FirstGroup plc (LON:FGP) has announced that it has been awarded extensions to its Hull Trains and Lumo open access rail services by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). These include:
– an extension of Lumo’s service to and from Glasgow Queen Street, calling at Falkirk High and Edinburgh Haymarket from December 2025 – this includes one southbound service between Edinburgh and Glasgow on weekdays and one extension in each direction on Sundays
– an additional daily return service on Lumo between Newcastle and London from December 2025
– One additional Hull Trains service between London and Hull on weekdays and Saturdays from December 2025
The additional services will add another c.118m seat miles to the Group’s existing open access capacity of 967m – c.19m from the Glasgow service, c.76m from the additional Lumo service and c.23m from the additional Hull Trains service. Combined with the Group’s new Stirling and Carmarthen services expected to launch in mid CY 2026 and December 2027 respectively, the Group will more than double its existing open access capacity.
The Group is disappointed that the ORR has not approved its application for a new Hull Trains service between London and Sheffield and will continue to explore further potential opportunities for the route. The proposed route would have provided Sheffield the first regular service from London King’s Cross since 1968 and an estimated 350,000 people in the Worksop and Woodhouse catchment areas would have had direct rail access to London, with all of the economic benefit this would have brought.
Commenting, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland said:
“Open access rail operators bring significant private investment to both the rail sector and UK manufacturing, connect under-served communities and deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits.
We are pleased to have been awarded the extensions to our successful open access rail operations. This is an important step in our efforts to materially grow our open access business and will allow us to build on the substantial benefits we are making to the communities we serve, and to attract even more passengers to rail.”
