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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | Open-access operator Not subject to franchising 25 October 2021 – 2031 |
| Main region(s) | |
| Other region(s) | East of England |
| Fleet size | 5 Class 803 |
| Stations called at | 5 |
| Parent company | FirstGroup |
| Reporting mark | LD |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Lumo is a British open-access operator owned by FirstGroup that operates passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. It is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Lumo originated in 2015 with the submission of a bid by FirstGroup to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to establish a new open-access operator to use additional rail paths on East Coast Main Line. It faced competition from Alliance Rail Holdings, whose bid was rejected due to high estimated revenue abstraction from the existing franchised operator. In May 2016, the ORR granted a ten-year track access agreement to the FirstGroup subsidiary East Coast Trains Limited, which would later be rebranded as Lumo. During March 2019, a £100 million order for five Class 803 electric multiple unit high speed trains was placed to operate Lumo's services.
Lumo's inaugural service was conducted on 25 October 2021. Initial operations involved the running of two trains per day in each direction on most week days; this was expanded to five trains per day by early 2022. Onboard catering is available, consisting of an at-seat trolley service, while an identical all-standard class two-by-two seating arrangement is present in every carriage. Lumo refers to itself as being a “digital-first” operator, practising paperless ticketing and seeking to make booking tickets as easy as possible.