Lumo Trains review 2024: Are they really THIS bad ?

[@TarrelScot]

Like with Easyjet and Ryanair, there will always be detractors and critics. Yet they always seem to fill the seats! I used Lumo from Edinburgh to LDN last month and was very impressed. Spot-on punctuality, clean pleasant interior, nicer seats than the same trains on LNER, charge points at every seat and limited stops. Easy to use booking system and the option of a refundable ticket without taking out a second mortgage. What's not to like? It's maybe a good example of what rail privatization should actually look like; competing companies operating on the same line, giving customers a real choice. (Didn't need to use the loo, so can't comment on that aspect).

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

Indeed. Lumo has found favour with the public and its load factor (maybe Edinburgh-Newcastle excepted) is high. It's the UK's equivalent of SNCF's Ouigo TGV.

[@chriswilliamson590]

I have done Lumo the once. I was delayed leaving Kings Cross but on time leaving Edinburgh. I wanted the toilet on the return journey but two were out of order. A great point you make about the toilets. I do wish grown adults would learn how to use a toilet in a respectful manner. My overall score with Lumo 5/10.

[@peteonthemove]

Thanks Chris. Yeah, the toilets were pretty grim even after 1.5 hours.

[@dahorn100011]

yeah, I never understood this either. Many places I've been I've had to close my eyes and hold my breath to use the toilet.

[@MrMWRMWR]

@@chriswilliamson590 toilets getting a makeover every hour would make all long distance services more acceptable. Mind you, no toilets at all in Elizabeth Line can require some planning - even for drivers as in a recent incident.

[@mervynrogers7354]

It's fellow passengers who mess up the toilets not Lumo!

[@chriswilliamson590]

@ I agree. There are many grown adults who have not yet learnt how to use a toilet and apply basic hygiene standards.

[@thenayancat8802]

Only taken one Lumo service, London to Edinburgh. Was about half the price of most other tickets I've gotten on that route, think it was about £50 which is a real bargain imo. Service was great, on time, zero complaints. Every other train I take to England from Edinburgh is delayed, or toilets are all out of order, so by British rail standards Lumo were exceptionally good

[@MrMWRMWR]

Well balanced report. My major problem with Lumo has been down to passengers with ridiculous amounts of luggage creating a scene and blocking the walkways. Always amazed at the coolness and civility of the staff. I do have an uneasy feeling that some of the staff are over-regimented with overly strict performance targets to counter tensions arising from the tougher rules and constraints surrounding a Lumo journey.

[@caitlinmcclare1271]

I have travelled with Lumo from Newcastle to London twice. Absolutely CANNOT fault them! I just wish they ran more services.

[@peteonthemove]

Hi Caitlin. I was really expecting the worst. But everything was great. Thanks for commenting.

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

Lumo has asked the regulator to extend its Edinburgh service to Glasgow. It also wants to operate from the Greater Manchester area to London Euston. If the latter gains approval Lumo will need more rolling stock as its current fleet is fully utilised.

[@122s9ghou]

the lumo staff are also realy friendly to train spotters when i had a day out in newcastle there as lumo driver tests going on and the essesors wher kind to me and later on in the day a train came in 5 mins early so a driver had a chat with me before he departed

[@physiocrat7143]

I cannot comment on the Lumo, but all the Great Western Hitachis suffer from bad ride quality. It is a combination of vibration, shaking, and rolling, plus heavy thumps at every set of points. This is exactly what would be expected of long vehicles with a lot of overhang from the bogies at each end, and unusually small wheels. These design parameters are a recipe for a rough riding train. Goodness knows what they are doing to the track. Like most other modern trains with airline style seating, I would assume that a lot of the "window" seats have no window next to them.

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

These Hitachi units used by GWR, LNER, TPE and Lumo were specified by our DfT. However Lumo did fit better seating on its Hitachi units.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Absolutely - the Country that gave the world railways should be ashamed at assembling these imported kit trains.....basically they're 'crap'!

