When will Lumo (West Coast) start?

[thenorthern]

Looking at RTT the first day that Lumo is listed as running passenger services is Sunday the 17th of May 2026. I am aware that RTT is not the "official" source for a Lumo start date but how realistic is that start date? Also when will fares start to be available?

Also has there been any annoucement of what fares from Carlisle to Euston will be like? I know the walk up fare from Carlisle to Euston is listed on BrFares as £150 which for an anytime return Lumo only isn't bad. However I know for the East Coast Lumo said that their average fare would be £25 when advanced tickets are taken into account. Will we see a similar thing with Lumo West Coast?

 

[skyhigh]

17th of May is simply the next timetable change date, it doesn't mean the service will actually commence then or is currently planned to be.

 

[The Planner]

It could well start in a reduced form before then.

 

[thenorthern]

As of today (24th February) Lumo West Coast trains have appeared on National Rail for the 18th of May however it's not possible to book tickets for the services yet.

Looking at the timetable it takes Lumo 2:29 to get from Preston to Euston with a single stop at Milton Keynes Central. While the direct Avanti is 2:12 with stops at Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western. I assume the longer journey time to Stirling is due to the fact that the Class 222 trains don't have TASS so have a more limited top speed than the Class 390s.

 

[VItraveller]

““As of today (24th February) Lumo West Coast trains have appeared on National Rail for the 18th of May however it's not possible to book tickets for the services yet.

Looking at the timetable it takes Lumo 2:29 to get from Preston to Euston with a single stop at Milton Keynes Central. While the direct Avanti is 2:12 with stops at Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western. I assume the longer journey time to Stirling is due to the fact that the Class 222 trains don't have TASS so have a more limited top speed than the Class 390s.”

I thought they were going to be calling at Nuneaton as well, has that changed?

 

[MatthewE707]

I assume the longer journey time to Stirling is due to the fact that the Class 222 trains don't have TASS so have a more limited top speed than the Class 390s.

And also because it has 9.5 minutes of pathing allowance compared to 4 minutes on the Avanti service

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The first Lumo service from Preston (1A00, dep 0641) has 13 minutes of pathing allowance in its schedule, Euston arr. 0928, journey time 2h47m.
The adjacent Avanti service (1R22, dep 0658) has 2 minutes pathing allowance, Euston arr 0912, journey time 2h14m, 33m quicker.
They both make 2 stops. The Avanti overtakes the Lumo at Nuneaton, where the latter does a stretch on the slow line from Tamworth (75mph).

Realtime Trains | 1A00 0641 Preston to London Euston | 18/05/2026

Real-time train running information for 1A00 0641 departure from Preston to London Euston on 18/05/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 1R22 0428 Glasgow Central to London Euston | 18/05/2026

Real-time train running information for 1R22 0428 departure from Glasgow Central to London Euston on 18/05/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Snow1964]

Lumo are saying Spring 2026

Services will launch in Spring 2026, with tickets going on sale ahead of the first trains running. Timetables, fares and onboard details will be announced soon.
Services will call at London Euston, Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds, Larbert and Stirling.
Services will use five modern six-car Class 222 trains, using intelligent engine management systems that reduce fuel use where possible.

Trains to Stirling | Trains to London Euston | Lumo

Plan your trip to Stirling with Lumo Trains! Discover a variety of things to do in and around the city. Book direct trains to Stirling at great prices with Lumo.

www.lumo.co.uk

Spring is defined as either
Meteorological basis 1st March to 31st May
Equinox / solstice basis 14:26 on 20th March to 09:24 on Sunday 21st June

So sometime in 5 week period between new timetable 17 May and early 21st June

 

[VT 390]

I thought they were going to be calling at Nuneaton as well, has that changed?

Even once all Lumo services are introduced, in the current timetable, some services will skip Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton and Crewe.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Presumably they will need at least 2x Cl222s to have been Lumo-ified by Alstom. Is there any intel on how that work is going?

 

[Mainline421]

Lumo are saying Spring 2026

Trains to Stirling | Trains to London Euston | Lumo

Plan your trip to Stirling with Lumo Trains! Discover a variety of things to do in and around the city. Book direct trains to Stirling at great prices with Lumo.

www.lumo.co.uk

Spring is defined as either
Meteorological basis 1st March to 31st May
Equinox / solstice basis 14:26 on 20th March to 09:24 on Sunday 21st June

So sometime in 5 week period between new timetable 17 May and early 21st June

They already have the paths so the could start before 17 May if they choose, although they may want a 222 refurbished first.

