Train review: Lumo’s no frills ‘803’

Open access operator Lumo competes with LNER and Avanti, as well as airlines, between Edinburgh and London. Its headline low fares and modern trains are proving a hit, but are the Class 803s any good? Pip Dunn finds out for himself.

Lumo is the trading name for a FirstGroup-backed Edinburgh-London King’s Cross open access operation. Based in Newcastle, and employing more than 100 staff, it runs five trains a day in each direction between the two capitals, seven days a week.

Being an open access (OA) operator means it is limited in where it is allowed to stop and pick up passengers. Its trains therefore only call at Morpeth, Newcastle and Stevenage, so missing out on lucrative patronage from York or Peterborough.

It was set up mainly (at least publicly) to take on the airlines, with some impressive headline fares as low as £25 one way. But it also provides an alternative to LNER and, to a lesser degree, Avanti West Coast.

Also, unlike many other OA operators, it didn’t rely on ‘second-hand’ trains or cast-offs. Instead, it ordered brand new trains from the start (the first service ran in October 2021).

Those trains were the five-car Class 803 Hitachi AT300s - essentially the same Intercity Express Train product used by Great Western Railway, LNER, and fellow OA operator Hull Trains in their Class 800-802 variants.

However, the five Class 803s were spec’d much differently to the Class 800/2 LNER units, also five-car sets.

For starters, they are electric only - unlike the bi-mode ‘800s’. If the wires go down, an ‘803’ will need assistance. And if there is a line closure forcing a diversion, again the ‘803’ won’t be able to exploit that.

But inside, and that is what counts in a RAIL train test, the ‘803’ is a Standard Class-only train and has far fewer creature comforts than its East Coast Main Line ‘rival’.

I travelled from Edinburgh to Stevenage (there was nothing to be gained from going into King’s Cross, as I needed to get back to Peterborough), on the 1613 departure from Edinburgh.

The train was pretty much sold out, and luckily the very helpful staff (more on them later) were more than happy to allow me to have half an hour on board the empty and still ‘locked’ unit before departure, to take my measurements. Which is just as well, as it would have been challenging when on the move.

Technical overview

The Class 803 looks exactly the same as an LNER Azuma, GWR Class 800, or a Hull Trains Class 802/3, with its stylish, smooth front end. Its livery is an attractive blue.

The formation is PDTS (Pantograph Driving Trailer Standard), three MS (Motor Standard) coaches and the other PDTS, which means it has Standard Class seats only.

It is a 25kV AC unit only. There is no diesel engine, which I must say is a strange specification decision, given the ‘get out of jail free’ contingency that it offers.

Pantographs are on each driving car, with just one used - usually the rear. Each PDTS has 52 seats, plus two flip-down seats by the wheelchair spaces, and an accessible toilet.

Each MS has 94 seats, and there are toilets in two of these coaches. Four toilets across five cars is a good ratio, while the capacity to seat 386 passengers is impressive. That said, not all of the seats are available, as some are cordoned off for storing luggage.

The units’ vehicles are numbered 84100x, 84200x, 84300x, 84400x and 84500x. The formation is 2-2-+Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo-2-2, so there are 12 traction motors across the 20 axles, each rated at 226kW. The units have a top speed of 125mph, - and they need it!

Being an inter-city train, each coach has four sliding doors - one on each corner, operated by press buttons inside and out. The internal doors take just over two seconds to open and stay open for ten seconds before closing automatically.

The aisle width is just 44cm, so it’s a bit tight and compact when walking through the train. Even so, it’s easier to walk down an ‘803’ than a plane.

To fit 94 seats in a coach means that the vast majority are airline seats. But each coach does have two tables, one on each side. They are 53cm wide and 100cm long, and 68cm off the ground.

Of course, it’s a bonus if you get allocated one of these. The probability is very low, but I get the impression that most people booking on Lumo are not expecting anything other than a budget airline type of experience - and that is no bad thing.

On the back of the airline seats are flip-down tables which measure 39cm wide and 27cm deep, so just about big enough to accommodate a small laptop. That said, mine wouldn’t stay flat and would drop down onto my knees. There are small lamps above these tables which can be off, on, or bright.

There is a single three-pin plug socket, but with two USB sockets as well for each pair of seats. They are located in the front of the seats, but low down.

The seats are 47cm wide and 39cm deep, with a 92cm cushion back. There is a 28cm-long, 4cm-wide armrest, which was fabric-covered. But the fabric was frayed, so there is a durability issue here. There are three armrests for each pair of seats, so the middle one is ‘shared’.

The legroom is 33cm to the seat in front of you, which is adequate for a high-density coach such as this. The seat edge to seat edge for the few bays of four is 53cm. There are some priority seats with 44cm legroom.

Students, tourists, or just those who do not like to spend over the odds for rail travel (especially long-distance) will consider the cheap fares a fair trade-off for an airline seat. And let’s be fair, many an LNER journey will be in an airline seat.

