Lumo - new Open Access operator on the East Coast Main Line

[43066]

Every other operator, including the OAOs, has eventually decided to opt into Priv. That should perhaps give a clue as to the value which it carries as a perk, compared to the reduction in revenue it costs (if any).

I’m told some freight operators (DBS for one) don’t, perhaps because they can’t offer a reciprocal perk for TOC staff travelling as passengers you mentioned above!

That makes sense I suppose, but then raises the question of why LU staff get NR privs, when TfL doesn’t offer LU privs for non-safeguarded TOC staff!

 

[Bluejays]

Every other operator, including the OAOs, has eventually decided to opt into Priv. That should perhaps give a clue as to the value which it carries as a perk, compared to the reduction in revenue it costs (if any).

Nobody is saying they have to do it, but it's certainly something that will help them recruit and keep people.

Thats a good point, but I guess a lot will depend on how full they manage to get their trains. If they continue to sell out every train then it doesn't really make sense for them. I'm sure their staff will get some decent perks in terms of heavily discounted rovers on avanti , gwr and tpe

 

[Watershed]

That makes sense I suppose, but then raises the question of why LU staff get NR privs

I don't think they do, unless they're safeguarded?

 

[dk1]

I don't see why they should introduce priv rates personally . They're already pitching at very reasonable prices, also privs can't be bought online.

I’m thinking more for their staff as much as anything. Unless they join in then they cannot have priv perks with other UK operators. Personally I would be using free boxes anyway so wouldn’t need to buy an online ticket.

 

[Bluejays]

I’m thinking more for their staff as much as anything. Unless they join in then they cannot have priv perks with other UK operators. Personally I would be using free boxes anyway so wouldn’t need to buy an online ticket.

The boxes and discounted rovers will cover so much of the network now, it makes me wonder if first see much advantage in joining priv scheme for lumo. Now that lumo covers East Coast, along with the existing avanti , tpe, swr and gwr. They can offer a pretty attractive free/discounted travel deal without opening up to other operators

 

[dk1]

The boxes and discounted rovers will cover so much of the network now, it makes me wonder if first see much advantage in joining priv scheme for lumo. Now that lumo covers East Coast, avanti , tpe, swr and gwr. They can offer a pretty attractive free/discounted travel deal without opening up to other operators

But that will be counterproductive for their own staff who then can’t get priv travel in the rest of the UK.

I only want to use Lumo for the York avoiding line used on some of the down services.

 

[43066]

I don't think they do, unless they're safeguarded?

I was under the impression they did. Might be barking up completely the wrong tree of course (wouldn’t be the first time

The boxes and discounted rovers will cover so much of the network now, it makes me wonder if first see much advantage in joining priv scheme for lumo. Now that lumo covers East Coast, along with the existing avanti , tpe, swr and gwr. They can offer a pretty attractive free/discounted travel deal without opening up to other operators

Not sure rover tickets, discounted or otherwise, hold much appeal other than for enthusiasts? Most would prefer discounted train travel to and from work (assuming they don’t drive in!), and the odd leisure trip around the wider network. Very few railstaff want to spend their days off bashing trains!

That’s not to say there won’t be any enthusiasts anongst LUMO staff, of course, but I doubt there will be anywhere near enough to make this a worthwhile perk as a standard offer to employees.

 

[Bluejays]

I was under the impression they did. Might be barking up completely the wrong tree of course (wouldn’t be the first time



Not sure rover tickets, discounted or otherwise, hold much appeal other than for enthusiasts? Most would prefer discounted train travel to and from work (assuming they don’t drive in!), and the odd leisure trip around the wider network. Very few railstaff want to spend their days off bashing trains!

That’s not to say there won’t be any enthusiasts anongst LUMO staff, of course, but I doubt there will be anywhere near enough to make this a worthwhile perk as a standard offer to employees.

I should have been clearer sorry, The rovers are day rovers, very heavily discounted. First bus, aswell as first rail employees get them. Bashing trains would probably just about be my idea of hell , but a trip to Scotland or Cornwall with the missus for £6 each is a definite perk to me.

 

[Starmill]

But that will be counterproductive for their own staff who then can’t get priv travel in the rest of the UK.

ECTL / Lumo don't appear to have suggested from any of their job adverts that any sort of discounts are on offer beyond the normal First Group provision (offered to all group employees, most of whom don't work for TOCs)?

 

[dk1]

ECTL / Lumo don't appear to have suggested from any of their job adverts that any sort of discounts are on offer beyond the normal First Group provision (offered to all group employees, most of whom don't work for TOCs)?