[@physiocrat7143]

@robertp.wainman4094 They are as bad as they are due to civil service involvement. All the main parameters are the design are wrong. That said, there is nothing that could not be fixed by a visit to Sims Metals of Newport.

[@peteonthemove]

Alex. It's funny you should mention that. I was on a TPE from Carlisle today. The word "boneshaker" springs to mind.

[@chrissaltmarsh6777]

Just me; I travel Edinburgh To King's Cross quite often; twice on Lumo (as it was at a good time), mostly LNER Now, that is just me, with a backpack on, so it is pretty easy. Zero problems. Booking easy, train was there and left on time, into KGX on time. Staff fine. Toilet at the end a bit grotty but that is often the case with other carriers.

[@JonathanMorris777]

So in conclusion, most of the negative reviews are people who either didn't know about the luggage restrictions, or did know and chanced their luck - and perhaps when told what the restrictions were, thought staff were rude because they were told something they didn't want to hear. Lumo is incredibly popular, and while the luggage restrictions may force some people to travel with another operator, it seems to do a perfectly good job of being an ideal and affordable alternative to a slow coach, or paying more for LNER, or having to zig zag around on more regional train services with clever split ticketing tricks.

[@1954alister]

I have used Lumo a number of times and if the train is not too busy it has been a pleasant experience. During a very busy service it can feel very cramped annd and i like to be able to choose my seat and get a bit nauseous if i am sat with back to travel in an aisle seat. I prefer to travel with an operator that allows me to choose.

[@jonathanroberts9168]

As a regular traveller between North East and London. I find Lumo alright… until things go wrong and that’s were the problems start. At least with LNER you just hop on the next train.

[@kenstevens5065]

I would say the behaviour of some passengers from stupid to annoying is the worse thing about any form of public transport in Britain today not just the railways. All ages and all classes of people. You moan about delays? Try using the motorways or UK trunk roads! Toilets, Dr Beeching said one thing right on new carriage design in that it was to cater for the British public who were filthy. That was in 1964!

[@Glenn1967ful]

Not quite train related, but I checked your profile as your voice sounded Cumbrian and I was proved right. I used Avanti with work in September to go from Carlisle to Birmingham, again a company whose reputation has been poor, but is starting to get better. My main grripe was if work wasn't paying , the off peak return would have cost £116, which is a massive amount, but otherwise the trains were clean, punctual and staff pleasant.

[@peteonthemove]

Yep Glenn, I am Cumbrian. I can understand why people turn to Lumo on the East coast when other train companies are charging so much money for tickets. Thanks for watching, and also for the reply.

[@Glenn1967ful]

@@peteonthemove The downside with Lumo is the trains are very basic, but they do save you a lot of money and journey times are similar to LNER.

[@petercallomon9681]

Never had a problem with Lumo and I endorse all your comments. We have always travelled NCL to KGX and back as my daughter is at Uni in NCL. On the other hand LNER seats can be excruciatingly uncomfortable and their prices are 2.5 times the cost of Lumos.

[@vincentmacgillivray8594]

Thank you for not doing the ultra boring toilet tour like many creators seem to think is compulsory on trains and planes. Aye, if it's like the one in Trainspotting do it then but not for the bog standard 'all working' tour conclusion.

[@neilblackett1577]

My girlfriend used Lumo, LKX to NCL and said they were fine; no delays, unlike LNER who also had cancellations that day!

[@1258-Eckhart]

The phrase you were looking for is: "leave the toilets as you would wish to find them".