There are nine windows on each side of each MS coach, measuring 64cm high and 141cm long. The ECML, certainly north of Newcastle, has some great scenery to enjoy, so a nice view is a bonus. That said, my trip was wholly in darkness.

These windows have those awkward blinds which cover the entire window length, so if you want the blind down, the person in front or behind you has to have it down as well, or vice-versa. The blinds drop down 55cm.

If you are a rail company competing with an airline, you need to at least match an airline in its ‘product offering’. And in that respect, luggage is (potentially) an issue.

I’m a seasoned flyer for work, and I have mastered hand luggage-only for pretty much all business trips (although I stand in awe every time I get on a flight when I see other people’s interpretation of ‘hand luggage’). But for those wanting to carry more, you have to pay for the privilege. And it has to go in the hold of the plane, which brings its own inconveniences.

There’s no such thing as a hold on a train, so passengers can only travel with hand luggage. And Lumo does have a luggage policy: one bag/holdall/suitcase, measuring a maximum of 63cm x 41cm x 27cm, and you cannot take golf clubs, skis or other bulky items.

Lumo says anything else will be carried at its discretion, and that excessively large items will command a half fare. So, make sure you know what you are carrying with you, and don’t be surprised to be paying for large suitcases.

In each coach there is a single luggage rack, which has a 65cm high bottom shelf, a 65cm middle shelf, and a 77cm top shelf. It is 63cm wide and 52cm-65cm deep. At the end of each coach, a pair of seats has also been set aside for luggage, rather than passengers.

There are also luggage racks above the seats that run the length of the coach, without partitions. These are glass, which allows passengers to look up and check their luggage is not shifting about - and when alighting, it’s easier to check you haven’t left anything.

Being pretty much airline seats throughout means, of course, there is no luggage capacity behind seats.

 

There are bins located in the A-end vestibules, but not at the B-end. The corridor connection is 121cm long.

Disabled lavatory

As mentioned, there are two disabled lavatories in the train, one in each driving car. They have a proper lock on them, so you feel secure that the door is locked and won’t inadvertently be opened by someone else.

The door takes four seconds to open and will stay open for just over ten seconds before closing automatically. It takes the same time to close as open. This door is 86cm wide.

Inside there is a nappy changing table which measures 53cm x 72cm. But it’s a bit lightweight and won’t stay flat without some weight on it. That’s mildly irritating, but once the child is on it, naturally it will stay down.

There’s a bin, and a 42cm grab handle by the toilet.

Next to the accessible lavatory are two wheelchair spaces with two fold-out half tables. These are well located and have a call for aid button.

The conventional lavatories in the first and third MS coaches also have a nappy table, which is 73cm long and 56cm wide, but which has no strap. There are lips on the side of it, so the area for the child is 67x49cm - but there’s no scope for the child to fall off, it’s that compact.

The lavatory is sort of half trapezoid in its footprint - it is 84cm on one side and 121cm on the other, with an angled end of 89cm and perpendicular at the other end with a side of 70cm.

At the angled end is the small sink, which is fit for purpose. The water was only coming out cold, but the soap dispenser worked well. The hand dryer was average at best, but isn’t that usually the case on modern trains these days?

I did notice that the floor in one lavatory was very wet, and so quite slippery, which made me think there may have been a leak somewhere in the system.

These lavatories also have conventional locks on them, which I like.

Opposite is a cupboard that can be used for buggies, luggage or a couple of bikes (but only foldable bikes, your average mountain bike cannot be carried).

In the middle coach, MS 843003, there is a storage area for the traincrew to stow the catering trolley and stock when not in use. There is a small microwave here for the staff’s use, but it’s simply not practical to be able to use it for meals for passengers.

In 844003 there is another small lavatory with (again) an opposing storage area for luggage or foldable bikes, and it is the same set-up as in 842003. The layout of PTDS 845003 is the same as 841003.

On the road

The unit was very quiet when pulling away. On departure, the driver makes an announcement (all very airline-style). And our departure was on-time.

The announcements should leave passengers in no doubt whatsoever as to the limited calling pattern and the ticket acceptance on board. Unless English is not your first language, there should be no plausible reason for anyone boarding without a valid ticket.

National Rail tickets are accepted, which presumably includes an all-line Rail Rover. But the vast majority of passengers will be travelling on tickets that are advance purchase Lumo-only tickets for that particular train.

Lumo does offer a range of tickets with some flexibility in changing the train you want, should your travel plans change. But be warned: if you do just turn up to travel, you may not get a seat.

However, proof that Lumo has got its pricing and marketing right was that the train was packed with just about every seat taken.

There was a full ticket check immediately on departure from Edinburgh. That done, the staff cover the whole of the train with the drinks and snacks trolley, which you obviously have to pay for - it’s not included in your fare.

