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

[Starmill]

Is that a problem? Used Kgx many many times but don’t sign it as a driver.

It could not accommodate a pair of five car 80x. One just about fits.

 

[dk1]

It could not accommodate a pair of five car 80x. One just about fits.

Fair enough. Cheers for that.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Are all 803s passed to carry passengers now for one thing?

Booked to use Platform 10 at King's Cross...

At this rate it would be better if it was 9¾.

 

[gazr]

I'm praying they are able to use a 10-car formation for launch day. I booked right away and reserved seats for tomorrow...I feel for those who have walk-up tickets.

 

[Starmill]

It may be theoretically possible to use a different platform and special arrangements at Morpeth.

 

[dk1]

I'm praying they are able to use a 10-car formation for launch day. I booked right away and reserved seats for tomorrow...I feel for those who have walk-up tickets.

Would be a terrific promotional coup for LNER to honour their tickets if overcrowded & publicly advertise the fact through the media.

 

[SELLCPN]

Thanks for all the replies here, it seems like tomorrow morning is going to be interesting. Thanks for the heads up about coach E... When you see the footage tomorrow of "new operator in overcrowding fiasco" and see a man running from the gateline to coach E... You'll all be able to spot me!

Thing is, without the tweet, there wouldn't be the panic... Just have additional staff on hand at kgx, with a second gateline count the number of anytime tickets going through, and when capacity is met, take the remaining passengers to one side, let them know the issue and inform them reservations have been made on the next LNER service and lumo have covered the additional cost...

 

[Starmill]

I'm sure it will be easy enough for Lumo to sort something sensible out, such as by arranging for travel with LNER.

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks for all the replies here, it seems like tomorrow morning is going to be interesting. Thanks for the heads up about coach E... When you see the footage tomorrow of "new operator in overcrowding fiasco" and see a man running from the gateline to coach E... You'll all be able to spot me!

If it helps, Coach E is the driving car without the wheelchair spaces. Presumably no handicapped blue label at the doors.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks for all the replies here, it seems like tomorrow morning is going to be interesting. Thanks for the heads up about coach E... When you see the footage tomorrow of "new operator in overcrowding fiasco" and see a man running from the gateline to coach E... You'll all be able to spot me!

Thing is, without the tweet, there wouldn't be the panic... Just have additional staff on hand at kgx, with a second gateline count the number of anytime tickets going through, and when capacity is met, take the remaining passengers to one side, let them know the issue and inform them reservations have been made on the next LNER service and lumo have covered the additional cost...

But most importantly not have posted that message on Twitter. Or if they were going to, have included in it that a full refund will be paid if the customer wishes.

 

[hexagon789]

I'm praying they are able to use a 10-car formation for launch day. I booked right away and reserved seats for tomorrow...I feel for those who have walk-up tickets.

I notice their website does actually state they may use 10-car formations at busy times, going so far as to give Coach "letters" to the additional 5-cars.

 

[SELLCPN]

If it helps, Coach E is the driving car without the wheelchair spaces. Presumably no handicapped blue label at the doors.

Thanks

Also... Just as a bit of an aside... but a customer service line which operates 9-5 Mon-Fri is a bit poor these days isn't it? I get they are just starting out, but in the build up to launch, surely you'd want everything, and everyone to be okay, and have extended it? We tried the number earlier... And it doesn't actually tell you the line is closed, just tries sending you from one department to the next on loop round and around.

It means tomorrow, we'll be on the way to kgx before 9 to make sure we get a seat, before we'd even have a chance to call them - and we only live 12 miles or so from kings cross in the first place

 

[hexagon789]

I've just found this reading through Lumo's website:

We will not compensate you if there are no seats are available on board the train and you have not made a reservation. Similarly, if you join our service with a valid flexible ticket (i.e., not an ‘Advance’ or other train-specific ticket) without having made a seat reservation, and no seats are available, we do not provide compensation to you.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's true of most TOCs, to be fair.

But having to stand and being turned away having purchased a ticket in good faith selecting a train online are two very different things.

 

[Steddenm]

There was a couple of Lumo-uniformed staff coming out of the Avanti messroom at Preston earlier today and headed toward the TPE service to Edinburgh.

 

[paul1609]

The important part of Simon Calder's blog was that the Luton-Glasgow flight was 93% full.
So profitable for the airline and a challenge to the rail operators (in this case mainly Avanti).

Simon is a very fair journalist and knows his railways as well as airlines, not to mention all the Covid travel rules worldwide.
He made clear his wider preference to use the train.
No doubt the Lumo side of the trip will feature in the next edition of the rail mags.
Simon also doesn't do PR freebies, which is probably why he was flying rather than on the train.
He was also masked up on the train I see (mandatory on Scotrail, and Easyjet).
He also got a dig in about the lack of a rail connection to Edinburgh airport (he didn't mention that Glasgow airport lacks one as well).

