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

[irish_rail]

"Customer drivers" is worse.

Personally I'd have called them stewards (in the principles of equality, probably used "stewards" for the female ones too). They're not guards, and frankly "OBS" (as GTR use for a similar role) sounds rubbish.

Possibly the worst title ever dreamed up by the privatisised railway in my view. Sounds flipping awful.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think that Customer Driver and Ambassador are quite clever job titles - designed specifically to distance themselves from the rest of the rail industry and the entrenched habits of many staff.

So.... Who drives the trains then. And do the customers/passengers really need driving along the platform to the correct doors/coach ?.

 

[cakefiend]

What a wonderful world that we live in, where everything is so perfect that the only thing that upsets us is the job title afforded to people who do a job for a company we don't work for.

 

[Ianno87]

What a wonderful world that we live in, where everything is so perfect that the only thing that upsets us is the job title afforded to people who do a job for a company we don't work for.

If the staff are happy and the passengers are happy, then what exactly is the issue.

This forum is mildly obsessed with being "traditional" and "what BR would have done" (see also the complaining about the name "Lumo" a while back).

 

[357]

This forum is mildly obsessed with being "traditional" and "what BR would have done" (see also the complaining about the name "Lumo" a while back).

Totally agree. I think that this company has solid foundation and potential to become a huge success in the same way the low cost French trains have.

For another example, see the hysterical comments about removing the A-Z timetable posters

 

[yorkie]

This forum is mildly obsessed with being "traditional" and "what BR would have done" (see also the complaining about the name "Lumo" a while back).

A few people, that's it.

I've noticed that when more than 3 or 4 people express a view, some people are mildly obsessed with stating 'the forum' has a view

 

[43066]

What a wonderful world that we live in, where everything is so perfect that the only thing that upsets us is the job title afforded to people who do a job for a company we don't work for.

If nobody ever expressed opinions on things that don’t affect them personally, it wouldn’t be much of a discussion forum would it!?

Is there any reason why ANY rostered staff on a train who are not either:
1. driving
2. cooking
3. waiting-on
4. RPI

.................... are not carrying-out the role of a guard?

I think the “Ambassadors” are there to do the customer service bit primarily, but also trained and able to dispatch the train when necessary. They’re paid more like non safety critical OBSs, hence they’ve had to rely on recruiting externals.

 

[takno]

Totally agree. I think that this company has solid foundation and potential to become a huge success in the same way the low cost French trains have.

For another example, see the hysterical comments about removing the A-Z timetable posters

Ouigo have been a moderate success, but have made life much worse for other rail users, since they don't do through ticketing, often don't run into central terminuses, and mostly seem to run instead of a normal train, so reducing options for normal teavellers. Ultimately this kind of thing may end up driving a different market segment back into the air

Lumo are already effortlessly better than Ouigo, because they are managing to run and fill trains without apparently disrupting the existing LNER service at all, and while participating in industry through-ticketing and compensation arrangements.

It's a shame when members are accusing people who happen to completely disagree with them of hysteria. We're having interesting discussions, often with not much evidence or agreement on what counts as a good outcome, and we are coming to very different conclusions about how the railway and the wider world should be. Hopefully in doing that we learn a bit more about what makes each other tick, and become more empathetic as a result.

 

[Grumpy Git]

It's a shame when members are accusing people who happen to completely disagree with them of hysteria. We're having interesting discussions, often with not much evidence or agreement on what counts as a good outcome, and we are coming to very different conclusions about how the railway and the wider world should be. Hopefully in doing that we learn a bit more about what makes each other tick, and become more empathetic as a result.

Precisely. The group of people I meet up with on a day out to a football match are all from similar social/economic backgrounds, but we have wildly different political views in a lot of cases. It doesn't make us want to knock each other out, (even after a few sherbets), it means we have a few lively debates, but shake hands on parting.

 

[irish_rail]

What a wonderful world that we live in, where everything is so perfect that the only thing that upsets us is the job title afforded to people who do a job for a company we don't work for.

Trouble is "Customer driver" makes no sense. The driver drives the train. If he or she where to "drive" the customer i think there would be eyebrows raised!

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I've noticed that when more than 3 or 4 people express a view, some people are mildly obsessed with stating 'the forum' has a view

So much this.

One person: "We should reopen Carmarthen–Aberystwyth because it's very pretty countryside and I like trains"
About 500 people: "OMG this forum is so unrealistic, full of crayonistas. Apart from me of course I'm super realistic about everything and I even know what BCR stands for.*"

It does get a bit wearing.

* Ban Carmarthen's Railways, right?

