Independent watchdog Transport Focus published a survey on Thursday which showed Lumo’s passenger number were up 23 per cent on last year.

The figures meant the rail operator had the biggest increase in passenger numbers across the entire UK rail industry.

Lumo also serves passengers from London to Glasgow, as well as a new Stirling route.

MrBoyt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The survey of more than 100,000 rail passengers awarded Lumo first place in the “value for money” category.

Transport Focus said: “Lumo passengers were most satisfied with value for money (75 per cent).”

Lumo’s sister firm, Hull Trains, was awarded the top spot in Transport Focus’s survey, with 94 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. 

Lumo took joint fourth place, with a 90 per cent satisfaction rating. 

Stuart Jones, Managing Director of First Rail Open Access, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our dedicated teams at both Hull Trains and Lumo for these impressive results. 

“For Hull Trains to be ranked number one across the industry for customer satisfaction is an incredible achievement and a testament to the dedication of our entire team.

“Similarly, for Lumo to be ranked number one for value for money, while also placed among the top three long-distance operators for overall satisfaction reflects of our commitment to making rail more accessible and affordable.”

The publication of the Transport Focus survey coincided with the latest rail passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road, the industry watchdog. 

The ORR reported a four per cent increase in passenger numbers on UK railways for the three months between January and March, compared with the same period in 2025.

Last month, Lumo launched a new service linking Stirling and London Euston via the West Coast Main Line, offering the first direct link to London for a number of stations along the route. Its first Stirling-Euston passenger numbers will be reported by the ORR in its next quarterly report. 

Lumo’s 23 per cent growth on the East Coast Main Line was almost eight times greater than the three per cent underlying increase in long-distance train travel, according to the ORR. 

Lumo and Hull Trains are both “open access” operators, meaning they are run without any taxpayer subsidy. 

Alex Robertson, Chief Executive of Transport Focus, said: “These results show that it’s possible for the railway to get it right, but that this isn’t happening consistently enough. The gap between the worst and best performing operators is striking.”

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