Low-cost rail service Lumo inaugurated this morning its first London to Edinburgh service, with an inaugural train departing at 10.45am from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley. Passenger operations will officially begin on 25 October and will aim to create 13 million additional passengers in the next decade.
With prices starting from £14.90, Lumo’s had sales above expectations for its first 44 days of operations, registering the highest number of tickets bought on weekend trains.
“Tickets are selling well beyond expectations, and we have had great feedback about our commitment to offering a different kind of rail company,” said Lumo’s managing director Helen Wylde. “However, rest assured we are not complacent and understand we must earn travellers’ trust in the Lumo promise.”
To carry passengers from one end of the country to the other, the company has bought a fleet of new Hitachi AT300 intercity electric trains – which was built during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Despite the initial challenges of the pandemic, Hitachi Rail has delivered these 100% electric trains on time, which is testament to the determination and resilience of everyone involved,” Hitachi Rail’s UK and Ireland’s head Jim Brewin.
Owned by transport giant FirstGroup, Lumo invested £100m in the new five-train fleet, spending an additional £15m on digital and IT infrastructure.
“We have invested over £100 million to ensure Lumo stands apart and encourages people to choose rail travel over air for journeys between the two capitals,” said First Rail’s managing director Steve Montgomery.
“This is an important moment for the industry as we encourage more people back onto the rail network.”
FirstGroup has announced today the £125m sale of its US long-distance coach subsidiary Greyhound Lines to European railway and coach operator FlixMobility, reported City A.M.
The firm has said it will keep Greyhound properties, which are currently worth around £128m, leasing them back to Greyhound with plans to see in the next three to five years
The deal comes amid FirstGroup’s decision to move its focus back on the UK. In July, the company announced it would return £500m to shareholders after an popular sale of a US school bus and transit businesses.