 

[tornado]

The most encouraging aspect of LUMO is the non-stop nature of it. Even though they are a bit hamstrung at the moment by train paths, stopping only at Newcastle and Morpeth is a lot more pleasant if you are in inter-city traveller. It gives a more airplane-like experience to the whole enterprise. The Sunday morning down is even timed at 4 hr 3 mins which is excellent.

Contrast to the other 800x operators, who took advantage of the improved acceleration of the units to add more stops into the same timings of the previous generation. The WCML has gone backwards from 4 hr 9 mins KGX-GLA to 4 hr 30 mins.

 

[Bald Rick]

The WCML has gone backwards from 4 hr 9 mins KGX-GLA to 4 hr 30 mins.

?

 

[Bletchleyite]

?

i think he meant Euston-Glasgow. But yes, the "crack expresses" (Preston only) have been dropped in favour of an all day clockface service, which does make sense as a crack express is only useful if its timings suit your purposes, and the classic 1000 slot won't suit many purposes.

 

[Bald Rick]

i think he meant Euston-Glasgow. But yes, the "crack expresses" (Preston only) have been dropped in favour of an all day clockface service, which does make sense as a crack express is only useful if its timings suit your purposes, and the classic 1000 slot won't suit many purposes.

there was only one, in one direction, the 1630 off Euston. I used it often. It was never remotely busy.

 

[superalbs]

The most encouraging aspect of LUMO is the non-stop nature of it. Even though they are a bit hamstrung at the moment by train paths, stopping only at Newcastle and Morpeth is a lot more pleasant if you are in inter-city traveller. It gives a more airplane-like experience to the whole enterprise. The Sunday morning down is even timed at 4 hr 3 mins which is excellent.

Contrast to the other 800x operators, who took advantage of the improved acceleration of the units to add more stops into the same timings of the previous generation. The WCML has gone backwards from 4 hr 9 mins KGX-GLA to 4 hr 30 mins.

I agree, going without stops for nearly 3 hours did have a really nice long-distance feel to it.

 

[tornado]

?

Sorry, I was getting my Station Codes and Airport Codes, and ECML/WCML completely mixed up. Yes, Euston-Glasgow.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I agree, going without stops for nearly 3 hours did have a really nice long-distance feel to it.

I've always quite liked that, psychologically, when WCML services are diverted via the West Midlands.

 

[Bluejays]

Would be interested to see if their ticket sales remain healthy for the next few weeks. Hopefully they will, the 'low cost ' tag seems to have really got traction with the press, and got their brand out there to the public.

As for the idea that all complaints are about not liking change. I really disagree with that. I think lumo is great, but its great because it's aggressively priced and has sorted out some decent seats. It's the fundamentals that will see it succeed hopefully. I think people are entitled to complain/laugh about some of the cringey pr that their social media and pr teams have been pumping out

 

[py_megapixel]

One thing notable about German (DOO) U- and S-Bahn trains is that they have speakers on the outside so the driver can do exactly that. Makes a lot of sense.

The same ones, presumably, that automatically say "Zuruckbleiben bitte" before the doors close, though I've not heard a driver use them before.

Most British stock now has speakers on the outside anyway to produce the required tones associated with the doors. However I believe these are self-contained units built for this specific purpose (all they do is output a certain pre-programmed sequence of sounds depending on which pin is grounded) so couldn't be used as a PA system

I wonder if some system could be built allowing drivers to speak over the platform speakers. Plenty of stations have already adopted wireless handsets that platform staff carry around so they can make announcements; that system could probably be adapted.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The same ones, presumably, that automatically say "Zuruckbleiben bitte" before the doors close, though I've not heard a driver use them before.

Yep. Generally in older times the "Zurueckbleiben, bitte" was done manually, it being automatic was from around the early 2000s. Usually somewhat mumbled (more of a "Zurblmbt"), so it took me a few months of living in Hamburg to work out what was being said!

I wonder if some system could be built allowing drivers to speak over the platform speakers. Plenty of stations have already adopted wireless handsets that platform staff carry around so they can make announcements; that system could probably be adapted.

Probably more expensive to retrofit than the German arrangement.

 

[185143]

803002 has failed at Edinburgh Waverley working the 16:12 to Kings Cross. We've not left yet. Been told a Hitachi fitter is on site but little else.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Oct 2021 ==

16:12 Edinburgh-London Kings Cross is CANCELLED.

Been told to wait on the platform and the ambassadors will tell us about ticket acceptance. Fortunately I'm supposed to be on TPE who already have acceptance with XC+LNER.

