In the last two years, the number of customers travelling by Lumo’s train services between Morpeth and London has increased by 50%.

According to Lumo, the increased demand for its services is due to leisure and business customers looking to travel more sustainably and the area’s tourism opportunities.

Over three million customers have travelled on Lumo’s trains since it launched its low-cost, great value service between London, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, with its trains 25 times greener than flying and showing a saving in CO2 of approximately when compared to driving or flying.

Lumo is also a key partner for Destination North East England’s new ‘Regenerative Tourism’ plan that aims to make destinations more accessible, inclusive and sustainable. Destination North East England is England’s first Destination Development Partnership and is being led by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Although there is a choice of operators for customers travelling on the East Coast Main Line, all operators on the East Coast route are showing growth that exceeds pre-Covid levels.

Figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that Lumo is one of Britains best performing operators for punctuality.

The increase in travel on the East Coast Main Line is reflected throughout Europe.

Trains are now the fastest-growing mode of travel worldwide, having increased by over 35% during 2023-2024, whilst a third of eco-adventurers say they prefer trains to air travel.

Northumberland is reaping the benefit of better train connections, with over 1,500 new businesses being established in the county in the last year.

When combined with more visitors to Northumberland’s attractions and an increased demand for hospitality, retail, and service-based enterprises, there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to capitalise on the county’s popularity.

Fares for travel by Lumo from Morpeth to Edinburgh start from £7.80 and from Morpeth to London King’s Cross start from £30.90. Tickets can now be booked via the Lumo website with no booking fee for travel until 31 March 2024.

“Lumo’s offer of affordable, green travel connecting Morpeth with Edinburgh, Newcastle and London is proving incredibly popular. Our one hundred percent electric trains are helping make journeys even cleaner and combined with our industry-leading customer satisfaction scores, we’re proud to be seeing such incredible growth for Northumberland.”

Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director at Lumo