There’s not a great selection of food, mainly soft drinks, coffees, crisps, nuts, chocolate bars, and wine or beer. There are no sandwiches or microwaveable burgers or paninis and the like, although you can get a hot cup-a-soup.

The message here is that if you want a bite to eat on a Lumo trip, then shop before you board.

However, I should add that I wasn’t expecting any catering on board, so what was on offer was a bonus.

I assume Lumo has done its customer research and decided that providing sandwiches, and the scope for having waste, makes it sensible to not offer them.

There was WiFi on board, which (like just about every train) was patchy and quite slow.

One criticism - and it’s a major one - of AT300 trains is just how uncomfortable their seats are.

Those in Standard Class on an LNER Azuma give me backache so much that I try to avoid travelling on them if at all possible. The GWR versions are the same.

It’s a crying shame that this fleet of new trains was ordered with such awful seats. The common comparison that the seats are about as comfortable as sitting on an ironing board is more than fair.

Lumo, however, was not at the behest of the DfT when specifying its seats, and they are marginally more comfortable. Still not as good as a really decent thick cushion, but I felt no discomfort on my four-hour journey.

The train was on time throughout at Morpeth and Newcastle, and we were on time at Stevenage, although the train was held up here for a few minutes because of a minor incident which needed the British Transport Police to attend. It was soon resolved, and the train was away just about six minutes later.

There was also a short pathing stop on the avoiding line at Darlington, but overall the journey is four and a half hours from capital to capital, which is comparable with all but one or two LNER trains.

Talking to the crew, who were all based in Newcastle, they said the ‘803s’ have proved to be very reliable. Hitachi carries out all the maintenance on them at Bounds Green and Edinburgh Craigentinny, alongside the similar LNER trains.

I should add that the traincrew were superb - very helpful, very chatty, and happy to answer the questions I had. I also noticed they maintained these high standards when walking through the train and dealing with the passengers.

Conclusions

Everyone likes a bargain, don’t they? That’s why Aldi and Lidl are giving the established supermarkets a run for their money - pile it high, sell it cheap.

You can’t look at Lumo without thinking of the Ryanair comparison. Ryanair has its critics, and it’s easy to ‘take the mick’ out of it for all the additional charges you might end up with, but at the end of the day it does well because of one thing - cheap fares. If you know when you want to travel, you can get some great bargains. And people like that.

Rail travel for many years has been very different, with a turn up and travel culture. That changed with the onset of the internet and the capacity to offer advance purchase fares. The railway is learning some of the good things that budget airlines do, and (hopefully) avoiding some of the bad things for which they gain notoriety.

But if you want to travel from Edinburgh to London, Lumo routinely has cheaper fares. Book well in advance, and they can be very cheap indeed - sometimes as much as half of a comparable advance fare from LNER. In that respect, it has a lot going for it.

And it does so with brand new trains. Yes, they don’t have the restaurants or buffets that an LNER train has. They do not have First Class. But they have journey times of typically 4hrs 15mins to 4hrs 23mins - aided in no small part by the fact that they do not stop here, there and everywhere.

The staff are excellent. The comfort is good. And if you have the things you’d expect for a long journey - a laptop, smartphone, music or a good book - then that journey passes quickly.

And remember that Lumo journeys are from Edinburgh Waverley to King’s Cross, not from Edinburgh Airport to Heathrow, Stansted or Gatwick.

It’s city centre to city centre, so the overall journey is probably the same as a plane (with no time-consuming check-in or departure gate to contend with). Oh, and the scenery is better!

So, Lumo kicks the airlines into touch in pretty much every respect - price, convenience, and time. It’s as good as (if not better than) the rival operators on the line, provided you don’t want First Class legroom or at-seat cooked meals, which few do these days. Just remember to take provisions with you and book ahead to guarantee a seat.

As a train, the Class 803 was pleasantly good. Lumo has seen the need to provide more luggage space and acted accordingly.

The ride was more comfortable than an Azuma (a big plus for a long journey), the noise level was acceptable, and the heating was perfect. Yes, it could do with more tables of four, but to do so would mean losing a few seats, and the fares having to go up. Remember, this is being marketed as a no-frills budget rail operator.

But the packed train I travelled on, plus those I have seen boarding at King’s Cross in recent times, proves that Lumo is getting it right.

In the final scores, I have marked these trains on the job they do. Some may feel the catering is poor (others may not), but I think it’s actually pretty much the right pitch for this kind of train and the value the passenger is getting.

Overall, an 81% score for the Class 803 is very credible indeed.

Scorecard

• Comfort 7
• Ride quality 8
• First Class n/a
• Second Class 8
• Toilets 8
• Luggage provision 8
• Passenger information 9
• Standard Class Trolley 7
• Doors 9
• Build quality 9

Score: 73/90 (81%)

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