The difference with the benefits of a rail link to Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports really boil down to the Central/ Queen Street Gap which Edinburgh doesn't have. If you need to get a bus from Central to Queen Street which many rail passengers do you may as well get a bus straight from the airport terminal to Queen Street, for the majority of routes served by Central you already have Paisley Gilmour St which is 10 mins by taxi from the terminal. I've never really understood what benefits a rail link to Glasgow Airport would bring?

 

[Peter Sarf]

When it has all settled down and then if there are still too many passengers they could always put the prices up.......

 

[Bishopstone]

‘It was so popular I had to stand!’

’It was so popular I was turned away!’

Neither of these are disastrous news stories for a start-up on its first day. I’m sure railway enthusiasts will retain a sense of proportion in their observations.

 

[Mainline421]

Shall we see what happens tomorrow rather than speculate what may happen?

This was a suggestion as to what they could have already done, not speculation about what could happen tomrrow.

That that Twitter post has happened is already grossly unacceptable, regardless of what happens tomorrow.



They have already made an unacceptable Twitter posting creating doubt in peoples' minds about the validity of their purchase, and they deserve to be seriously chastised (both legally and in publicity) over such an appalling business practice.

It's not just a Tweet, they've also put this notice on National Rail Enquiries.

Due to popular demand for the launch of Lumo, this Lumo train service is fully reserved - and staff will be unable to accommodate customers who do not have seat reservations. Lumo have apologised for any inconvenience.

But I'd be extremely surprised if it actually left with the un-reserveable seats empty. Hopefully @SELLCPN keeps this thread posted in the morning.

 

[Killingworth]

‘It was so popular I had to stand!’

’It was so popular I was turned away!’

Neither of these are disastrous news stories for a start-up on its first day. I’m sure railway enthusiasts will retain a sense of proportion in their observations.

That's a regular story that could, but doesn't, get into the news every Saturday for those wanting to travel between Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool. The media have their favourite subjects and any innovator is fair game.

 

[Siemens Trains]

‘It was so popular I had to stand!’

’It was so popular I was turned away!’

Neither of these are disastrous news stories for a start-up on its first day. I’m sure railway enthusiasts will retain a sense of proportion in their observations.

It doesn't seem so long since claims were being made of overcapacity on some sections of this route with the Lumo additions. And of course Virgin gave up due to lower than expected passenger numbers.
As you say, a couple of busy trains at launch could be spun positively.

 

[Ianno87]

I've just found this reading through Lumo's website:

To be fair, that's general text and not specific to launch day.

They may do a goodwill gesture today just for launch day, should it prove necessary, for good PR.

It Still may not even be necessary- we'll have to wait and see (I'm always wary of RailUK Forums's I-know-best doom-mongering and I-want-this-to-go-wrong-because which seldom proves true)

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv New post below vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Another interesting dynamic is that the stock for the 1045 departure is only due in at 1027; doesn't leave an awful lot of time to sort out who has reservations and who doesn't!

 

[hexagon789]

To be fair, that's general text and not specific to launch day.

They may do a goodwill gesture today just for launch day, should it prove necessary, for good PR.

It Still may not even be necessary- we'll have to wait and see (I'm always wary of RailUK Forums's I-know-best doom-mongering and I-want-this-to-go-wrong-because which seldom proves true)

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv New post below vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Another interesting dynamic is that the stock for the 1045 departure is only due in at 1027; doesn't leave an awful lot of time to sort out who has reservations and who doesn't!

There are two ECS listed for LUMO, both at 1027. One from Bounds Green, one from Ferme Park. Is this RTT showing two units?!?

Or some glitch with the source data.

 

[Ianno87]

There are two ECS listed for LUMO, both at 1027. One from Bounds Green, one from Ferme Park. Is this RTT showing two units?!?

Or some glitch with the source data.View attachment 104566

I would guess a "Y" path - I.e. both are pathed depending what they want to do on the day, but only one actually runs.

 

[hexagon789]

I would guess a "Y" path - I.e. both are pathed depending what they want to do on the day, but only one actually runs.

Ah right, and there was me thinking they had sourced another unit and it was just the way the data displayed in RTT. Never mind...

 

[JonathanH]

The Ferme Park path is the one being used as '5S93' has appeared there on the live maps.

 

[DanNCL]

One unit only. The path from Bounds Green won't run today.

 

[JonathanH]

At the other end of the route, the 0911 from Edinburgh appears to have set off without comment on here.

 

[dan4291]

At the other end of the route, the 0911 from Edinburgh appears to have set off without comment on here.

Yeah bang on time, good start.

 

[Kilmarnocklad]

We are onboard the 0911! Not long passed Berwick! Very zoony trains. Staff are super friendly! Got our pre ordered bacon rolls almost straight away. Plenty of big cheeses from first group wandering up and down. 3 customer ambassadors working the train.