Hitachi and Lumo fleet help rail become preferred choice over air travel between Edinburgh and London

• Lumo, FirstRail, Beacon Rail and Hitachi Rail celebrate anniversary of first service on 25^th October
• Lumo to have carried a million passengers by November
• British built fleet has travelled one million miles and is four times more reliable than UK industry average

FirstGroup’s 100% electric rail operator Lumo has achieved two major milestones in its first year, having attracted a million passengers and seen rail overtake air travel to become the preferred mode of transport between Edinburgh and London.

Since the introduction of its full timetable in April, Lumo has helped to make rail the favoured mode of transport between Edinburgh and London for the first time*. Its average ticket price is just £37.

Between April and August, 57% of journeys between Edinburgh and London were by rail, compared to a pre-pandemic position of 35% for April-August 2019. Some 66% of travellers chose rail over domestic flights in August itself, suggesting the trend may be set to continue.

The budget rail operator will carry its millionth passenger in November having run over 2,500 services, the equivalent of around 4,125 full flights** each carrying 180 people.

Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Lumo, commented: “The increase in rail’s share of passengers between London and Edinburgh demonstrates the value Lumo has brought to the East Coast Main Line. Not only have we attracted passengers to greener transport, we have noticed that other operators have also increased their market share. Together we have convinced the public that the convenience, price and environmental impact of rail is well worth it.”

Rail Minister, Kevin Foster said: “The addition of Lumo’s electric trains to the East Coast Main Line is just one way our railways are leading the way in decarbonising transport. As we continue striving towards net-zero by 2050, operators like Lumo will help ensure we meet this ambitious target.”

With average customer loadings at 86%, Lumo services have broken records for reliability. The fleet, which was built at Hitachi Rail’s factory in County Durham, has travelled over one million miles, without any technical incidents for half of the periods it has been in service.

The British built trains completed an entire quarter with no technical incidents, which has resulted in the Lumo fleet being four times more reliable than the UK industry average. The Lumo fleet has become the most reliable out-of-the-box train Hitachi Rail has ever delivered in the UK.

Jim Brewin, Head of UK & Ireland for Hitachi Rail, said: “In just 12 months, the Lumo fleet has become the most reliable Hitachi has ever launched in the UK. Being both incredibly reliable, and 100% electric, encourages the shift to rail required to meet Net Zero. The success of this British built train is recognition of the hard work from everyone at Lumo, FirstRail, Beacon Rail and Hitachi colleagues at our UK depots and North East factory.”

Lumo launched in October 2021 with its sights set on converting domestic air travellers to rail. Edinburgh to London remains the UK’s most popular domestic air route with nearly 500 flights every week between the capital cities***.

Adam Cunliffe, CEO Beacon Rail, said: “Over the past year we’ve seen the concept of Lumo grow from launch to become one of the most reliable and cost effective ways to travel between Edinburgh and London. Beacon are extremely proud to be a key partner in driving the success of these 100% electric trains that demonstrate a collaborative approach to reducing carbon emissions and reimagining rail travel.”

Firstgroup invested over £115 million into Lumo as part of a plan to reimagine rail. Lumo estimates that it could have saved the equivalent CO2 emissions of 21,000 homes’ electricity use for an entire year by virtue of its passengers choosing its 100% electric trains rather than flying*****.

Martijn Gilbert added: “It is vital for the economy to have an affordable and sustainable means to travel long distances. I know we have opened up the route for people for the first time just by being cheaper than the alternatives previously available. Lumo has not changed passenger habits on its own – but the rail network has proven its value, comfort and convenience to passengers convincingly.”

-ENDS-

* Using the publicly available Civil Aviation Authority data along with the Rail Industry LENNON sales data it is possible to estimate a Rail Air market share between Edinburgh and London.

** Estimated using Airbus A320 with seating capacity of 180 people

*** Source: SkyScanner

**** 5,500 flights of 180 passengers = 26.33 tonnes of CO2 x 5,500 = 144,815 tonnes CO2. Rail is at least six times greener than travelling by air, meaning the CO2 equivalent savings are at least 120,680 tonnes of CO2. World Land Trust Carbon Calculator used for calculations. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results used for equivalencies.

About Lumo

Lumo is a new rail travel experience that is kinder to the planet and better value for customers, making it a greener and more affordable choice for long distance travel in the UK.

Why are we called ‘Lumo’? The word combines illumination and motion – we take our passengers’ wellbeing extremely seriously and want everyone to arrive refreshed and ready. To travel well, beyond expectations. We aim to reimagine what it means to travel by rail and Lumo brings that together in one word.

Lumo offers a single class service which puts everyone in the ‘good seats’ with optimised leg room and larger tray tables. It also gives customers the option of keeping their luggage close by or, for an additional charge, having it delivered to their final station or destination.

Lumo aims to contribute £250m to the economy in the next 10 years, create over 100 new jobs and generate over 1m extra seats on the network every year. It is an ‘open access’ train operating company, meaning it does not receive state funding, and has invested £100m to manufacture and maintain five 100% electric trains, built by Hitachi.

Other services include LumoEats, an at seat catering offer which will allow customers to purchase on board from our catering trolley or pre-order food via the app from a range of high street brands, LumoLuggage - a bespoke courier service designed to sustainably transport your oversized, heavy luggage to your final destination, and LumoGo, an all-in-one free Wi-Fi and entertainment centre that will allow customers to tweet, work, and play on the go.

Find out more at www.lumo.co.uk