Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026
The title of this post is the same as this news item from Lumo.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Lumo has secured a new route connecting Stirling with London Euston, launching as early as Spring 2026, offering passengers five daily affordable services.
- The announcement comes as Lumo hosted a special event at Holyrood attended by MSPs and Scotland’s MPs, spotlighting Lumo’s contribution to enhancing rail connectivity for previously underserved communities in Scotland.
- The route will provide first-ever direct services to London for Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert, further boosting economic opportunities and travel options in Scotland.
This first paragraph adds some more details.
Lumo, the UK’s leading Open Access rail operator, today announced it has secured five Class 222 six-car trains for its forthcoming route between London Euston and Stirling, beginning as early as Spring 2026. This expansion aims to enhance travel choice and connectivity for passengers along the central belt of Scotland both to England and to Stirling, offering five daily services with the operator renowned for affordability and efficiency.
I have some thoughts.
What Is The Complete Route?
This is the complete route.
Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
It is fully-electrified and can support 125 mph running most, if not all, of the way.
There Are No Six-Car Class 222 Trains
Consider.
- Currently, five-car Class 222 trains seat 192 in Standard Class and 50 in First Class.
- Currently, seven-car Class 222 trains seat 236 in Standard Class and 106 in First Class.
- Lumo’s five-car Class 803 trains set 402 in Standard Class.
- Lumo’s trains have no First Class.
I estimate that a six-car Class 222 train, with all Standard Class seating would accommodate not far off the 402 seats of one of Lumo’s bog-standard Class 803 trains.
Having identical numbers of passengers on the two fleets, must surely bring operational advantages.
- A six-car Class 222 train could replace a five-car Class 803 train or vice-versa, if Lumo were short of trains.
- Class 222 trains are able to take the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line and other diversions during times of engineering works.
- The Class 222 trains would be able to run between Euston and Rochdale.
- The Class 222 trains might be useful for developing services on routes without electrification.
In the future, a six-car Class 222 train could be directly replaced in Lumo’s fleet by a five-car battery-electric Class 803 train.
The Class 222 Trains Are Diesel-Powered
All the noise and vibration could be a problem, but if I am right about the interchangeability of the two fleets, then this gives some advantages too.
- Earlier delivery of Class 222 trains, than new Class 803 trains, may enable Lumo to start services between Euston and Stirling at an earlier date.
- Earlier delivery of Class 222 trains, may allow selective withdrawal of Class 803 trains for updating.
- A mixed fleet of diesel and electric trains may be able to run more services during engineering works, by using diversion routes without electrification.
- Short route extensions to Dundee or Perth could be tried to assess demand.
There could be some good reasons to get the Class 222 trains into service sooner rather than later.
Will The Diesel Class 222 Trains Be Replaced By Battery-Electric Class 803 Trains?
Although London And Edinburgh By Lumo Using the Joint Line Diversion, was also about Lumo’s proposed Euston and Rochdale service, it was mainly about using battery power to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to avoid engineering works or wiring problems.
Both train types have the following abilities.
- Ability to go between Stirling and Euston via the West Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Rochdale and Euston via the West Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Stirling and King’s Cross via the East Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Edinburgh and King’s Cross via the East Coast Main Line.
- Ability to handle the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line on their own power.
- Ability to handle diversions of up to around a hundred miles on their own power.
As Lumo’s new battery-electric Class 803 trains are delivered, Lumo’s two Anglo-Scottish routes and the one to Rochdale can go all-electric.
Can Lumo Trains Run As Pairs?
I’ve not seen or heard if Lumo have done this, but as I wrote in Ten-Car Hull Trains, I’ve seen Lumo’s sister company Hull Trains run ten-car trains.
As Wikipedia says that both Class 222 and Class 803 trains can run in multiple formations with other trains from the same class, I have to assume it is possible, providing the Fat Controller agrees to the practice.
Has Heidi Alexander Really Said Yes?
After the launch at Holyrood, in front of MSPs and Scottish MPs, it would now be difficult to say No!
But then there’s a by-election to the Scottish Parliament in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on Thursday.
Is Lumo’s new route an easy drive from the constituency? A Scot, who has worked in the area said Yes!
Conclusion
I like FirstGroup’s plan to create a diesel fleet to introduce new services and back up their current ones, until the new battery-electric Class 803 trains are delivered.
Elon Musk’s Starlink Lined Up To Solve Train Wi-Fi Rage
The title of this post, is the same as that, as this article on the Telegraph.
This is the sub-heading.
Using the billionaire’s network of satellites could help rail passengers make reliable phone calls
These two paragraphs give more details.
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are being looked at as a potential solution to solving the issue of patchy Wi-Fi on Britain’s trains.
Train operators in England and Wales are examining whether the satellite-based internet provider could be used to boost connectivity after a six-month trial of the technology began in Scotland last month.
I don’t see any obvious technical reason, why not the technology wouldn’t work.
This Wikipedia entry describes the 2024 Talerddig Train Collision, when two trains collided on the Cambrian Line.
Better communications might have helped in avoiding or sorting out the incident.
Exercise ‘Better Than Drugs’ To Stop Colon Cancer Returning
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
First study of its kind finds that an ‘exercise prescription’ can reduce the chances of colon cancer patients dying from a relapse by a third
These first two paragraphs add more detail.
Exercise can be “better than a drug” for reducing the risk of cancer returning, a study has found.
Patients with advanced colon cancer who received an “exercise prescription” after finishing their cancer treatment were found to be a third less likely to die from the disease.