[@brianmorrison9168]

Great review ! My wife and I have travelled EDB - NCL a few times over the past couple of years an have always used LNER or TransPennine Express. We have never tried Lumo yet, as originally we used to travel with one large suitcase, but now we have two smaller cases, we may give them Lumo a chance. Regards from Whitlewy Bay

[@peteonthemove]

Thanks Brian. Much appreciated

[@notverydeep9726]

I suspect that aside from the luggage restrictions, the main cause of bad reviews will be disruption and the handling of that disruption. Unfortunately, major delay causing incidents on the East Coast Mainline route (rarely the fault of Lumo itself) are more frequent that they should be. I suspect that disrupted journeys are much more likely to make the passenger post a bad review (of any train operator), but as an "Open Access" operator, their cheaper tickets don't necessarily have the back up of being able to take the next train of another competing operator or travel via the West Coast Mainline instead during disruption, where these would be options for more flexible tickets. Finding onward taxis or coaches for up to 400 passengers when the line is blocked at Grantham or wherever is hard for any train operator and two or three members of train crew doesn't go very far when having to provide information and answer questions they don't necessarily have immediate or good answers to and that too can drive negative comments. Many passengers, like you will have had the journey they expected or at least hoped for and won't be motivated to review it.

[@peteonthemove]

I think this is a really thorough and well thought out reply. It's possible to buy a more flexible Lumo ticket. But it takes you into the price bracket of the other more established operators. I guess people buy a Lumo ticket and then hope for the best. I also think you made a great point regarding the motivation to post a poor review. Thanks for taking the time.

[@chriswarburtonbrown1566]

Recently got a Lumo from Edinburgh to Newcastle. Cheap, fast, comfortable and on time. I'm a seasoned and cynical train traveller, but was quite impressed. Trans Pennine, however... 💩

[@peteonthemove]

Thanks Chris. Funny you should say that actually. I'm doing a TransPennine review this week. Wish me luck !

[@dahorn100011]

I guess what you'll find, Lumo will have thousands of 'satisfied' customers. People like them, once their journey is complete, that's their transaction done with Lumo. They provided what was advertised. I find with things as a "service" reviews will always have a negative slant. A good example of this is phone apps. A game for instance, if its a decent game will have a good seeding of reviews in the rating range, generally rating on positive. Service apps on the other hand, apps you have to download to make things work, banking apps, smart home apps and the like will have a negative review bias. The people who installed the app and are using the service no problem won't leave a review, they just accept they have to use the app, the people who can't get it to work, or doesn't work for them will review negatively.

[@peteonthemove]

I felt I should take the time to post a positive review. But yep, it's much more likely for someone to post a poor one if they had a bad experience.

[@brianfretwell3886]

The only trouble I had was that, as Lumo trains are electric only, the one I was on cloudn't take the diversion and we had to use bus replacements after the start of the track works.

[@lummatravel]

The problem with lumo is that because it's budget option and the gaps between the stations are large, it's full of people with luggage for a few days away and there's not enough space. I've not booked them since I had to sit Newcastle to London with my case at my feet Grand Central doesn't have the same issues as it has multiple stops in the North East. All modern trains seem to have disgusting toilets. Don't know if it's a design problem or if humans are just becoming worse

[@BenRattigan]

My biggest complaint with Lumo is that they rush people onto trains, store luggage on seats and the interior of their trains is like blindingly bright. They are the Ryanair of trains without Ryanair prices.

[@peteonthemove]

I think that's a fair point Ben. The platform wasn't announced until about 10 minutes before departure. It meant that everyone turned up at the same time.

[@KevinChapman-fo2tj]

The blindingly bright interiors has always been an issue with the Hitachi 800 series ICTs, Just 2 many LED lights

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

Yes Lumo gained permission to compete with the incumbent because it operates like a budget airline. Lumo is a different product to LNER.

[@trafalgar624]

Why not use LNER then

[@Andrewjg_89]

Is Lumo that bad. I thought it was really good. Or is Lumo more busier with students travelling up to Newcastle and Edinburgh where they go to University. I personally haven't been on Lumo yet but I still am going to try it. I have been on LNER to York and Edinburgh Waverley and their services are wonderful.

[@archiebald4717]

Very good review.

