A budget-friendly, all-electric British train operator to compete with the budget airlines will actually make it cheaper to travel from England to Scotland by rail rather than air. A brand new direct train service between London and Scotland, with tickets for less than £35 a seat, is being launched to make rail travel between the two countries more affordable.

A budget rail operator launched the route last week, with the service linking Glasgow with Falkirk and Edinburgh,Newcastle in the north-east of England and finally London. And there is another new England Scotland budget route launching in May 2026, too, from a different London station and a different Scottish city, giving budget travellers more options and more routes.

According to travel journalists, on the inaugural journey on Tuesday, the new route, which departed from Glasgow, even arrived at London's King's Cross station one minute early. Scottish boyband Just The Brave, who have racked up over five million likes on TikTok, also made a special appearance at the official opening of the route.

Tickets for the new budget train line will start from £33.10 between London and Glasgow, although some advance fares have been found for £18.55. Seats for the Glasgow to Newcastle leg of the journey willl cost as little as £10.90.

Lumo is also set to launch a brand new route connecting London Euston with Stirling in May 2026. Lumo plans to run five trains a day between London Euston and Stirling, stopping at 10 English and Scottish stations along the way.

The company says it wants to "increase rail travel between Scotland and England as a sustainable alternative to flying."

The new "open access" service will compete with operators like Avanti West Coast, the TransPennine Express and LNER.

Lumo, dubbed the "Ryanair of trains", says the low fares combined with "Lumo's high-scoring onboard customer satisfaction results" will make travelling between the destinations even more accessible.

Two northbound services will run each weekday, with one southbound according to the Independent's travel editor Simon Calder.

And the new Lumo connection is expected to "attract more people" to Glasgow's Commonwealth Games in July 2026, said the rail operator.

Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, said: "This is a landmark moment which will boost connectivity between Scotland and England, offering a sustainable travel option whilst also boosting economic growth.

"It was a particular pleasure to celebrate the launch of our inaugural services in style with a brilliant range of guests from our dedicated team, as well as our partners from Scotland and across the border. We're proud to champion Scotland and look forward to providing the unique Lumo service to even more customers from this week."

Just like budget airlines, passengers on the budget rail routes will be limited to one small bag/holdall and one medium suitcase.

Scottish broadcaster Bev Lyons, who took the inaugural journey said : "I'm so thrilled that they have officially brought their unique service to my home city of Glasgow! We've been crying out for an affordable and direct link to the North East and London and I know that this service will be valued by many people."

Paul Tetlaw, Director of Policy at Transform Scotland, said: "We welcome the new Lumo services from Glasgow and Falkirk via the East Coast Main Line. There is a significant market of people who currently drive or fly to the North East of England and London who now have the opportunity to switch to the train. The new services soon to be launched from Stirling will help to build on that modal shift to rail."