Train travel can be expensive, but there is a budget service which is the first of its kind in the UK.
Lumo first launched in 2021 and is often dubbed the ‘Ryanair of trains’, offering routes for bargain prices for routes between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
But one passenger who travelled with the all-electric train company has revealed how the boarding process was ‘chaotic’ and the seats weren’t very clean.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, wrote about his experience after travelling from London to Newcastle on a Lumo train.
Describing how the luggage restrictions are explained as soon as people board the train, Rory witnessed one person be removed for having too many bags.
Meanwhile, staff ‘manhandled’ larger cases into storage lockers art the end of the carriage.
He admits the interior of the train ‘doesn’t look budget’ and describes how ‘The blue livery is smart and the trains are modern’.
During the journey, Rory was disappointed to find the hot drinks machine was out of service.
‘I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that not being able to get a cup of tea on a British train journey feels like a betrayal of the national consciousness,’ he pens.
To make matters worse, he shares how it wasn’t fixed for his return journey two days later.
The train was well equipped for passengers, however, with free wi-fi, charging ports and reading lights on each seat.
But, Rory did find his seat was badly stained and most of the others were ‘filthy’, he claims.
Despite the issues, he concluded that ‘Lumo is fast, far better for the environment than flying and, perhaps crucially, by far the cheapest option’.
The Daily Mail approached Lumo for comment.
Lumo generally works out to be cheaper than LNER. A journey from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh, for example, costs £40.90 on January 10, departing at 5.45am with Lumo.
An LNER train on the same date and at a similar time, 5.48am, costs £66.60. But another option is available at 6.33 for £48.90, with one change.
Both of the LNER journeys are around four hours and 40 minutes long, while Lumo’s is four hours and 12 minutes, making it cheaper and faster in this instance.
Lumo recently announced tickets from London to Scotland for less than £50 via a new line going straight from London King’s Cross to Glasgow Queen Street.
Lumo provide two northbound services and one southbound service between London King’s Cross and Glasgow Queen Street on weekdays.
They will also provide one in each direction on Sundays.
