Exclusive:Lumo: Cut-price train operator plans to extend London-Edinburgh services to Glasgow

Proposal comes despite rival LNER axing its last services on route

Cut-price Edinburgh to London train operator Lumo will announce plans on Wednesday to extend services to Glasgow, The Scotsman has learned.

The proposed expansion from summer next year comes after the firm has ramped up its services from two to five a day in each direction between the capitals via the east coast main line since launching in 2021.

Lumo’s Glasgow services would be likely to take around an hour longer to get to and from London than Avanti’s via the more direct west coast main line, but it said it would attract passengers with lower fares. Both operators are run by Aberdeen-based FirstGroup.

Lumo managing director Martijn Gilbert said passengers would be attracted to the longer Glasgow-London journey via Edinburgh by lower fares. (Photo by SIGNALONGREEN)

The plan for an unspecified number of Lumo’s trains to be extended to Glasgow comes despite east coast rival LNER looking to scrap its sole return Glasgow-Edinburgh-London service from December.

However, Lumo said a “significant” number of its London-Edinburgh passengers already travelled on to Glasgow.

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Managing director Martijn Gilbert said its average Edinburgh-London fare is £46.70 – significantly cheaper than rival LNER’s.

He said only about a quarter of Lumo’s passengers had switched from other rail operators or were travelling by rail more, with a quarter switching from road, while half previously travelled by air.

Mr Gilbert said Lumo was discussing its Glasgow plans with Transport Scotland and Network Rail before applying to the Office of Rail and Road regulator.

No Edinburgh-Glasgow route has been decided, but the one via Carstairs to Glasgow Central has been used by LNER and fellow east coast operator CrossCountry in the past, and is less congested than the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line via Falkirk High. Other routes between the cities include via Bathgate and Shotts.

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Lumo said it could attract passengers in Glasgow with its low fares without taking business away from other train operators.

It said the service would also improve links between Newcastle and Glasgow. Its trains’ only other intermediate stops are at Morpeth and Stevenage.

Mr Gilbert said: “With our model of operation, Glasgow is another city we feel we can come into that won’t abstract from existing rail services, but will grow the market.

"We are not looking to compete with the west coast main line but grow a new tier in the market.”