Lumo trains: How much journeys from London to Edinburgh will cost, and how to book budget service

A new budget train operator has launched that will significantly cut the price of journeys between London and Edinburgh.

“Open access” company Lumo will compete with the likes of East Coast and LNER, as well as budget airlines such as Ryanair.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Lumo?

Lumo is backed by First Group, which won a contract to compete with the state-owned companies five years ago.

First Group has pledged to invest £100m into new trains.

The name combines the words “illumination” and “motion”.

Lumo says: “We take our passengers’ wellbeing extremely seriously and want everyone to arrive refreshed and ready.

“We aim to reimagine what it means to travel by rail and Lumo brings that together in one word.”

The trains will have an onboard catering service and provide access to movies and boxsets.

Which routes will it travel?

Lumo will launch on 25 October. It will run initially two trains per day each way between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley.

The company will increase this to five per day each way once it acquires more trains.

Each service will stop at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth in Northumberland.

The full journey will take four and half hours – slightly longer than the current routes.

How much will journeys cost?

Some journeys will cost less than £15, but Lumo has promised that all single trips before 1 December will cost £19.90 or less as long as they are booked at least the day before.

After that, it has pledged that 60 per cent of its fares will be under £30, and the most expensive ticket bought on the day should cost £69.

Railcards and other such discounts will not initially be valid on Lumo trains.

However, most journeys will still cost less than the current options – LNER’s cheapest ticket from London to Edinburgh costs around £50.

How can I book?

You can book a trip with Lumo through its website.