Seating plan here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p8mthr99gxy0kyz/Lumo-seat-plan.pdf?dl=0
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Lumo journey experiences
- Thread starter yorkie
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Class 33
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Thanks Yorkie. Looking at that seating plan and that video again, it looks like seat C 05 is half next to a wall and half next to a window. Which isn't ideal, especially for a journey of that duration. I just like to look out the window when travelling by train, unlike some people who spend the whole journey glued to their Smart Phones or laptops! I could try changing my seat again, but it's pot luck what I'll be given again. EDIT: It won't actually change my seat now! Might have to just go straight for one of the unreserved seats when I board and hope I can grab a full view window seat and facing the direction of travel!
Will have to use Trainsplit next time to use the seat selector feature.
Will have to use Trainsplit next time to use the seat selector feature.
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Bletchleyite
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Though I half recall (might be wrong) that Lumo's cheapest fares are on their site only?
Class 33
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So half of Coach E seating is unreserved. Though half of the coach is forward facing and the other half is backward facing seats. Stepping into Coach E at London King's Cross, will the unreserved seats be forward or backward facing? I would ideally prefer a forward facing seat with a full window view, though a backward facing seat with a full window view would still be relatively OK. Either would be better than a seat not next to a window or only half next to a window!
Also for midweek off-peak services departing London, do these services get really busy or not that busy?
Also for midweek off-peak services departing London, do these services get really busy or not that busy?
Haywain
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Certainly the case some of the time, if not always.
CreamNCookies
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It isn't the case as much anymore. Prior to me leaving employment with them a couple weeks ago coach E wasn't unreserved. It tended to be the first sets of seats on each side of each coach when you entered them, you know those lovely windowless seats.
Something changed and it wasn't communicated to the ambassadors (it may have been now) I did find that for some strange reason coach D was most quiet on my last few shifts.
As long as you beat the mad rush to the train once it's announced on the boards at KGX, you'll easily find an unreserved seat.
Midweek services tendened to be ok, but with half term on the cards I suspect the services to be chaos.
Blindtraveler
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Every journey I've made with them has been chaos. I have to say that my respect for the ambassadors was truly enormous as if every train was like the ones I travelled on then it must have been the job from hell although I should imagine every shift flu by
Class 33
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OK thanks for that info. Sounds perhaps a bit iffy that I'll manage to get a decent unreserved window seat then. I'll not bother going to my reserved seat C 05 as it doesn't look great!
A number of times before with other operators when I've had to reserve seats, the seats I get given aren't great such as next to or half next to the train wall(is that the correct word to use?!) rather than a decent window view. And instead I find a decent unreserved window seat to sit instead.
I can look up on Realtimetrains which platform it will be before it's announced on the departure boards. And with it being the only LUMO train there at the time, it will be obvious that will be the train I'm booked on. Though I expect others will do the same, and there will still be a mad rush to board the train when it opens it's doors. It could be a challenge to find a decent seat!
Luckily next week there won't be the issue of half term anyway.
TheBigD
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From the above image seat 05 would seem to be the one on the right in the second row of seats from the carriage end...
Class 33
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From the above image seat 05 would seem to be the one on the right in the second row of seats from the carriage end...
That particular seat looks even more dire from that angle. No good for if you just want to look out the window for the entire journey! I'd pay about £20 to "upgrade" to a guaranteed decent full view window seat if I could. As it stands, I'll just have to hope I can grab a decent unreserved window seat.
I think a fair number of people would have been disappointed to find they reserved window seat isn't really a window seat!
ashkeba
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Is it even legal to sell it described as a window seat?
DanNCL
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I’m taking Lumo to Edinburgh today, will report back here on my experience. Hopefully it won’t be the disaster it’s been implied to be by some other posters!
A Challenge
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Every TOC does just have aisle/window, not always particularly accurately, though sometimes seat plans will flag done as limited view
Class 33
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Additionally, watching some of those Lumo trip report videos, some have mentioned that they booked a window seat, only to find they had in fact been allocated an AISLE seat!