[@peteonthemove]

Thank you

[@horace650]

If the toilet got that bad between EDI and NEW, what would it have been like by the time it got to KGX? As far as I know, these trains run non stop to KGX after Durham.

[@peteonthemove]

Hi. I think it's one more stop at Stevenage before KGX. I dread to think what they were like by then

[@poppyland74]

Try King's Cross to Newcastle as a better test of the route and service. Any service north of Newcastle is less crowded. I'm not sure many negative comments were from people going Edinburgh to Newcastle.

[@peteonthemove]

Not strictly true. The train I was on was pretty much full (according to train staff) at the start point in Edinburgh.

[@skinneramble8613]

Lumo are really good. Cannot fault them.

[@RushfanUK]

I did an up and down to London from Morpeth on Lumo a few weeks back, both trains were full, the London return was over 30 minutes late leaving Kings X, they did claim a broken-down train was causing issues on the tracks into Kings X but no other services were affected and they had engineering staff working on one end of my carriage when I boarded so not sure about the excuse. I found it uncomfortable sitting for over 3 hours in the seats, I was hemmed in the window side with only a part window each way by the aisle passengers who both rather encroached on me, the trolley service made two appearances each way, toilets were unpleasant to put it mildly, overall I can understand the appeal for those on a budget, I can plan in advance for travel so will stick to LNER 1st Class, the extra price is far outweighed by the comfort and on board services of food and drink for me and being able to book in advance means I can get relatively cheap tickets, the LUMO cost was £70 in total and I could have gone LNER 1st for £120 total when I looked at the options originally, somebody else actually dictated that we use LUMO this time.

[@peteonthemove]

Hi. Thanks for the detailed comments. I'm doing an LNER 1st class trip next week to see what it's like.

[@parshakamarsh]

It looks like pretty much any other train service these days, no better, no worse. Considering the price I don't know what people are complaining about. And as for the state of the toilets maybe people should point the finger at the disgusting slobs who leave them in that condition rather than the train operators as it's not only Lumo trains where this happens

[@GrahamWathey]

As I don't live in Newcastle or London, I'll never know. At York you just see it sail by.

[@ghosthorse77]

These people who complain regarding luggage, it's down to Trainline not putting the restrictions in. But these people have a low IQ, and they will make problems for any form of transport.

[@peteonthemove]

I guess they just buy the tickets on trainline, and not bother to look on the Lumo website.

[@pardenwho5507]

It’s owned by FirstGroup. Of course they are gonna be shite

[@UKTransportVideos82]

Lumo ain't as bad as LNER they ARE TOTAL RIP OFF BAD SERVICE

[@peteonthemove]

Hiya. That's good news. I'm trying them for the 1st time next week. 😂 I'm based on the west coast, so I don't have cause to use LNER. I usually use Avanti.

[@wowpcgamermike]

travel lner for a better serivce

[@peteonthemove]

To be fair, they almost get as many 1 star reviews as Lumo.

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

Also better frequency...LNER runs every 30 mins London-Edinburgh on weekdays.

[@Kandlelite]

YOU FORGET HALF THE COMMENTS ARE FAKE !! or for attention seeking

[@rickreid8572]

Just fly- what is the point in this torture?

[@benbrist]

No need to deal with security if taking hand luggage etc or pay extra for suitcases, if you're going between Edinburgh and Newcastle like Pete did don't think you could fly reasonably anyway. The time you'd take getting to the airport then needing to a take a train/tram afterwards anyway it's a lot more convenient and likely cheaper. No WiFi (I know train WiFi sucks but better than nothing or you could use your 4G/5G) on it too which you can't on the majority of airlines, especially domestically.

[@hellfiregrowler]

Fly? What, from Edinburgh to Newcastle? 😂😂😂

[@CLWF3]

What part of it are you saying is torture?

[@rickreid8572]

@@CLWF3 proximity to the masses.....

[@rickreid8572]

@@hellfiregrowler hahaha if possible!!!!