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

[hexagon789]

There's only one more row of seats (4 seats) per caariage, with a reduction of table of 4s from 8 to 2.
On LNER, the equivalent carriage has 88 seats and two luggage stacks on the 5 car, with the 9 car having 84 seats and 4 luggage stacks*. Lumo only have 1 luggage stack, and the extra row of seats gives them 94 seats.

LNER modified the 9 cars to increase luggage capacity in light of experience. Whether luggage capacity becomes an issue on Lumo remains to be seem.

Oh of course, its 88 not 84 in 80x intermediates. I'm thinking of GWR HST trailers again, apologies

 

[Watershed]

How much quicker could the service be with the current stopping patterns, if given better paths?

About half an hour quicker. The first southbound run has 35 minutes of pathing, the first northbound has 27 mins. Some of the others are a bit better but none of them have very clean runs.

It's not really going to change until the ECML recast; up until that time the train will be marginally slower than flying (for most city centre origin/destination pairs).

 

[Steddenm]

From the Independent...

The first northbound passenger service aboard the new low-cost rail link set off from London for Edinburgh three minutes late – and with three disappointed passengers left on platform 10 at King’s Cross station.

The problem appeared to involve the reservations system and seat allocations for Lumo, the UK’s newest train operator.

Disappointed passengers left behind for Lumo’s low-cost London-Edinburgh train launch

Exclusive: Lumo’s disappointed passengers were carried on LNER. The new train operator has sold out almost every train until December

www.independent.co.uk

I don't think it's right. I've seen nothing on Twitter that passengers were "left behind".

 

[centro-323]

Apparently the 'disappointed' and left-behind passengers comprised three people. So not great, but hardly a disaster as some predicted.

 

[TheBigD]

How much quicker could the service be with the current stopping patterns, if given better paths?

Just over 4 hours. The Sunday 1053 departure is timed at 4hr03m.

Realtime Trains - 1E82 1053 Edinburgh to London Kings Cross

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

How much quicker could the service be with the current stopping patterns, if given better paths?

 

[JonathanH]

From the Independent...

Disappointed passengers left behind for Lumo’s low-cost London-Edinburgh train launch

Exclusive: Lumo’s disappointed passengers were carried on LNER. The new train operator has sold out almost every train until December

www.independent.co.uk

I don't think it's right. I've seen nothing on Twitter that passengers were "left behind".

I thought that I saw Simon Calder at Kings Cross. Maybe he found some people who couldn't board (although not sure why other than possible confusion at the time of boarding). It did say reservations were mandatory on the departure board.

 

[Darandio]

I don't think it's right. I've seen nothing on Twitter that passengers were "left behind".

Because there isn't anything on Twitter it didn't happen? Strange concept.

 

[Starmill]

Just over 4 hours. The Sunday 1053 departure is timed at 4hr03m.

Realtime Trains - 1E82 1053 Edinburgh to London Kings Cross

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Indeed. Leaving Newcastle at 1220 on Sunday takes exactly the same time as leaving at 0704 weekdays - 2 hours 36 minutes. An average speed of more than 103 miles / hour.

 

[pdeaves]

Though they do not seem to feel as cramped as GWR HST Std did.

Shows what can be achieved with minor alterations.

How long are Lumo carriages? 26m? In which case, there's also about 3m more length to play with than HST vehicles.

 

[hexagon789]

Indeed. Leaving Newcastle at 1220 on Sunday takes exactly the same time as leaving at 0704 weekdays - 2 hours 36 minutes.

Not bad, 103.35mph.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2021 ==

How long are Lumo carriages? 26m? In which case, there's also about 3m more length to play with than HST vehicles.

Yes, nominally 26m

 

[GNER 91128]

About half an hour quicker. The first southbound run has 35 minutes of pathing, the first northbound has 27 mins. Some of the others are a bit better but none of them have very clean runs.

It's not really going to change until the ECML recast; up until that time the train will be marginally slower than flying (for most city centre origin/destination pairs).

Just over 4 hours. The Sunday 1053 departure is timed at 4hr03m.

Realtime Trains - 1E82 1053 Edinburgh to London Kings Cross

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Many thanks! That extra 30 mins may make a big difference in persuading more people to take the train instead of the plane.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Because there isn't anything on Twitter it didn't happen? Strange concept.

I was just thinking that… I wonder how staff were briefed to act with customers with walk ups.

Only because sometimes there are communication issues with these last minute changes. When the WCML terminated short at Harrow and Wealdstone due to works at Wembley in Summer 2019, Virgin Trains formally abandoned the “Pick up only” rules for Watford Junction for the day, as LNR services were greatly reduced. Unfortunately, I was contradicted by a grossly unpleasant individual at H&W (surprise, surprise, a Euston gateline member who’d been deployed), who insisted I could not board the 390 - going as far as to shout at me and get quite aggressive and in my personal space when I told him politely that I was perfectly within my rights to board, showing him Harrow-Watford Virgin in journey planner and the tweets from VT confirming it would be fine.

Anyway, he was getting so angry that people began to stare, and it wasn’t until he phoned up admin or whoever that they told him I was indeed allowed to alight at Watford today, and without a word of apology he waved his arm at the 390 and told me to “just get on then”… I’m just hoping similar situations didn’t occur today with poorly briefed LUMO staff refusing travel to those perfectly within their rights to board.