I will be on the 1436 London King's Cross-Edinburgh this week. Is this service usually typically busy? Do many people usually get out at the first stop of Newcastle? I'm going to have to try and quickly find an unreserved proper window seat when I can get on. If I have to make do with a crap seat next to the wall rather than a full view window seat upon departing, I'm hoping I can at the very least grab a window seat at Newcastle to enjoy the final 1 hour 30 minute stretch of the journey.
I will be on the 1436 London King's Cross-Edinburgh this week. Is this service usually typically busy? Do many people usually get out at the first stop of Newcastle? I'm going to have to try and quickly find an unreserved proper window seat when I can get on. If I have to make do with a crap seat next to the wall rather than a full view window seat upon departing, I'm hoping I can at the very least grab a window seat at Newcastle to enjoy the final 1 hour 30 minute stretch of the journey.
ashkeba
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I don't care whether every TOC with reservations does the same, but is it legal?
Yes, or rather it isn't illegal.
Bletchleyite
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Try a dummy booking on Trainsplit and check the seat selector to see how many seats are booked?
Write a letter to them and ask.
Excellent idea. Looks fairly busy but E looks like a good prospect so think I'll head straight there.
On the train now. Arrived into Newcastle fairly empty but filled up a great deal there. Probably about 60% full. I headed to coach E, which no longer seems to have an unreserved section, but I still found a seat. I noted that screens at Newcastle said that reservations were mandatory. Is this true?
Anyway, decent journey so far, the seat has a fair amount of room (better than LNER) and the pull down table in an airline seat has plenty of room for laptop working, again better than LNER.
Downsides are the very limited luggage racks (luggage being stored everywhere including just loose in vestibules) and the fact the trolley still hasn't arrived after 90 minutes!
UPDATE: trolley arrived ten mins later but no hot drinks as they'd run out of cups!
Anyway, decent journey so far, the seat has a fair amount of room (better than LNER) and the pull down table in an airline seat has plenty of room for laptop working, again better than LNER.
Downsides are the very limited luggage racks (luggage being stored everywhere including just loose in vestibules) and the fact the trolley still hasn't arrived after 90 minutes!
UPDATE: trolley arrived ten mins later but no hot drinks as they'd run out of cups!
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TheBigD
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Someone previously posted (might be in another thread) that the unreserved seats on Lumo are now the windowless seats at the ends of each carriage rather than carriage E.
Bletchleyite
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That's a sensible plan, as nobody likes those, and if they're unused you can always put bags on them (while Lumo still complies with the number of seats requirement).
Kite159
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They probably got fed up with people ignoring their reserved seat and going straight to coach E to get a better seat (ie if they are someone who prefers to sit forwards getting given a backwards facing seat etc)
If they offered a seat selector that could be avoided (and yes I know this is available via other sites but most won't know about that!).
Bletchleyite
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It's more I think that they don't need a large unreserved area if they are operating with compulsory reservations. Just a few seats for anyone displaced from another train.
Mainline421
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They aren't though.
Bletchleyite
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They are showing as such in the planners, so given that almost nobody will use an Any Permitted walk up on it they de-facto actually are.
Kite159
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Interestingly I've just booked tickets for a weekend trip to Newcastle in June time where using the low cost Lumo would have cost me nearly double over using LNER. The only Lumo train which were cheaper than LNER was the early morning service from London (05:50odd).
Although Lumo has had an effect on the London - Newcastle fares as I put in London to Darlington for a comparison and that cost more than the advances to Newcastle.
Although Lumo has had an effect on the London - Newcastle fares as I put in London to Darlington for a comparison and that cost more than the advances to Newcastle.
185143
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Almost certainly related to Lumo, but not necessarily.
I saw an advance from Grantham to Horsforth a couple of months ago which was cheaper than the Grantham-Leeds advance on the same train.
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