Hull Trains & Grand Central didn’t in their early days. Hopefully this will be rectified in due course.

 

[jopsuk]

it is definitely a particularly niche thing to be hoping that Lumo join a particular staff rewards scheme so that your own employer will cover Lumo in a reciprocal agreement just to be able to use them through the York avoiding line!

 

[yorksrob]

it is definitely a particularly niche thing to be hoping that Lumo join a particular staff rewards scheme so that your own employer will cover Lumo in a reciprocal agreement just to be able to use them through the York avoiding line!

It is.

On the slightly wider question of whether such a service will be of her benefit to passengers, I've read some views that the current proposed reductions in existing services on the ECML aren't worth it.

I agree. I think the idea is a sound one - getting plane travelers off planes, but not at the expense of ruining existing services.

By all means run the service, but fit it in around everything else.

 

[Ianno87]

.

By all means run the service, but fit it in around everything else.

That is exactly how Lumo are fitting in for the time being.

The (would have been ) May 22 recast would have reworked the timetable to fit Lumo in with some better journey time alongside LNER's various aspirations, but a few other things would have had to "give" to make this happen.

Can't have everything when capacity is finite

 

[takno]

It is.

On the slightly wider question of whether such a service will be of her benefit to passengers, I've read some views that the current proposed reductions in existing services on the ECML aren't worth it.

I agree. I think the idea is a sound one - getting plane travelers off planes, but not at the expense of ruining existing services.

By all means run the service, but fit it in around everything else.

It should be entirely clear from the schedules that these trains are already being fit in around everything else, otherwise they'd be about half an hour quicker.

 

[yorksrob]

That is exactly how Lumo are fitting in for the time being.

The (would have been ) May 22 recast would have reworked the timetable to fit Lumo in with some better journey time alongside LNER's various aspirations, but a few other things would have had to "give" to make this happen.

Can't have everything when capacity is finite

It should be entirely clear from the schedules that these trains are already being fit in around everything else, otherwise they'd be about half an hour quicker.

Well quite. The point is that the proposed recast was to fit in around these. It probably ought to be the other way round.

 

[Bald Rick]

Well quite. The point is that the proposed recast was to fit in around these. It probably ought to be the other way round.

The proposed recast was not to fit around ECTL services!

 

[yorksrob]

The proposed recast was not to fit around ECTL services!

That amongst other things admittedly.

 

[Bald Rick]

That amongst other things admittedly.

A LOT of other things!

 

[yorksrob]

A LOT of other things!

A lot of LNER speedy things.

 

[Bald Rick]

A lot of LNER speedy things.

And TPE, Cross Country, GTR, Northern, Freight....

 

[philthetube]

I’m told some freight operators (DBS for one) don’t, perhaps because they can’t offer a reciprocal perk for TOC staff travelling as passengers you mentioned above!

That makes sense I suppose, but then raises the question of why LU staff get NR privs, when TfL doesn’t offer LU privs for non-safeguarded TOC staff!

Only LUL staff who started working for them before April 1995 have privs

 

[D89 HAC]

There's whiskey in Edinburgh, apparently: https://www.lumo.co.uk/where-we-go/destination-guides/edinburgh

Yes some, although mainly whisky.

 

[Retorus]

Yes some, although mainly whisky.

That was his point.

 

[D89 HAC]

That was his point.

I can’t see how it was. The link he gives to Lumo’s site shows it spelled correctly.

 

[pdeaves]

I can’t see how it was. The link he gives to Lumo’s site shows it spelled correctly.

In that case, Lumo has corrected it (as per a couple of other errors), so that is good. Shame it went public with the error, encouraging that it wasn't ignored afterwards.

 

[alistairlees]

I can’t see how it was. The link he gives to Lumo’s site shows it spelled correctly.

Popping in briefly here, the Lumo website originally spelled "whisky" as "whiskey". Several other posts note this, I think? Perhaps, with hindsight, I should have provided a screenshot - but it was just a quick post at the time!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Popping in briefly here, the Lumo website originally spelled "whisky" as "whiskey". Several other posts note this, I think? Perhaps, with hindsight, I should have provided a screenshot - but it was just a quick post at the time!

The correction must have been made some time before last Tuesday - see post 423.

 

[centro-323]

I'm pretty sure it was corrected a day or two after launch, so I'm not sure how we're back to discussing it again

 

[centro-323]

Lumo have just tweeted a link to a 360° video advertising the interior of the trains, and providing some more info on the service

 

[JaJaWa]

Star Trek?