Lumo - new Open Access operator on the East Coast Main Line

[Starmill]

I note that the Lumo Only single between Newcastle and Morpeth is £3 - cheaper than the now withdrawn TransPennine Express Only Anytime Day Single which was £4.

 

[jon0844]

But the point is that their trains are more “green” because they are electric only. In the event of engineering works, by not running they will not be pumping any nasty diesel fumes into the environment

The rail replacement bus might make up for it though!

 

[Sleepy]

Mixing Deck version of Lumo's booking site can be accessed at:

MixingDeck

Doesn't load correctly to use !

 

[Peter Sarf]

I see that someone has finally realised that the correct place for plug sockets in airline seats is in the middle underneath the seat in front not the seat your sat on! The middle means that that both passengers have access without needing to trail cables over the person in the airline seat and by having in front you've got a better chance of actually being able to see it rather than scrabbling around underneath your seat hoping in vain to find it. Good to see that it's a three pin plus two USB sockets as well. Not sure about the seat back table lights though, seem a bit gimmicky unless the idea is that they might dim the lights once the sun goes down (though that seems to much to hope for!).

I agree the sockets between the seats you are sitting on are hard to access BUT I fear that having the sockets in front of you will lead to whatever is plugged into then being hit by a passing knee. Someone sitting in the window seat is going to quite easily hit and damage a USB plug as they move out to the aisle.

 

[_toommm_]

Doesn't load correctly to use !

Works fine for me:

 

[Wolfie]

Works fine for me:

View attachment 104432

Me too.

 

[BluePenguin]

The rail replacement bus might make up for it though!

Ah, well best not run that either then

 

[PhilH]

Even though GLQ-EDB is only every 30 mins not every 15 presently?

Yep, had he stayed on his train from GLQ he would have arrived 15 minutes before the Lumo.

 

[ashkeba]

Yep, had he stayed on his train from GLQ he would have arrived 15 minutes before the Lumo.

It still would not have been a great headline: "flight+trains+expensive taxi+run slightly quicker than cheap train"

 

[berneyarms]

We are talking about a journey of over 4.5 hours though on the train.

That’s where railways do start to lose their competitive edge over air and it’s not really surprising.

 

[BluePenguin]

We are talking about a journey of over 4.5 hours though on the train.

That’s where railways do start to lose their competitive edge over air and it’s not really surprising.

Although the option with the fastest possible time is not always the most convenient. From my house Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton are all roughly 2 hours away by car and train. It is sensible to allow an extra hour for delays, security and check-in. 1 hour flight and perhaps another 30 minutes to Edinburgh city centre at the other end bring us to a total of 4.5 hours. The flight may be cheap but my time has a value too. These timing will of course be significantly lower for anyone who lives near an airport.

In comparison, my local station is minutes away by foot and I can be at St Pancras in 1 hour 20 minutes (or 40 minutes if I must change). Walking across the road to Kings Cross takes no time at all. Then a 4.5 hour train to Edinburgh with no transfer at the end, brings us to a total time of around 6 hours. Only 1 change is needed and no restriction on luggage weight makes the train a more attractive option to me.

The headline journey time, is nothing more than a headline

 

[Mikey C]

Although the option with the fastest possible time is not always the most convenient. From my house Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton are all roughly 2 hours away by car and train. It is sensible to allow an extra hour for delays, security and check-in. 1 hour flight and perhaps another 30 minutes to Edinburgh city centre at the other end bring us to a total of 4.5 hours. The flight may be cheap but my time has a value too. These timing will of course be significantly lower for anyone who lives near an airport.

In comparison, my local station is minutes away by foot and I can be at St Pancras in 1 hour 20 minutes (or 40 minutes if I must change). Walking across the road to Kings Cross takes no time at all. Then a 4.5 hour train to Edinburgh with no transfer at the end, brings us to a total time of around 6 hours. Only 1 change is needed and no restriction on luggage weight makes the train a more attractive option to me.

The headline journey time, is nothing more than a headline

4.5 hours sitting on Azuma ironing boards isn't an appealing thought though!

If the Lumo seats are more comfortable, that would be reason alone for choosing them, even if it's slower

 

[BluePenguin]

4.5 hours sitting on Azuma ironing boards isn't an appealing thought though!

If the Lumo seats are more comfortable, that would be reason alone for choosing them, even if it's slower

That is a very valid point. I don’t find EasyJet seats to be particularly comfortable either.

On long journeys I usually take a small cushion with me in my bag to sleep and rest on. On an Azuma I could perhaps use it to support my back and help me sit up

 

[centro-323]

Lumo's seats are much revised (and arguably improved) over a standard Azuma: https://twitter.com/simontdeane/status/1451130374722105346

 

[Darandio]

I see excellent legroom but i'm not convinced about that rear padding. Taking a trip is the only way to find out!

