What’s better than a train that turns up when it says it will? A cheap train that turns up when it says it will.
Lumo, which currently offers journeys between London and Edinburgh for as little as £20 one way, and its sister company Hull Trains, are both cheap and (usually) reliable – and they’re both currently looking to expand their services.
Both brands are owned by First Group, and both run on ‘open access’ contracts. In layman’s terms, this just means the government doesn’t give them any help. They use third party train tracks on third party routes, and aren’t given any subsidies if things go wrong.
Luckily for both Lumo, things have been going pretty well. Profits are high and cancellations are low, so the group has applied to run two brand new services – London to Sheffield, and London to Rochdale.
These could become reality by 2026 and 2027 respectively, so don’t get too excited right away. There are also hopes to add to Lumo’s daily trips between London, Newcastle, and Glasgow. Hull Trains wants to increase its services between the capital and (you guessed it) Hull. If all of these go through it will double the number of open-access contracts First Group currently hold.
The company says that its business model encourages competition in the rail sector, lowering prices for consumers, but not everyone is a fan. RMT union leaders have branded the companies as parasitic to the industry, rather than helpful.
Regardless of your view on the business side of things, you can book a cut-price journey with Lumo here, or Hull Trains here. Whether or not these contracts are granted could depend on the July general election as Labour has said it will allow open-access companies to continue only ‘where it adds value and capacity to the rail network.’
We’ll keep you updated on any changes to do with Lumo, Hull Trains, or any other new trains, open access or not. Watch this space for updates.
Trains in the news
We at Time Out like to keep up to date on the latest in the world of UK railway news. For instance, did you see that the UK’s ‘worst connected’ train station is getting a revamp? Maybe you missed that a new scenic rail route through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales has just launched, or that a festival train will take Glasto-goers to Worthy Farm this summer? We also keep up to date with latest information about ongoing strikes with our national industrial action hub.
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