 

[Russel]

The Tuesday afternoon training run seems to have been a regular thing, I've seen it pass Atherstone at about 4pm the last 4 Tuesdays heading towards Crewe, hopefully it's a good sign.

 

[0161]

Really looking forward to catching this service from Preston, and not have to do the Glasgow shuffle, or change at Haymarket laden with luggage.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Really looking forward to catching this service from Preston, and not have to do the Glasgow shuffle, or change at Haymarket laden with luggage.

Don't forget that you can't travel with Lumo when "laden with luggage" - their entitlement on the ECML is quite stingy and that is on trains that have usefully sized overheads. 222s don't, so the allowance is likely to be the same if not smaller.

 

[0161]

Don't forget that you can't travel with Lumo when "laden with luggage" - their entitlement on the ECML is quite stingy and that is on trains that have usefully sized overheads. 222s don't, so the allowance is likely to be the same if not smaller.

These days I can fit anything into a "Ryanair Approved" trolley case, so hopefully I won't fall foul!

 

[thenorthern]

I spoke to Lumo earlier this week and they mentioned that the start date is currently unknown despite their trains appearing on National Rail.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2026 ==

Don't forget that you can't travel with Lumo when "laden with luggage" - their entitlement on the ECML is quite stingy and that is on trains that have usefully sized overheads. 222s don't, so the allowance is likely to be the same if not smaller.

I did not know this so genuinely thank you very much as I was looking at travelling on Lumo soon and I am glad I wasn't caught out.

If anyone is wondering the Lumo luggage rules are.

All customers can bring on board a maximum of ONE Small bag OR Small Holdall and ONE Medium suitcase (63 x 41 x 27cm). Golf clubs and large musical instruments are not allowed onboard, travel will be denied if carrying these items.

Onboard Train Luggage Policy | Lumo

We understand our customers wish to keep their luggage close by but depending on the size, this may not always be possible. Read our onboard luggage policy here.

www.lumo.co.uk

Whereas the National Rail Conditions of Travel which most of us are used to are.

You may take up to three items of luggage into the passenger accommodation of a train unless: wihich is list of exceptions. https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e...2/National_Rail_Conditions_of_Travel_2025.pdf

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Lumo claiming to run the first direct service between Larbert and London, clearly they have not done their research!

 

[D6130]

Lumo claiming to run the first direct service between Larbert and London, clearly they have not done their research!

Indeed!

 

[Russel]

Lumo claiming to run the first direct service between Larbert and London, clearly they have not done their research!

How so?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

How so?

The below post says the Highland Chieftain (The [now LNER] Kings Cross to Inverness) used to stop there

As for the Chieftain, none of the timetables I possess has it calling at Polmont or Linlithgow, but it did used to serve Dunblane and Larbert in some years.

Trivia: Direct trains to London then and now

Since 1980, which I guess is when the rail network was at its lowest ebb? Which stations, say at least 30 miles from the capital have gained a direct train to London? Also which stations have actually lost through trains to London since 1980? There are some stations which temporarily had...

www.railforums.co.uk

and another putting the end date in the late 1980s

Labert had calls each day in 1986/1988 but none after that even on Sundays, so Larbert appears to have lost direct service to London in about 1988/9.

Trivia: Direct trains to London then and now

The HSTs out of Queen Street simply ran in the slot of the normal services so served Polmont or Linlithgow in addition to Falkirk High and Haymarket. As for the Chieftain, none of the timetables I possess has it calling at Polmont or Linlithgow, but it did used to serve Dunblane and Larbert in...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Cheshire Scot]

How so?

Until the early 1970s the daytime Euston Perth called in both directions and the overnight Euston Perth called in both directions until it stopped running possibly late 1980s

 

[eastwestdivide]

Presumably they will need at least 2x Cl222s to have been Lumo-ified by Alstom. Is there any intel on how that work is going?

Not seen anything. Have any even been reformed to the planned 6 cars yet?