 

[43096]

803002 has failed at Edinburgh Waverley working the 16:12 to Kings Cross. We've not left yet. Been told a Hitachi fitter is on site but little else.

Those ambassadors all gone into hiding rather than offering the proverbial Ferrero Rocher to their customers?

 

[Steddenm]

According to a Tweet from Lum⁰ they are running an additional train tomorrow to cope with demand...

Due to unprecedented demand, we’re expecting our services from Fri 29th – Sun 31st Oct to be extremely busy.

We've added an additional service tomorrow to depart from London KGX at 12:18, open to those with pre-booked tickets for Friday 29th without seat reservations.

Full thread here https://twitter.com/LumoTravel/status/1453756414296477706?t=1AUeW7-N-q3-RAKowGY3hw&s=19

 

[185143]

Those ambassadors all gone into hiding rather than offering the proverbial Ferrero Rocher to their customers?

An ambassador walked through the train 2 or 3 times, there was certainly no offer of Ferrero Rocher!

It was handled pretty poorly. Apparently boarding was very chaotic, I arrived 10 minutes after departure so can't comment on that. Only heard one announcement while I was onboard though, and that was to say Hitachi had arrived to sort the problem. Followed by another announcement from somebody else at 17:20ish asking all passengers to leave the train, and that we'd be told what to do on the platform.

I didn't hang around as I knew I was valid on the LNER due to the WCML disruption so headed straight to platform 2. The entire Lumo train's passengers arrived shortly after. LNER's staff were pretty much left to pick up the pieces, didn't see any Lumo Ambassadors head over to platform 2 to assist with loading, deal with complaints or anything.

Lots of complaints onboard as it was full and standing. Not a good look for passengers who might usually fly!

 

[DanNCL]

Unsurprisingly LNER appear not to be accepting those with Lumo only tickets who should have been on the cancelled 16:12. Plenty of reports on the likes of Twitter of people being charged three digit sums of money for new tickets to travel with LNER.

Can anyone confirm if ticket acceptance with LNER was requested and refused, or if Lumo simply went down the refund everyone route?

As an aside, given that there's now no unit in London, is it safe to assume that the 10:45 from Kings Cross tomorrow is also not going to run? Or is there a plan to get a unit down there to run the service?

 

[Darandio]

803002 has failed at Edinburgh Waverley working the 16:12 to Kings Cross. We've not left yet. Been told a Hitachi fitter is on site but little else.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Oct 2021 ==

16:12 Edinburgh-London Kings Cross is CANCELLED.

Been told to wait on the platform and the ambassadors will tell us about ticket acceptance. Fortunately I'm supposed to be on TPE who already have acceptance with XC+LNER.

Yet it seems they didn't fancy telling anyone. Their website continued to show (and still shows) good service throughout. No announcement on Twitter either, customers had to ask themselves whether the train was cancelled and as above they ended up having to board other trains and fork out for new tickets. Not great.

 

[800001]

Unsurprisingly LNER appear not to be accepting those with Lumo only tickets who should have been on the cancelled 16:12. Plenty of reports on the likes of Twitter of people being charged three digit sums of money for new tickets to travel with LNER.

Can anyone confirm if ticket acceptance with LNER was requested and refused, or if Lumo simply went down the refund everyone route?

As an aside, given that there's now no unit in London, is it safe to assume that the 10:45 from Kings Cross tomorrow is also not going to run? Or is there a plan to get a unit down there to run the service?

Lner have been full and standing most of day due to already carrying Avanti and TPE customers........
Unsure if lumo requested or were granted acceptance, but can't imagine lner would of been to keen to get another 400+ passengers added to there already extremely busy services.

 

[Starmill]

Lner have been full and standing most of day due to already carrying Avanti and TPE customers........
Unsure if lumo requested or were granted acceptance, but can't imagine lner would of been to keen to get another 400+ passengers added to there already extremely busy services.

The trouble is, if there's no pre-boarding control, and several hundred people just get onto a train, the train manager isn't going to be able to check any tickets, let alone identify / charge the people with Lumo Only ones. The train crew can hardly go up against that many people. They have a choice only to either leave with the train full and standing or refuse to go at all and leave everyone stuck then.

 

[800001]

The trouble is, if there's no pre-boarding control, and several hundred people just get onto a train, the train manager isn't going to be able to check any tickets, let alone identify / charge the people with Lumo Only ones. The train crew can hardly go up against that many people. They have a choice only to either leave with the train full and standing or refuse to go at all and leave everyone stuck then.

I fully agree. If I was a TM I wouldn't be putting myself in to the situation.
Reading twitter tonight, lner getting all the blame from Lumo customers