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Home » Which is the best Newcastle to London train?

Which is the best Newcastle to London train?

When you’re choosing a Newcastle to London train, you want to make sure that you’re getting the most comfortable and value-for-money experience possible. Let’s take a look at the options, what the trains are like and how much they cost.

What are the Newcastle to London train options?

When it comes to direct trains from Newcastle to London, you have two options. Your first option is LNER, which runs around twice per hour. They run one ‘fast’ train which takes around 2h50m (calling only at Darlington and York), and one ‘semi-fast’ train which takes roughly 3h15m (calling at Durham, Darlington, Northallerton*, York, Doncaster, Newark Northgate and Peterborough).

Lumo are your other option. They run five trains each way per day, and most run non-stop between Newcastle and London. The journey time can vary, with the fastest trains taking 2h35m and slower ones taking close to three hours.

*Northallerton is served every two hours for most of the day.

What are the trains like?

No matter which Newcastle to London train company you choose, you’ll have a similar type of train. LNER operates a fleet of Azuma trains, which have either five or nine carriages. The vast majority of services on this route have nine carriages:

lner azuma newcastle to london trains at kings cross

All seats in Standard Class are in a 2+2 layout. Every seat has access to a power socket, too:

interior of an azuma newcastle to london train in standard class, showing 2+2 seating

Each carriage has at least two luggage racks, though some have four. Typically, there’s plenty of space for all kinds of suitcases and bags.

If you’re travelling on Lumo, you’ll have a similar train. These ones have five carriages and they’re in an all-over blue livery:

lumo train at edinburgh waverley

The Lumo trains use a different kind of seat and typically have more seats in every carriage, too. Every seat has access to a power socket and a USB port:

interior of lumo train

Luggage space is pretty poor on Lumo though, with some seats having no access to either an overhead rack or a luggage stack. In particular, coaches A and E don’t have a larger luggage stack at all.

Just like on low-cost airlines, you can only bring a certain amount of luggage with you. It’s even made national headlines when people have been caught out. In a nutshell, you can only bring a small bag (to go under the seat) and a medium suitcase (to go in a larger luggage stack).

How much does a Newcastle to London train cost?

Lumo markets itself as the low-cost Newcastle to London train option. This is sometimes true, but they’ve become very popular, so fares on average have increased since they launched.

Here’s what you’ll find if you want to book a Newcastle to London train a month in advance:

newcastle to london train fare options on railsmartr site

While there’s a slight saving, both companies are pretty similar. Usually, you’ll find that the best fares are based on the time of day, rather than who’s offering them. For example, if you travel on a Friday morning when there’s no peak time restrictions, it’s likely to be cheaper than on a different weekday.

Equally, if you travel from London to Newcastle late at night, both operators will drop their prices. Here’s an example five weeks in advance:

trains from london to newcastle on railsmartr

In particular, the 20:27 Lumo train is a great one to aim for, as it’s the last train you can get back where there’ll still be some public transport running in Newcastle when you get there.

If you want to know about what both companies offer, and the full range of fares, then take a look at our article which compares LNER and Lumo.

What if I want to go First Class?

Then you’d better choose LNER! Lumo runs trains that are fully Standard Class throughout, so you’ll not get very far.

As we wrote in our review of the best First Class trains, LNER offers a good product if you can get it at the right price. You’ll get complimentary food and drink on board, with the selection being from their Deli, Dish or Dine menu. First Class seating is in a 2+1 layout, and you’ll have access to a three-pin socket and USB port at every seat.

Are there any other options for a Newcastle to London train trip?

There is one more option, which is to take Grand Central. They run from Sunderland rather than Newcastle, but this might be more convenient depending on where you’re travelling to and from.

They run six trains a day each way. If you book a month in advance, here’s what the fares look like:

cheap train tickets to london with grand central on the railsmartr site

Their trains are a little slower, but they are a good option for a Newcastle to London train journey if the other options are more expensive. Like we said, you might prefer to go this way if you’re not starting or finishing close to Newcastle (eg. in Washington or South Shields).

Is there anything else I should know?

The final thing we’d recommend is using the Railsmartr website to book your Newcastle to London train journey. We’re completely independent, so we’re happy to ‘tell you like it is’ when it comes to rail fares. Not only that, but we’ll show you the slower, but cheaper options that some websites won’t.

Don’t forget that we don’t charge any fees, either. That includes if you change your mind and want to travel on a different day. If your ticket is refundable, we’ll refund it fee-free, too!

We’ve taken a day trip to Newcastle too, if you’re looking for inspiration on what to do.

All fares stated on this page are for ONE adult with no Railcard discount and were correct at 15:00 01/06/23. They’re subject to change at any time and Railsmartr are not responsible for any loss or disappointment incurred as a result of the information provided.