FirstGroup continues to work on its Lumo brand and where it operates, with it requesting access to extend its services to Glasgow.
Lumo Class 802 Train – Image, Lumo/FirstGroup/
The open-access train operator wishes to extend some of its London-Edinburgh trains to and from Glasgow.
Having identified opportunities to extend several daily journeys to and from Glasgow in the timetables for 2025 and beyond, work will now continue with Transport Scotland and track infrastructure manager Network Rail to agree on final route options and timings ahead of an application for access rights to the Office of Rail and Road (‘ORR’), the industry regulator.
If successful, the new services could be in operation from next summer (Summer 2025).
With Glasgow being added to the Lumo network, it would improve connectivity for passengers from the North East of England (Newcastle in particular), allowing them to travel between the two cities without changing trains. It would also provide a direct link for Lumo’s passengers between London and Glasgow, without the need to change trains
In effect, it would also put Lumo against fellow FirstGroup/Trenitalia operator Avanti West Coast, as well as offering an alternative to LNER (the franchised operator on the East Coast Main Line Route)
In Quotes
FirstGroup plc Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland said:
“We are very pleased to be looking at options to grow our popular Lumo train service by extending the service from Edinburgh to Glasgow from next year. We have seen the level of growth and opportunity that is possible with new open access connections, including the significant environmental benefits of passengers switching to rail. We will be working closely with stakeholders as we refine this opportunity and our case for this new offering.”
Building out Lumo
Lumo was started as a “lower cost” open access operator between London and Edinburgh, adding direct links to cities. It has been busy since its launch carrying over 2 million passengers, whilst trying to enable a modal shift from air to train, targeting low-cost aviation carriers.
The train company is already in negotiations to launch an extra service between Newcastle and London to provide extra capacity in the morning.
Lumo, along with fellow Firstgroup company Hull Trains are feeling out their expansion plans on the East Coast Main Line as they attempt to strengthen their services, network and revenue base – remember, as Open Access operators, they are dependant on customers turning up to travel on their trains – no receiving operator subsides from the Government.
As usual, completion on the East Coast Main Line will be in the form of the government-operated train operator – LNER – who is trying new things out with ticketing that could be an awful move for the leisure passenger, as some of the off-peak tickets are being sacrificed in the name of “fare simplification”.
We’ll have to see what the regulator thinks – as this service would have to measure against various tests, including the “Revenue Abstraction” tests based on the revenue they receive of newly generated revenue (from rail journeys that would not otherwise have taken place) and revenue abstracted from existing operators (eg LNER).
Suffice it to say, more competition would be welcome for the passengers as they seek value when travelling the railways.
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