At the moment, if you want to take a direct train between London and Glasgow, it’s Avanti West Coast or nothing. But now, budget rail company Lumo is preparing to provide another option.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has officially given the green light for Lumo to begin services between London King’s Cross and Glasgow Queen Street from the end of this year.
Lumo currently runs direct trains between Edinburgh and London, offering a cheaper alternative to Avanti’s services. If you book far enough in advance you can travel between the two cities for as little as £19.90.
According to Which?, Lumo’s services are comparable to those of low-cost airlines like easyJet and Ryanair as they have cheaper expensive tickets, limits on baggage, no first class and no buffet car.
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When the Lumo trains to Glasgow get up and running, it says that there will be two northbound services and one southbound service on weekdays, and one service in each direction on Sundays. More new Lumo routes have recently been approved for Stirling, Newcastle and Hull.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, said: ‘Approving these additional open access services will increase connectivity on the East Coast Main Line.
‘Importantly, we have ensured the approval of these services can be accommodated alongside the major service uplifts by other operators, which have been planned into the December 2025 timetable, so together passengers and freight customers can benefit from more direct connections and greater choice from December.’
When will the service launch?
The first Lumo trains on the route will start on December 14 2025, while the full service will be up and running by spring 2026.
How much will the tickets cost?
Prices for London-Glasgow advance tickets will start from just £33.90, while Newcastle-Glasgow tickets will start at £10.90.
Are there any other upcoming new Lumo journeys?
In 2026 Lumo is launching another new route between London Euston and Stirling. The route will have 11 stops, three of which – Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert – are getting direct connections to London for the first time.
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