Lumo's new train service from London Euston to Stirling will launch with tickets available for travel from Friday, July 10, according to multiple reports. The route will stop at 11 stations and be significantly cheaper than other rail operators. Tickets are now available for purchase, with prices starting from £29.90 for London to Stirling, £23.90 for London to Preston, and £14.90 for Preston to Stirling. Services departing after 10 July are now on sale, but earlier services are expected to be added in the coming weeks as it is anticipated services will launch ahead of July, Lumo said in an official statement.
The new route will run between London Euston and Stirling, calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert. The service plans to operate four daily return services between Stirling and London, plus an additional Preston-London return service. Passengers will use refurbished Class 222 trains, which have had interiors upgraded and new seating in some carriages. According to major media reports, Lumo's carriages will feature sleek grey and silver interiors with standard class seating only. There is no first class on Lumo's trains, as it operates a single class service designed to keep costs low.
Services departing after 10 July are now on sale, however earlier services are expected to be added in the coming weeks as it's anticipated services will launch ahead of July.
Lumo will be the only 'open-access' service on this line, meaning it is not subsidised by the government, multiple reports indicate. Open access operators, such as Lumo owner FirstGroup, are private railway companies that do not receive government subsidy. Lumo's new 'open access' service will compete with Avanti West Coast as well as other operators, including TransPennine Express and LNER. According to Lumo, the expansion is intended to improve travel choice for customers while providing direct long-distance connections for communities currently underserved by rail.
FlixBus has launched new routes between the north of England and London with great value prices, major media reports state. The company is celebrating its fifth anniversary in the UK with new destinations in time for Easter, with tickets for less than £5. Tickets starting from just £4.49 will be available for new destinations and connections on the nationwide network. This year, the total number of destinations on FlixBus's long-distance coach network will exceed 100 towns and cities for the first time. Promotional fares are available now until 30 April for travel between 13 April and 30 June 2026.
The expansion is intended to improve travel choice for customers while providing direct long-distance connections for communities currently underserved by rail.
As of 1 April, FlixBus will launch in Doncaster, Blackpool, Halifax, Huddersfield, and Milton Keynes, according to major media reports. Daily FlixBus services between York, Heathrow Airport, and central London will also be added. New connections between Bristol Airport and Plymouth, Taunton, Cheltenham, and Exeter, as well as Leicester and Nottingham to both Plymouth and Bristol, will be available for the first time. Brighton will see new services to Heathrow Airport, while direct connections to Leeds and Sheffield from Gatwick will launch. FlixBus will also offer services between Manchester Airport and Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Bradford.
FlixBus continues its growth in May, with Colchester, Chelmsford, and Ipswich joining the network as well as more direct connections to London and Oxford from Birmingham Airport, major media reports indicate. East Anglia's connections will also see a boost, with new services between Norwich and Heathrow, as well as to Birmingham and Plymouth. Since launching in the UK in 2021, FlixBus has grown to a network spanning over 100 destinations across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Timetables, fares and onboard details will be announced soon.
A total of 16 apprentice drivers have switched from the classroom to the cab of these upgraded Class 222s after starting their training in June 2025, major media reports state.
Several uncertainties remain regarding both services. The exact official launch date for Lumo's new service is unclear, as it is proposed for spring 2026 but no date has been released, and timetables, fares, and onboard details will be announced soon, Lumo said in an official statement. It is also unknown how many earlier services before July 10 Lumo will add, and when they will be available for booking. Specific onboard amenities and refreshments that Lumo will offer on its trains have not been detailed. The impact of FlixBus's expansion on existing coach and rail operators in terms of competition and pricing is not yet clear, nor are the environmental impacts or sustainability measures associated with Lumo's new train service and FlixBus's expanded coach network.