 

[DJS76]

Is there a decent and clear seat diagram available yet? I've got tickets booked for next month and want to be sure I've got good seats, slightly concerned that I won't have a good view on my way to Edinburgh.
Going North, I'm in Coach D and seats 93&94. Coming back, I'm in Coach A and seats 33&34.

 

[Mag_seven]

Coach E on the southbound had about 2/3 of the seats unreserved. I also saw one unreserved seat in Coach D as well.

 

[hexagon789]

Is there a decent and clear seat diagram available yet? I've got tickets booked for next month and want to be sure I've got good seats, slightly concerned that I won't have a good view on my way to Edinburgh.
Going North, I'm in Coach D and seats 93&94. Coming back, I'm in Coach A and seats 33&34.

33&34 in A are aligned with a window, 93&94 in D are one of the pairs against the wall nearest the door.

 

[zero]

Is there a decent and clear seat diagram available yet? I've got tickets booked for next month and want to be sure I've got good seats, slightly concerned that I won't have a good view on my way to Edinburgh.
Going North, I'm in Coach D and seats 93&94. Coming back, I'm in Coach A and seats 33&34.

I believe D93/4 has no window and A33/4 does, if coach A is the London end in both directions

 

[Starmill]

I don't think it's right. I've seen nothing on Twitter that passengers were "left behind".

Were you actually there? Given the author was and Mr Calder says the people who were left behind were carried on LNER...

 

[hexagon789]

I believe D93/4 has no window and A33/4 does, if coach A is the London end in both directions

Coach A is the driving vehicle with accessible toilet and wheelchair spaces, E is the same but with no wheelchair spaces so 4 more seats. Whether that is planned to be marshalled at the London end...

 

[Grumpy Git]

Were you actually there? Given the author was and Mr Calder says the people who were left behind were carried on LNER...

Simon Calder confirmation Tweet here: https://twitter.com/SimonCalder/status/1452623831240167429?s=20

New East Coast main line train from
@LumoTravel
set for on-time arrival at Edinburgh Waverley at 3.17pm. The passengers left behind on platform 10 at London King's Cross are scheduled to arrive in the Scottish capital five minutes later, courtesy of
@LNER

 

[greyman42]

Are any of the other open access operators CR? If not what makes you think that Lumo should be?

What is CR?

 

[swt_passenger]

What is CR?

Compulsory Reservations

 

[greyman42]

I thought the female uniform a bit matronly. Why did they not reverse it and have the ladies in Startrek and the men in scifi prison warder?

I can't see the ladies walking up and down the train dressed like Lieutenant Uhura!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2021 ==

Grand Central have been operating CR since restarting after Lockdowns.

They certainly have not in my experience.

 

[DanNCL]

For those on the 16:12 from Edinburgh, the coach with the most empty seats is coach D, the second coach from the Edinburgh end of the train.

 

[High Dyke]

The trains need a yellow end though................

I believe the Rolling Stones type tongue / lips combination may be trademarked, but that might look fun on the front.

 

[DanNCL]

A very rushed shot given I was boarding one of these at the time, but here’s the two 803s meeting at Newcastle about 10 minutes ago:

 

[Kite159]

Bit of a silly question but what's the armrest on the window side like?

Is it moveable like the other 80Xs or fixed in a down position (if there is even one fitted)?

 

[JonathanH]

Bit of a silly question but what's the armrest on the window side like?

Is it moveable like the other 80Xs or fixed in a down position (if there is even one fitted)?

Fixed down - it is in a position where it can be used though.

 

[DanNCL]

The second northbound service left Morpeth a few minutes late. The delay at Morpeth is because of the rude, unprofessional member of Lumo staff on the platform getting the train to make an emergency stop because someone was taking a photograph, despite the person being behind the yellow line, then proceeding to yell at that person. In fact that person wasn’t just behind the yellow line, they were at least a couple of feet away from the yellow line! Whilst I get the legitimate concerns about standing too close to trains, that person was not in any position they shouldn’t have been in, nor were they in a position where anyone was put in danger. It’s a real shame as before that I had nothing but positive things to say about Lumo.

 

[Kite159]

Fixed down - it is in a position where it can be used though.

Hopefully it's better than other fixed armrests which are only much use for kids with the positioning. I will find out on Saturday

 

[Ianno87]

The second northbound service left Morpeth a few minutes late. The delay at Morpeth is because of the rude, unprofessional member of Lumo staff on the platform getting the train to make an emergency stop because someone was taking a photograph, despite the person being behind the yellow line, then proceeding to yell at that person. In fact that person wasn’t just behind the yellow line, they were at least a couple of feet away from the yellow line! Whilst I get the legitimate concerns about standing too close to trains, that person was not in any position they shouldn’t have been in, nor were they in a position where anyone was put in danger. It’s a real shame as before that I had nothing but positive things to say about Lumo.

I'm going to suggest the member of staff was in the right for stopping the train when they were not absolutely sure it was safe. Well done them! More likely to travel Lumo now, if they take this sort of thing seriously (not that other operators don't).

I might suggest today's staff were briefed to be wary of over-enthusastic frothing on launch day for people wanting the "perfect" shot, so were being suitably cautious.