 

[Russel]

The below post says the Highland Chieftain (The [now LNER] Kings Cross to Inverness) used to stop there

Trivia: Direct trains to London then and now

Since 1980, which I guess is when the rail network was at its lowest ebb? Which stations, say at least 30 miles from the capital have gained a direct train to London? Also which stations have actually lost through trains to London since 1980? There are some stations which temporarily had...

www.railforums.co.uk

and another putting the end date in the late 1980s

Trivia: Direct trains to London then and now

The HSTs out of Queen Street simply ran in the slot of the normal services so served Polmont or Linlithgow in addition to Falkirk High and Haymarket. As for the Chieftain, none of the timetables I possess has it calling at Polmont or Linlithgow, but it did used to serve Dunblane and Larbert in...

www.railforums.co.uk

Until the early 1970s the daytime Euston Perth called in both directions and the overnight Euston Perth called in both directions until it stopped running possibly late 1980s

Ah, so we're talking about services that stopped over 40 years ago.

Lumo could have worded it better, but I can see where they are coming from.

 

[thenorthern]

In the news yesterday it mentioned that tickets are now on sale from the 10th of July. Although no start date has been announced and tickets for earlier dates are expected to go on sale in the near future. £23.90 without a railcard from Preston to London isn't bad.

New budget train service to connect London and Scotland for under £30​

Tickets are now on sale for the low-price West Coast Main Line journeys​

Tickets have gone on sale for a new budget train service from Scotland to London launching this summer.

Budget rail company Lumo is setting new long-distance train services in motion on the West Coast Main Line, promising cheaper fares for people travelling between Scotland and the capital.

Tickets are now on sale for travel from 10 July to the end of summer, and some earlier services are expected to be added in the coming weeks, as it’s anticipated that the route will be launched before July.


Customers can book a journey between London and Stirling from as little as £29.90, between London and Preston for £23.90 and between Preston and Stirling for £14.90. Applicable railcards can be added for a further reduction.

New budget train service to connect London and Scotland for under £30

Tickets are now on sale for the low-price West Coast Main Line journeys

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Topological]

It is a good price the Lumo are offering.

I saw one of the 222s in Crewe on Thursday as I passed through on my TfW. So the 222s are out and about.

If you can afford to pay the Avanti price at the last minute should Lumo not run, gambling on the Lumo trains running and buying a Lumo-only ticket is not a bad idea. I do assume here that you get a refund if you buy for the 10th of July, but Lumo do not start the service then.

 

[thenorthern]

It is a good price the Lumo are offering.

I saw one of the 222s in Crewe on Thursday as I passed through on my TfW. So the 222s are out and about.

If you can afford to pay the Avanti price at the last minute should Lumo not run, gambling on the Lumo trains running and buying a Lumo-only ticket is not a bad idea. I do assume here that you get a refund if you buy for the 10th of July, but Lumo do not start the service then.

If Lumo fails to launch by the 10th of July then yes they would have to refund passengers. Not just under railway regulatin but under consumer protection laws as Lumo would have failed to deliver on the thing the customer purchased.

Given that Avanti will be replaced by Great British Rail soon does anyone know how the ticketing will work with open access operators and GBR?

 

[Mainline421]

They are planning to launch in "Spring" so the chances they're still not running on 10 July are very slim.

 

[Mikey C]

If anyone is wondering the Lumo luggage rules are.

I never knew about their restrictions. Unlikely to affect me, but I was on a fairly quiet late evening LNER train into London yesterday where someone was carrying a double bass, so just as well he didn't book a Lumo train

 

[Bletchleyite]

I never knew about their restrictions. Unlikely to affect me, but I was on a fairly quiet late evening LNER train into London yesterday where someone was carrying a double bass, so just as well he didn't book a Lumo train

A double bass is also too big for the national rules, but enforcement is near nonexistent, whereas Lumo definitely do enforce. A couple of centimetres over and they won't care (in particular if you turn up with an IATA trolley they won't care about the 45cm dimension vs 43, though most of them are 55x40x20 so they fit Ryanair too), but they do turn away stuff like golf bags and giant trolley cases.

 

[Kite159]

I would imagine Lumo West Coast will enforce their luggage rules more than they do on the East Coast, only due to the overhead luggage racks on a 222 being on the small side (compared to the luggage racks on a 803)