A new ‘budget’ train operator is set to launch next month, running services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
Lumo is set to take on the state-owned LNER on the East Coast mainline – with one-way fares starting at below £15 for nearly 400 miles of rail travel.
It will offer two services a day with journeys taking around four-and-a-half hours, stopping only at Newcastle and the Northumberland town of Morpeth en route – and occasionally at Stevenage in Hertfordshire.
The newcomer is backed by First Group, the Aberdeen-based multinational transport enterprise. The name Lumo is said to combine “illumination and motion”.
The company says: “We take our passengers’ wellbeing extremely seriously and want everyone to arrive refreshed and ready.
“We aim to reimagine what it means to travel by rail and Lumo brings that together in one word.” Its slogan is: “Trains. But Nicer.”
For the first five weeks, from opening day on 25 October to 1 December, every journey will cost £19.90 or less, so long as it is booked by the day before travel.
Longer-term, Lumo says that 60 per cent of all single fares will be available for £30 or less. Railcard discounts do not apply initially, but some special deals may come later.
They will compete with LNER and also airlines that run services between the two capitals.
Helen Wylde, Lumo’s managing director, said: “Travelling in the UK should not cost a fortune and it certainly shouldn’t be the planet that pays. We are empowering people to make green travel choices that are genuinely affordable without compromising on comfort.”
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