{"id":308395,"date":"2025-10-28T19:09:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T09:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=184576"},"modified":"2025-10-28T19:09:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T09:09:41","slug":"lumo-owner-bids-to-turbo-charge-uk-rail-with-new-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=308395","title":{"rendered":"Lumo owner bids to turbo-charge UK rail with new routes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/railuk.com\/general-interest\/lumo-owner-bids-to-turbo-charge-uk-rail-with-new-routes\/\" title=\"Lumo owner bids to turbo-charge UK rail with new routes\u00a0\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"485\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090907\/lumo-485x360.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;\" link_thumbnail=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090907\/lumo-485x360.jpg 485w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090907\/lumo-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo\u2019s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and contributes more per train mile to infrastructure investment than any other long-distance operator &#8211; delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, at a substantial benefit to the taxpayer.<\/p>\n<p>FirstGroup has submitted the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services, which are:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A revised application to run new services between Rochdale and London Euston via Manchester Victoria from December 2028;\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>An extension to Lumo\u2019s current Stirling to London Euston track access agreement to operate services beyond 2030;\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>A new route between Cardiff and York via Birmingham, Derby, and Sheffield from December 2028; and<\/li>\n<li>Purchase of new trains meaning continued investment in UK manufacturing of c.\u00a3300million, and long-term jobs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Should these applications be successful, FirstGroup will make use of its option to commit further investment in new Hitachi trains built in County Durham. This investment will include five battery electric trains for the Stirling route and three battery electric trains for Rochdale, supporting jobs at Hitachi\u2019s Newton Aycliffe plant. For the services between Cardiff and York, it will deploy refurbished Class 222s.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rochdale-London&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The new Lumo service will operate the first direct service since 2000 between Rochdale and London. Services will call at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station connects other parts of the city of Salford, including the fast-growing MediaCity area, via the nearby interchange with Metrolink. Services to Newton-le-Willows will deliver greater rail connectivity for St Helens.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There will be three new&nbsp;return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays, which will provide 1.6 million people in the north-west with a convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London, encouraging people to switch from cars to train as well as providing additional rail capacity. It will also deliver material economic benefits for the communities along the route, including regeneration areas such as Atom Valley and the Liverpool City Region Freeport scheme.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The application has been revised to address the ORR\u2019s concerns about network capacity set out in its letter of July 2025 rejecting FirstGroup\u2019s original application. Supported by extensive modelling, the company has identified sufficient space on the network to accommodate the proposed services. Services will also make use of the Government\u2019s recent investment in power supply for the West Coast Mainline (WCML).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"184578\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-184578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/crosscountry-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"747\" data-id=\"184577\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-1024x747.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-184577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-1024x747.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-300x219.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-768x560.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-576x420.jpeg 576w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-696x508.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg-1068x779.jpeg 1068w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090727\/iaom78zg.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Stirling-London&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stirling has a wide catchment area, with an estimated three million people living within an hour\u2019s drive. Extending the current track access agreement for the Stirling route from May 2030 will support the shift from car to rail, and investment in the city, as well as in the service\u2019s intermediate stations which include Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet, thanks to greater connectivity to London. The four return services weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays, on the new route are expected to start early in the company&#8217;s 2027 financial year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cardiff-York via Birmingham and Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lumo\u2019s new route between Cardiff and York will join up the entire Great British Railway network, connecting all four main lines from the Great Western Main Line to the East Coast Main Line. The plans will also deliver more capacity and drive passenger demand on a previously underserved corridor.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The application proposes six return services each weekday &#8211; a significant increase from the current single weekly service.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bringing Lumo\u2019s popular low-cost model to the corridor will support local communities between Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, and York. These cities alone have a combined population of more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2.5 million people<\/a>. The new services will give local communities access to jobs and services along the route, in support of significant investment that has already been committed by the Government and private sector. This investment includes the Cardiff Capital Regional Investment Zone, the \u00a3140million proposed refurbishment at Cardiff Central station, the West Midlands Investment Zone which is expected to create \u00a35.5 billion of growth and 30,000 new jobs, as well as investment plans in Derby, Sheffield and York.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The ORR will now carry out a consultation exercise as well as discuss the applications with Network Rail to secure the required approvals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer, Graham Sutherland, said:<\/strong>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have extensive experience of running open access rail operations in the UK, and passengers consistently rate our services highly. Our new services will allow us to bring the substantial benefits of open access to even more communities, at no additional cost to the taxpayer. Lumo also pays more towards infrastructure investment than other long-distance operators, delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, so the whole system gains.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur open access services connect previously under-served communities and unlock private investment, creating jobs and shifting travel towards more sustainable options. We look forward to working closely with stakeholders as we develop our applications.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Image credit: FirstGroup<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/railuk.com\/general-interest\/lumo-owner-bids-to-turbo-charge-uk-rail-with-new-routes\/\" title=\"Lumo owner bids to turbo-charge UK rail with new routes\u00a0\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"485\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/28090907\/lumo-485x360.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\"><\/a>FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK. The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo\u2019s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,16017,47,913,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-308395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-industry-news","category-rail-news","category-travel","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=308395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308396,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308395\/revisions\/308396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=308395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=308395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=308395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}