UK: Jen Clare has been appointed as Service Delivery Director at FirstGroup’s London to Edinburgh open access operator Lumo.
Clare has almost 20 years of railway operations experience, having started her career as a signalling apprentice. Before joining Lumo, she was Head of Service Delivery for East Coast Main Line inter-city operator LNER before moving to FirstGroup, working on the East Coast Digital Programme.
Lumo launched in October 2021, with a stated aim of competing with airlines and coaches rather than other rail operators. It now operates 10 services a day using its Hitachi trainsets, welcoming its millionth passenger in October.
It says that 57% of journeys between Edinburgh and London were by rail between April and August 2022, compared to pre-pandemic levels of 35%, demonstrating modal shift from air to rail.