I find these findings from the The CO21 Challenge trial, partially funded by Cancer Research UK’s Stand Up To Cancer fund, rather remarkable.
The research was led by Christian Booth, of Queen’s University in Canada, which illustrates the international nature of medical research.
On a third reading of the article, I noticed the full implications of this paragraph.
Alongside benefits for colon cancer, Booth said that fewer patients in the active group went on to develop breast cancer, suggesting that there may be an effect on other cancer types too. Of those who received an exercise prescription, only two went on to develop breast cancer, compared with 12 in the control group.
This could be a very significant study, that changes the treatment of cancer.
The Show Must Go On
It looks like someone tried to ram-raid the Scribbler shop at The Angel.
But they were still open for business.
Mind The Step At Warren Street Station
This warning message is at Warren Street station.
I sometimes miss these single steps due to my poor eyesight from my stroke, but the message alerted me, as I was coming out of the station.
I find it funny, that I will more usually trip going down stairs, rather than up.
But then rabbits and hares are more likely to take a tumble going downhill.
They also tend to run uphill, when they sense danger.
I Have An HP LaserJet P1102w Going Free
The printer is offered with a new unopened print cartridge.
Note.
- It is about seven years old.
- It gave me no problems on Windows 7.
- I couldn’t get the printer to work with my new computer, which uses the dreaded Windows 10.
- As I suspect the computer will update itself unilaterally to Windows 11.
- I need an occasional A4 copying facility.
It was cheaper to buy a new HP DeskJet printer at £46.99 from Currys, than pay an expert to sort the problem.
I live in London N1.
Use the Contact Form, if you’d like it.
SNP Ban On ‘Munitions’ Funds Puts Scottish Shipbuilding On The Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The president of Rolls-Royce submarines says plans for a world-class welding centre on the Clyde are at risk of being cancelled within days
These three paragraphs add more details to the story.
Ambitious plans to reverse a historic decline in Scottish shipbuilding are at risk after a £2.5 million taxpayer grant was axed due to an SNP ban on “munitions” funding.
A plan to build a specialist welding centre on the banks of the Clyde is now in grave doubt after Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency, was accused of reneging on a pledge to fund a building for the world-class facility.
Rolls-Royce, which is ready to support the project by providing £11 million worth of specialist equipment, expressed “dismay” at the news, saying the project had been classified as a “munitions” scheme solely on the basis that it would “support the construction of naval vessels”.
Given the experience of the Scottish Government in building ferries is documented in this Wikipedia entry, which is entitled Scottish Ferry Fiasco, the SNP must know something about how not to build ships.
The comments from readers of the Times Article are scathing, with many coming from those with Scottish names.
Welding And Nuclear Power
It doesn’t mention the other big use for welding in this article and that is in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. In fact one of the members of the Rolls-Royce consortium, that will build their small modular nuclear reactors is The Welding Institute – No prizes for guessing what they do!
Does that mean that Scotland won’t have anything to do with small modular nuclear reactors? Either in their manufacture or use.
This article in New Civil Engineer is entitled UK Plans New Nuclear Plant In Scotland Despite Scottish Government Opposition.
So if the Scottish Government wants nothing to do with making expensive, quality vessels for the nuclear industry, Rolls-Royce would surely be better building the welding centre in an area of the UK that would appreciate it.
Scots In High Positions Of Power
I like Scotland and the Scots and possibly, at one time, with all the North Sea Oil and Gas, I could have thought about relocating North of the Border. But I’m very glad I didn’t!
It does seem to me though, that when some Scots get to high positions of power, that they lose all sense of reason.
I would nominate.
- Fred the Shred
- The SNP
- That half-Scot, who was lucky enough to be elected US President twice.
There must be a few others.
Walking Between Moorgate and Liverpool Street – 30th May 2025
The BBC were saying this morning, that Finsbury Circus Gardens would be reopened today.
So after having my usual full-English gluten-free breakfast in Leon on Moorgate, I walked through Finsbury Circus to Liverpool Street.
Note.
- The gardens aren’t quite finished and some of the gates aren’t open yet.
- There are some magnificent specimen trees.
- Finsbury Circus Gardens can be approached from Moorgate between the buildings, after Crossing Moorgate on the light-controlled crossing, I wrote about in Moorgate Has Now Got A New Light-Controlled Crossing.
- I think I should have walked around the other side of the circus.
Hopefully, it’ll all be finished in a few days.
UK To Launch Seventh CfD Auction In August, Offshore Wind Has Its Own AR7 Timeline
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK government has published an indicative timeline for the Contract for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 7 (AR7), stating that it expects to open the auction in August and announce the results between late 2025 and early 2026. The timeline for offshore wind projects is now separate from that for other technologies, which will enable the confirmation of results as soon as possible, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
These first two paragraphs give more details of the Contract for Difference Auction.
The planned AR7 timeline for offshore wind, including both fixed-bottom and floating wind, sets the auction opening date between 7 to 27 August 2025, with results expected to be in from the second half of December 2025 to the second half of February 2026, depending on non-qualifying applicants requesting a Tier 1 review and/or Tier 2 appeal.
Before the launch of the seventh CfD allocation round, the government will publish Clean Industry Bonus results. This is scheduled for June.
I think this is going to be a very different Contract for Difference Auction to those held under the previous Conservative government.
- Will prices be as high?
- Will some regular companies in the auctions not bother to bid?
- Will there be bids for onshore wind in England?
It will be quite, if not very interesting!
The Anonymous Widower 