As with other services, railcards cut the cost of rail transport in the UK by a third. The cheapest fares apply to the earliest and latest trains. However, Lumo’s cheapest fares get snapped up fairly quickly so it pays to book a month or two in advance. Single fares between London and Edinburgh cost from £19.90, which is substantially less than the rival LNER, where the cheapest advance fares cost more than double. This is where Lumo starts making a lot of sense. Lumo is a fully electric rail service, running between London and Edinburgh, offering low carbon, affordable travel between the capitals (David Parry/PA Wire) How much are tickets? One key difference is these are owned by the French and Spanish national operators respectively, whereas Lumo is owned by Aberdeen-based First Group, which has been operating rail services across the UK since privatisation in 1996. The equivalent in Spain is the AVLO, running from Barcelona to Madrid via Zaragoza. In France, “Ouigo” is a budget rail service that has been around since 2013, with Ouigo TGVs running from Paris to Lyons and Marseilles, among other destinations. While the idea of a low-cost rail service is new to the UK, it’s been around on the continent for a while. There’s no reason to expect that travelling by Lumo will be substantially greener than other similar trains. Moreover, Lumo trains are 100 per cent electric, with a 50 per cent plant-based menu on board and other sustainable touches such as recyclable staff uniforms.Īt the same time, there are reasons to be slightly sceptical of this marketing - LNER trains already use electric power on this electrified stretch of railway. It’s squarely pitched at the eco-conscious: pointing out that flying generates six times more emissions than taking the train. Where did the idea come from?Īs travel reboots from Covid-19, Lumo says it wants to take traffic away from the airlines that fly between London and Edinburgh - which currently carry 74,000 people a month. Residents of Northumberland take note - you won’t be able to reserve seats between Morpeth and Newcastle because Lumo wants to prioritise long-distance passengers. The service launched on Octostarting with two services a day in each direction - the plan is for there to be up to five services a day in each direction as new trains are delivered in 2022. The trains are fairly fast - roughly four-and-a-half hours from London to Edinburgh - though admittedly not as fast as the fastest LNER trains, which travel London-Edinburgh in four hours and 20 minutes. Unlike LNER services, Lumo trains make only a few stops: northward services from London King’s Cross call at Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh Waverley - with some southbound trains also calling at Stevenage. Lumo is an “open access” operator, meaning it travels the same route as the long-distance East Coast Main Line franchise holder LNER. For all the similarities to budget airlines, the good news is the wi-fi is free and you won’t have to pay for extra luggage. But Nicer” and is promising to reboot rail travel, not only by offering low fares but also by emphasising its green credentials. If you click and buy a product, we may earn revenue. These buttons and adverts are clearly signposted, and provide direct links through to external sites. We also feature properties and itineraries from a specially selected list of trusted operators. Our travel journalism is written and edited by independent experts to inform, inspire and advise our readers about the best choices for your holidays.
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