CARMARTHEN: Lumo to launch direct Carmarthen to London Paddington service in December 2027 — with stops at Llanelli and Gowerton

The long-awaited direct rail service between Carmarthen and London Paddington is set to launch in December 2027, after train operator Lumo confirmed it has five new Hitachi trains on order for the route.

The route was first approved by the rail regulator in 2022 after a drawn-out battle with Great Western Railway, which operates its own south Wales to London Paddington services and had opposed the application. The original proposals were submitted by Grand Union Trains, which secured regulatory approval before selling its rights to the route to FirstGroup in 2024.

Lumo – FirstGroup’s open access train brand – will now operate the service, running five return journeys a day between Carmarthen and London Paddington. The service will call at Llanelli, Gowerton, Cardiff, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway.

A Lumo spokesperson confirmed the launch plans. The service will use single-class standard seating across all five new trains, with the operator describing its aim as bringing affordable open access travel to even more communities.

The route puts Lumo in direct competition with GWR on the south Wales to London corridor – and there is an added layer of complexity to that rivalry. Both Lumo and GWR are owned by FirstGroup, meaning the parent company will effectively be competing with itself on the route.

GWR is also scheduled to be absorbed into Great British Railways as part of the UK Government’s rail nationalisation programme – though the timeline for that transition remains unclear.

GWR said it welcomed enhancements on the route but cautioned that any new services should not be detrimental to existing services or to future services already agreed.

A spokesperson said the company would continue working with industry partners to ensure railway services were developed in the best way for passengers and taxpayers.

Carmarthenshire County Council threw its support behind the original Grand Union proposals when they were being considered by the regulator, making the case that a direct London service would bring significant economic benefits to west Wales.

The confirmation of a December 2027 launch date comes as Welsh Labour separately pledged a direct Milford Haven to London service as part of its Senedd election manifesto, backed by £50 million of investment in the Milford Haven to Carmarthen line.

The Lumo service would not serve Milford Haven or Pembroke Dock directly, but would give passengers at Carmarthen, Llanelli and Gowerton a genuine alternative to GWR on the London route for the first time.

Lumo declined to provide projected passenger numbers for its first years of operation.

Author

Kit Peters

Kit Peters is a journalist and the editor of Swansea Bay News, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire since 2020.