 

[BluePenguin]

I see excellent legroom but i'm not convinced about that rear padding. Taking a trip is the only way to find out!

Let us hope that you DO like the seating. Otherwise with the first stop being Newcastle you are a bit stuck if you don't.

 

[800001]

Wonder will they decline a shove from a diesel-equipped LNER in the event of the wires coming down?



It is perfectly normal for InterCity Anytime Returns to be twice the Anytime (Day) Single, Avanti's mostly are for example, or were last time I checked.

Lner can not rescue a lumo 803 as they are not compatabile

 

[_toommm_]

Lumo's seats are much revised (and arguably improved) over a standard Azuma: https://twitter.com/simontdeane/status/1451130374722105346

Shame there’s only one plug per pair of seats (at least that’s what it looks like).

 

[BluePenguin]

Who would be interesting in getting together and traveling on Lumo one weekend? An idea for a forum meet perhaps, for those of us with plans to travel to Newcastle or Edinburgh for some reason or other. That way we can all report back our thoughts and experiences to the rest of the forum

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It still would not have been a great headline: "flight+trains+expensive taxi+run slightly quicker than cheap train"

The important part of Simon Calder's blog was that the Luton-Glasgow flight was 93% full.
So profitable for the airline and a challenge to the rail operators (in this case mainly Avanti).

Simon is a very fair journalist and knows his railways as well as airlines, not to mention all the Covid travel rules worldwide.
He made clear his wider preference to use the train.
No doubt the Lumo side of the trip will feature in the next edition of the rail mags.
Simon also doesn't do PR freebies, which is probably why he was flying rather than on the train.
He was also masked up on the train I see (mandatory on Scotrail, and Easyjet).
He also got a dig in about the lack of a rail connection to Edinburgh airport (he didn't mention that Glasgow airport lacks one as well).

 

[Mikey C]

That is a very valid point. I don’t find EasyJet seats to be particularly comfortable either.

On long journeys I usually take a small cushion with me in my bag to sleep and rest on. On an Azuma I could perhaps use it to support my back and help me sit up

On very few routes would you spend 5 hours on an EasyJet seat though. That flight to Scotland you'd be sitting for 1.5 hours?

I see excellent legroom but i'm not convinced about that rear padding. Taking a trip is the only way to find out!

Yes, they still look a bit thin, even if better than the Azuma/IET ones

 

[fgwrich]

Shame there’s only one plug per pair of seats (at least that’s what it looks like).

No different to a lot of fleets though - the rest of the 80X fleet has one per seat (but stupidly located under the seats) as does the 717s.

 

[voyagerdude220]

The important part of Simon Calder's bog

Pardon?

 

[DanNCL]

Lner can not rescue a lumo 803 as they are not compatabile

Not compatible for use in passenger service but they can mechanically couple for rescue purposes, as can all 80x classes. It would however require approval from Agility, which given their approach towards failures so far would be unlikely to be forthcoming.

 

[Audioguy]

Im not sure I understand the point of the “race”. It’s stacked in favour of the train given he’s starting from the platform as the train pulls out, and is then flying to the wrong city etc.

The reality is the kind of traveller who values ultimate speed, perhaps wanting to do London to Edinburgh and back in a day for meetings, won’t ever use the train because 4.5 hours (minimum) travelling each way is simply too long.

To be fair to Lumo this isn’t really their target market.

Interesting that for someone who is going from Edinburgh to London for the day the train can win because they get to travel down on the 'Flying Scotsman' and get some work done on a fast train and then have the choice of travelling back on a plane or the train.

This race for train v plane from Edinburgh to London and back twice a week by composer Christian Henson explains it very well.

 

[The DJ]

So eager to try out the Lumo next week, I'm travelling KGX-LDS via NCL (Class 803) and a TPE back south (Class 802) electric as far as York and diesel thereafter

 

[ainsworth74]

Shame there’s only one plug per pair of seats (at least that’s what it looks like).

One three pin socket but two USB sockets as well. More than most seats airline seats get!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Pardon?

blog!

 

[gordonthemoron]

The important part of Simon Calder's blog was that the Luton-Glasgow flight was 93% full.
So profitable for the airline and a challenge to the rail operators (in this case mainly Avanti).

The main problem of this journey for me is Luton Airport, it is my closest airport, and I avoid it like the plague as it's dreadful

 

[Mikey C]

Such plane versus train comparisons are heavily skewed by where your start and end points are.

As an extreme example, I once took a Ryanair flight to "Oslo" which actually dumped me at an airport a vast distance from Oslo. The person next to me on the flight lived 5 miles from that airport though, so it was perfect for him