Lumo 1E84 Train from Edinburgh Waverley to Newcastle

Lumo is a British open-access operator operating on the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Waverley and London King’s Cross. Kickstarting my overland journey from Edinburgh to Berlin, I opted for Lumo as it had a good 11.14am departure time for connection with the DFDS ferry onward to Amsterdam. Also, Lumo fares are much cheaper than LNER on my date of travel, costing me just £8.05 with a 26-30 Railcard.

Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station

Heading in to Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station from the Market Street entrance.

While my Lumo 1E84 platform information was not displayed yet, it was pretty obvious where it would be departing from, with the striking blue Lumo train at Platform 5.

There are no ticket gates leading to Platform 5.

My train was a British Rail Class 803 AT300, operated by the 5th Lumo unit.

The Lumo livery is simple but striking with bold logos and taglines on the side of the train cars.

Lumo Class 803 AT300

My Lumo 1E84 at Edinburgh Waverley.

Train in formation is provided on the LED signs near the train doors.

The interior of the Lumo Class 803 AT300. Lumo offers only Standard Class seating, so this interior 2+2 configuration is more or less the same for all 5 cars.

My seat at 3, narrowly missing the windowless seats 1 and 2 where a luggage rack should be. To add 2 more seats, Lumo removed a luggage rack.

The legroom on board Lumo Standard Class.

A 3-pin and 2 USB power sockets are located under the seat in front, which makes it a lot easier to plug in a charger.

A reading lamp and a fold-down tray table are also available.

Seat reservations are also labelled on top of each row of seats.

It was a very full train with all seats reserved. Passengers travelling without a seat reservation (ie. not on a Lumo Advance ticket) will probably have to stand all the way to London.

A wheelchair-accessible toilet is available on board.

My Lumo 1E84 departed from Edinburgh Waverley on time at 11.14am.

Passing by a TransPennine Express Class 802/2 Nova 1 at Edinburgh Waverley.

Passing by Hitachi Craigentinny Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD)

Passing by Stanley Street Stabling Sidings.

Passing by Portobello Junction where the Borders Railway splits off.

Heading out through the country

Crossing over the Royal Border Bridge over the River Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed, an old border between England and Scotland. The border is now north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Morpeth Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Morpeth Railway Station.

Entering Newcastle.

Passing by Swan House Roundabout

Passing by Newcastle Castle.

Newcastle Railway Station

Arriving in Newcastle Railway Station.

A lot of passengers are waiting at Newcastle Railway Station to board the Lumo 1E84 towards London King’s Cross.

My Lumo 1E84 arrived at Newcastle Railway Station on time at 12.47.

There was a bit of an issue on the platform where a group of passengers had way more luggage than they should have. Unfortunately, they were left behind as they couldn’t get their bags on board, and the train was also slightly delayed here because of this issue.

Lumo customers can bring on board a maximum of 1 small bag and 1 suitcase, which is less than the standard National Rail allowance of 3 pieces of luggage.

The Lumo 1E84 departed from Newcastle at 12.53pm, 3 minutes delayed. This train will run non-stop to London King’s Cross, making it faster than LNER.

A commemorative plaque recording the 150th anniversary of Newcastle Railway Station.

Crossing the linkbridge within the platform area to the exit.

Heading out of Newcastle Railway Station.

The façade of Newcastle Railway Station.

Conclusion

Lumo offered a cheap and speedy travel option for me from Edinburgh to Newcastle, costing me just £8.05 with a 26-30 Railcard and with a journey time of just 1 hour and 33 minutes. Lumo is a game-changer for travelling on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) with competition with the incumbent operators, providing more choices and cheaper fares for passengers now.