Lumo announced that it was in discussions to extend some Edinburgh services toGlasgow.[10] This was followed in May 2024 by proposals to operate services fromLondon Euston toRochdale viaManchester Victoria from 2027, subject to ORR approval.[11][12]
In December 2024, following FirstGroup’s acquisition ofGrand Union Trains, it was announced that the proposedLondon Paddington toCarmarthen service would be operated by Lumo, with five return services daily. At the same time, an application was submitted to the ORR for track access rights to operate five daily return services between London Paddington andPaignton, along with a sixth service toHighbridge and Burnham.[13][14]
In June 2025, again following the acquisition of Grand Union Trains, it was confirmed that the proposed London Euston–Stirling service would also operate under the Lumo brand. The service, expected to commence in mid-2026, would call atMilton Keynes Central,Nuneaton,Crewe,Preston,Carlisle,Lockerbie,Motherwell,Whifflet,Greenfaulds,Larbert andStirling. Four return services are planned to operate Monday to Saturday, with three on Sundays, alongside an additional return service between Preston and London Euston.[15][16]
In July 2025, it was announced that some existing services betweenLondon King’s Cross andEdinburgh would be extended toGlasgow Queen Street viaFalkirk High.
Services betweenGlasgow Queen Street andLondon King’s Cross commenced on 15 December 2025. On weekdays, one southbound and two northbound services operate; on Sundays, one service runs in each direction from 2 January 2026, while no services operate on Saturdays.[17][18][19]
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On 26 May 2021, the first trial runs of the company'sClass 803 high speed multiple units on the national rail network were conducted.[20]
On 25 October 2021, the inaugural service commenced; initially, Lumo operated two trains per day in each direction on most week days, although Saturdays saw only one train being run for a time. From the onset of operations, the service rate was set to be progressively increased up to running five trains each way by early 2022.[21][22] At launch, Lumo promised that 60% of fares would be offered for no more than £30, with a cap of £69 on one-way tickets.[23][24][22] According to the company, ticket sales around the launch date had exceeded expectations, and it had experienced particularly high demand for its weekend services.[25][24]
As of December 2025[update], Lumo's timetable sees trains depart each terminus at off-peak times. The vast majority of journeys run the full route from Edinburgh to London, calling atMorpeth andNewcastle. A number of services additionally call atStevenage, for pick-up only on northbound services, and drop-off only for southbound trains. Two trains per day northbound extend toGlasgow Queen Street and one train per day starts from there. The fastest service reaches London from Edinburgh in 4 hours and 3 minutes, although the majority take around 4 hours and 30 minutes.[26]
| Route | Trains per day | Calling at |
|---|---|---|
| London King's Cross toEdinburgh Waverley andGlasgow Queen Street | 6 |
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Lumo offers a single-class service, with freeWi-Fi connectivity for all passengers. The company promotes itself as a “digital-first” operator, emphasising its focus on paperless ticketing options and its website.[22] It also participates in theNational Rail system and accepts interoperable tickets.[27]
A two-by-two seating arrangement is fitted throughout all five carriages, with a pair of large tables per carriage.[22][27] The ergonomically designed wingback seats are furnished with various amenities, including individual lighting and electric sockets, fold-down tables, and shaping to provide a greater sense of privacy. Priority seats are also present, along with two spaces forwheelchair users, on each train.[22][24] Onboard catering is available, consisting of an at-seattrolley service. Various forms of media content, including films and television shows, can be streamed by passengers using the company'smobile app.[28]
Services are operated by a fleet of 125 mph (200 km/h)Class 803electric multiple unit trains, ordered in March 2019 at a cost of £100 million, financed by the rail leasing companyBeacon Rail.[25] While based on the sameHitachi AT300 design as theClass 801Azuma trains operated on the East Coast Main Line by franchised operatorLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER), they are not fitted with an auxiliary diesel engine, but instead feature batteries intended solely to power onboard facilities in case ofoverhead line equipment failure.[29] Other changes include an all-standard class seating configuration, as well as the lack of agalley area, although catering services are provided through the use of a trolley service. The Class 803 also featuresair conditioning, power sockets andWi-Fi provision.[30]
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Route | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Hitachi AT300 | 803 |  | EMU | 125 | 200 | 5 | 5 | Edinburgh Waverley –London King's Cross | 2020–2021 |
| Unit number | Date | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 803 004 | 13 August 2024 | Whisky Express | [31][32] |
| 803 005 | 19 May 2023 | Proudly from Newcastle the home of Stephenson's Works bicentenary 1823–2023 | [33][34][35] |
| Unit number | Date | Name | Description | Image | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 803 003 | 16 June 2023 | Pride Partnerships | Progress Pride Flag (Under driver's side windows and on the 'O' on each carriage) |  | [36] |
| 803 004 | 13 August 2024 | Whisky Express | English and Scottish crossed flags (Under driver's side windows) |  | [32] |
| 13 July 2025 | The Smurfs | Promotional livery for 'Smurfs' movie released 18 July 2025 (Driving cars) |  | [37] |
On 6 December 2024,FirstGroup announced the acquisition of 14 further brand-new five-carHitachi AT300 Class 80x units for its growing open access operations. These will be used on theLondon Paddington -Carmarthen services and to strengthen Lumo andHull Trains services fromLondon King's Cross.[38]
On 2 June 2025, FirstGroup announced they had entered into rolling stock leases withEversholt Rail for 5 existingClass 222 trains in order to serve the newLondon Euston-Stirling service, with services expected to commence in mid-2026.[15][39]
On 17 April 2022, a Lumo-operated Class 803 passed through a set of points at Peterborough railway station at 75 mph (121 km/h) where there was a speed restriction of 25 mph (40 km/h). Some passengers were thrown from their seats and sustained minor injuries. TheRail Accident Investigation Branch opened an investigation into the incident.[40]
Media related toLumo at Wikimedia Commons
