Lumo Archives - International Railway Journal

Lumo

May 26, 2026 | Main line

Lumo launches second service in Britain

New London - Stirling open-access service runs on West Coast Main Line.

July 3, 2025 | Main line

British open-access applications refused

Regulator says there is insufficient capacity on West Coast Main Line for new Lumo, Virgin and WSMR services.

June 6, 2025 | Main line

Fleet lease agreed for Lumo London - Stirling service

Alstom will refurbish five diesel trains for the open-access service starting in mid-2026. FirstGroup is also seeking to introduce a London - Hereford Lumo service.

January 24, 2025 | Policy

Keep Britain’s independent regulator, says FirstGroup

Operator says maintaining a strong ORR when creating Great British Railways is vital if open access and the wider railway are to grow.

December 5, 2024 | Main line

FirstGroup to expand Lumo to south Wales and targets southwest England

The company has bought the open-access business of Grand Union Trains.

May 20, 2024 | Main line

FirstGroup and Virgin apply to operate open-access services on Britain’s West Coast Main Line

FirstGroup plans London - Rochdale service as Virgin considers return to rail with four routes.

May 4, 2022 | Fleet

Modifications required for class 80X fleet to combat cracking

Cracks discovered in Britain’s Hitachi-built inter-city fleet in May 2021 prompted a review by the Office of Rail and Road into what happened. As Richard Clinnick reports, a long-term repair programme will now commence to rectify the issue.

October 29, 2021 | Analysis

Lumo hopes fresh approach to customer service will attract new passengers to rail

IRJ joins the open-access operator for the inaugural trip on Britain’s East Coast Main Line and learns about its inventive approach to passenger service.

October 25, 2021 | News

Lumo open-access service launched between London and Edinburgh

Open-access operator targets 13 million passenger journeys in next decade.

October 4, 2021 | Fleet

Lumo class 803s authorised for London - Edinburgh services

Hitachi EMUs to begin ECML open-access operations later this month.

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