A budget rail operator has launched a new direct rail link between London and Scotland – with tickets for less than £35 a seat.
Lumo, part of transport company FirstGroup plc, started the inaugural service linking Glasgow directly with Falkirk, Edinburgh, the northeast of England and London on Tuesday.
The route’s first leg departed Glasgow Queen Street at 6.16pm, arriving at London’s King’s Cross one minute early.
Tickets for the new train will start from £33.10 between London and Glasgow, with seats for as little as £10.90 on journeys connecting Newcastle and Glasgow.
According to Lumo, dubbed the “Ryanair of trains”, the low fares combined with “Lumo’s high-scoring onboard customer satisfaction results” will make travelling between the destinations even more accessible.
Two northbound services will run each weekday, with one southbound.
The new Lumo connection is expected to “attract more people” to Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in July 2026, said the rail operator.
Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, said: “This is a landmark moment which will boost connectivity between Scotland and England, offering a sustainable travel option whilst also boosting economic growth.
“It was a particular pleasure to celebrate the launch of our inaugural services in style with a brilliant range of guests from our dedicated team, as well as our partners from Scotland and across the border. We’re proud to champion Scotland and look forward to providing the unique Lumo service to even more customers from this week.”
Lumo is also set to launch a brand new route connecting Stirling with London Euston from May 2026.
The group plans to run five trains a day between London Euston and Stirling, stopping at 10 English and Scottish stations along the way.
The new “open access” service will compete with Avanti West Coast as well as other operators, including TransPennine Express and LNER.
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