“I had to miss a week of uni”: Can Lumo stay on track to improve Preston’s West Coast train journeys?

Lumo’s new Preston base promises cheaper fares and more choice on journeys on the West Coast Main Line. But for students and commuters relying on the train, reliability matters just as much. Will Heys reports.

We’ve all stood at the platform waiting for the train, only to hear the same words everyone has heard before: ‘We’re sorry to announce that the 18:42 service to London Euston has been cancelled.’ 

(Preston Station from the north entrance – Credit: Will Heys)

University of Glasgow student, Evie Griffiths, knows this feeling all too well. 

The 19-year-old was recently left stranded in Preston following a landslide leading to a derailment near Penrith. 

She said: “I was meant to be going back to Glasgow that day, but my train got cancelled. 

“Because it couldn’t get sorted for about a week or so, I had to miss a week of uni. 

“There were other options, like a four-hour train with a lot of changes, or there’s the Flixbus. 

“But it leaves from Preston bus station at two in the morning. 

“It’s not an ideal option.” 

For students travelling between Preston and Glasgow, rail travel is an essential link for their home and university life. 

Doctor’s appointments, birthdays, reading weeks and family visits all depend on the rail network running on time. 

Like many commuters travelling by train on the west coast, Evie says ticket price is the biggest factor when booking her journey. 

She said: “I always go for the cheapest.  

“I never travel on a Friday or a weekend, it’s usually Monday to Thursday, and I always go direct.” 

Politics student, Molly Banks, also studying in Glasgow, says she books in the same way. 

“Honestly, I just pick which is the cheapest on Trainline,” she said. 

“I normally pay like £25 return from Glasgow to Preston, so it’s pretty convenient.” 

But when it comes to delays, the story remains a consistent frustration. 

“It’s quite inconvenient if I have someone picking me up from the train station, then I’m having to constantly update them. 

“I feel like I’m wasting their time a little bit, being like ‘oh no my train’s actually 10 minutes late now it’s 20 minutes late’.” 

(Who is Lumo? – Credit: Will Heys)

That frustration is exactly where Lumo, an open-access train operating company (TOC), hopes to make its mark on the West Coast. 

The low-cost rail company, which already runs services on the East Coast Main Line, is launching a new London-to-Stirling route on the West Coast Main Line this summer with Preston chosen as its operational headquarters. 

(Richard Salkeld at Lumo’s Preston Office press event – Credit: Will Heys)

Richard Salkeld, Director of Communications and Partnerships at Lumo, said: “Lumo’s all about bringing low fares, great value, train services to areas that aren’t typically well served. 

“We were able to demonstrate that there’s capacity there for us to fit between the existing services.” 

He said Preston stood out as the obvious choice for its West Coast base because “geographically, it’s very helpful” thanks to the city’s various network links. 

Richard said: “We were able to recruit really positively with a lot of good calibre candidates who came forward … so just everything pointed towards Preston. 

“We knew that there was a lot of enthusiasm for having a rail hub here.” 

Lumo will run four daily return services between Stirling and London Euston and an additional Preston-London return service. 

(Lumo’s West Coast route visualised – Credit: Will Heys)

With the introduction of these services, they hope to attract users, commuters like Evie and Molly, who might otherwise have taken the bus or other means of transportation. 

Cheaper fares alone are enough to make some people consider switching, even if just to see what Lumo have to offer. 

Evie said: “I think maybe it’s like a student attitude. 

“You’re not bothered about anything apart from money. 

“I would pick cheaper.” 

She added, “I would definitely give it a go a couple of times.  

“If after that it was not as good as Avanti, then I might go back.” 

But not everyone believes another operator will solve problems on the West Coast Main Line. 

Keith Richmond from ASLEF, a train driver’s union that represents 96% of drivers nationally, said delays are often caused by ageing infrastructure rather than individual train companies. 

“There isn’t really room for more than one operator,” Keith said. 

“And although we do see a little bit of competition, it’s very, very, very small beer.” 

He said passengers often blame operators for problems far beyond their control. 

“So much of our infrastructure is old. 

“So much of it was built in the 1840s, 1850s, 1860s.” 

This means reliability problems on the West Coast may be bigger than the Train Operating Companies (TOCs). 

Still, Lumo points to its strong record of being on time with minimal cancellations and believes that it can improve standards too. 

(Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (UK) – Credit: Statista)

In 2024, a government study found that Lumo had the smallest share of cancelled passenger rail services in Great Britain, at 0.8%. 

This is leaps and bounds ahead of its new competitor, Avanti, which had the largest at 7.4%. 

Richard said: “We’ve got a really good track record of performance and punctuality. 

“We won a Golden Whistle Award in March for our ability to drive and minimise delays. 

“Clearly, some things are well beyond our control, but that’s always going to be the case.” 

Students and commuters who don’t see what goes on behind the scenes of TOCs will ultimately make their decision on who can get them from A to B, on time, and for the lowest price. 

If Lumo can offer both, Preston students may not need much more convincing. 

The first Stirling to London Euston service is due to run in May, with services being released for sale in phases, the earliest currently on sale being the 9 June.

A full timetable is to follow on 27 July.