Cut-price train operator Lumo replacing 'tired' seat upholstery after just three years

The move was announced days after a reviewer of the Edinburgh-London service for the consumer watchdog Which? found his seat had “more stains on it than a two-year-old’s bib at dinner time” and the others “all look the same – filthy”.

Another reviewer, marketing consultant Roger Edwards, praised the comfiness of Lumo’s seats, but said their cloth covers were “prone to staining”.

The service was launched in October 2021 using similar Hitachi trains to those introduced on the route by rivals LNER three years earlier. LNER has moquette - dense woven fabric - seats, which the operator said remained in “really good condition”.

Avanti West Coast last year completed a seat refurbishment of its Glasgow-London trains for the first time in some 20 years.

Lumo told The Scotsman: “We were mindful the original fabric had reached a point of needing to be refreshed with an upgraded material.

“We’re now in our fourth year of providing our popular service and as our fleet approaches one million miles per train, we have taken the opportunity to re-trim the seats, which were originally trimmed in an at-the-time innovative new weave, as they were looking a little tired.

“Lumo has proved exceptionally popular, carrying some of the highest loads per train carriage than any long-distance train operator.”

The company, part of Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, said the overhauled seats would have a “comfier and harder-wearing material”. It said they were being completely reupholstered with the internal structure remaining the same.

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A spokesperson said: “The new look will be both more appealing and comfortable for customers who travel with us.”

Mr Edwards said: “I’ve always said the Lumo seats were more comfortable than the hideous LNER standard-class seats, but the cloth covers were prone to staining. Nice to see a proper moquette - they look really smart.

“Re-covering them with a thicker, presumably more traditional train moquette, should make the seats even better.”

Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said in his review the dirty seats “made our trip feel budget”.

“My seat has more stains on it than a two-year-old’s bib at dinner time - and it has probably been that long since it last got a good scrub,” he said.

“I search for an alternate seat, but they all look the same – filthy.”

Safety consultant John Arnold commented on business social network LinkedIn: “The new moquette looks good, but it’s a real testament to how poorly upholstered they were before. Less than four years in service.”

The first train with refurbished seats went into service on Wednesday. Work on the rest of the fleet at the Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh is due to be completed over the next few weeks.

Lumo has also introduced a free seat selection service so passengers can choose where to sit when they book rather than being allocated a seat. The operator said its name comprised a combination of “luminosity”, which it defined as “fresh thinking and innovation”, and “motion”.