

On its website, Lumo states: "We don’t believe that you should pay extra for service, comfort or indeed the ability to do the right thing for the environment. While Lumo prices are higher than those offered by EasyJet, they are consistently lower than those by other train operators. We are empowering people to make green travel choices that are genuinely affordable without compromising on comfort.” "We believe everyone has the right to travel in style. "Whatever your preferred mode of transport, we are likely to be more affordable and kinder to the planet." When announcing the service between Edinburgh and London, Lumo managing director Helen Wylde said: "Travelling in the UK should not cost a fortune and it certainly shouldn’t be the planet that pays. Looking ahead to the new year, a weekend trip to London and back with EasyJet can be bought for £45.98, while it costs £103.90 for a return trip with Lumo - over double the amount. Lumo don't advertise any return journeys at all on the Sunday, but comparing prices on Monday 6 December, the cheapest flight from London Gatwick to Edinburgh can be bought for £24.99, while the cheapest Lumo train is £32.90. To sign up, simply enter your email address into this link here and select Daily News.Ĭomparing the cost of a return journey to London between the two services in December, it's a similar story.Īn outward flight to London Gatwick with EasyJet can be bought for £35.99 on 3 December, while a journey with Lumo on the same day can be bought for £42.90. The morning newsletter arrives every day before 9am and the evening newsletter, manually curated by the team, is sent at 6.30pm, giving you a round up of the most important stories of the day.
#Lumo train london to edinburgh free
Get all the latest news and headlines from Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians sent straight to your inbox twice a day by signing up to our free newsletter.įrom breaking news to the latest on the coronavirus crisis in Scotland, we'll have you covered. The outbound and return journeys combined cost £88.98 when flying with EasyJet, compared to £138 for the Lumo trains - almost £50 more expensive. Looking ahead to next weekend, an outbound flight from Edinburgh to London Gatwick on 5 November can be bought for £35.99, while a Lumo train to London on the same morning costs £69.00.Ī return flight on 7 November with EasyJet is more expensive at £52.99, but still cheaper than the £69 return train offered by Lumo. To find out, I went onto both the Lumo and EasyJet websites, and picked three different weekends over the next three months to compare the price of a return trip.


READ MORE - Edinburgh Scotrail services disrupted due to extreme weather overnight Whatever your preferred mode of transport, we are likely to be more affordable and kinder to the planet.New train operator Lumo has now officially launched journeys from Edinburgh to London.Īlthough it was branded an "affordable" option for travel to and from the UK capital when it announced, I was curious if this was really the case in practice.īefore the service began, flying to and from London was consistently cheaper than getting a train, and I wanted to see if this was still the case - or whether Lumo had dethroned EasyJet. Helen Wylde, the managing director of Lumo, said: “Travelling in the UK should not cost a fortune and it certainly shouldn’t be the planet that pays. Although the line from London to Edinburgh is fully electrified, Lumo argues its trains may be fractionally more carbon efficient per seat than rival operators’ – partly because LNER operates bi-mode electro-diesel trains to allow direct services on unelectrified railways in Scotland. Lumo will stress its green credentials, especially compared to flying, with carbon calculations published for passengers, and a more plant-based catering menu. The services will also call at Newcastle, Morpeth and Stevenage, giving potential alternatives to air passengers using Newcastle or Luton airports.
#Lumo train london to edinburgh full
The few open access operators in the UK do not have the contractual obligations of LNER or other former rail franchises to run a full timetable, nor to charge fares as dictated by the government. Lumo will be run as an “open access” service on the route, in a similar arrangement to that of Grand Central and Hull Trains, limiting it to 10 trains a day. It said 60% of seats on Lumo will cost £30 or less, with a maximum fare of £69 one way. First has pledged that fares will be substantially cheaper than the level of LNER, which operates most trains on the route, with singles starting at £14.90, roughly half the best lead-in rail fare currently available.
