Key stats
- 800,000 passenger journeys a day in 2024/25
- We manage around 380 stations
- Fleet of 3,800 locomotives and rail carriages operated
- Of these, 3,358 are electric or bi-mode (electric and diesel) trains
- Around 16,000 employees
We have many years of experience running all types of passenger rail: long-distance, commuter, regional and sleeper services. We operate two major UK train operating companies on behalf of the Government - Avanti West Coast (Avanti) and Great Western Railway (GWR) as well as two open access passenger rail services, Hull Trains and Lumo. We are also 'shadow operator' on the HS2 programme. We operate London Trams on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), Heathrow Express on behalf of Heathrow Airport, and in June 2024 we took over operation of the London Cable Car. First Rail also has several additional services businesses including First Rail Consultancy, Mistral Data and First Customer Contact, which offer a variety of solutions for the rail industry, bringing experience, expertise and benefits to the sector.
As one of the most experienced operators in the UK, we are uniquely positioned to work with our partners to add value and improve services. Across all our operations, we are working together with industry partners and local stakeholders to provide better rail services, keep people moving and communities prospering across the country.
First Rail is continuously looking to improve customer experience and drive digital transformation. We are making use of new digital tools in our customer contact centre and our Mistral Data business is providing industry-leading products and services to a number of train operating companies, including operational, staff messaging and customer engagement systems.
First Rail has an important role in meeting the challenges of climate change and driving modal shift from car and plane to rail. We are working with our partners to reduce carbon emissions through initiatives including the introduction of electric trains to replace diesel where possible. In First Rail, we are leading trials of battery train technologies, low-carbon fuels, and collaborating with Network Rail to improve energy efficiency and expand track electrification. Our open access rail operations are helping to drive modal shift from car and air travel to rail, and thanks to Lumo’s fully electric fleet and Hull Trains’ bi-mode fleet, our emissions are lower than most other UK rail companies.
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast, part of our joint venture with Trenitalia known as the West Coast Partnership, runs intercity services on the West Coast Main Line.
The partnership also includes West Coast Partnership Development, which is the 'shadow operator' for HS2, preparing for a new era in high speed rail.
Click here for more information about Avanti.
Great Western Railway (GWR)
GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, carrying commuters, leisure and business customers across the Great Western rail franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.
Over time we have introduced new or refurbished GWR trains on every part of the network. GWR are also carrying out industry-first trials of a fast-charge battery train, which included setting a UK distance record for a battery train without charging in 2024.
Click here for more information about GWR.
Hull Trains
Filling a vital gap in the market, Hull Trains has been connecting Hull and the Humber region with London for 25 years, with the number of services increasing from one return service a day at launch to up to 94 services a week today from Hull and the Humber region direct to London.
In response to increasing demand, Hull Trains has added 14% more capacity since December 2022, running ten-car trains (typically a five-car service) at peak demand times, resulting in higher seat capacity utilisation, increasing from 59% in 2023 to 67% in 2025. Furthermore, Hull Trains continues to be an extremely reliable operator, with some of the lowest levels of self-cancellations in the industry and highest rates of customer satisfaction.
Hull Trains has reduced CO2 emissions by 65% compared to its previous fleet, through the introduction of a new bi-mode fleet in 2019.
Click here to learn more about Hull Trains.
Lumo
In October 2021 we launched Lumo, our open access rail service between London and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line running a fully electric fleet. In its first full year of operation, our new Lumo service carried more than 1m passengers.
Lumo is a comfortable, convenient and affordable alternative to flying. Lumo trains stop at Newcastle, Morpeth and Stevenage, helping to both improve regional connectivity and act as alternatives to Edinburgh, Newcastle and Luton airports.
Lumo offers competitive fares and value to customers and has now carried more than four million customers since its launch in 2021, with 78% seat capacity utilisation.
Lumo’s service plays an important part in driving modal shift from plane to train, emitting 95% fewer carbon emissions than when people fly between the two capital cities, and 21 times fewer emissions than a petrol car.
Lumo has introduced several improvements including superfast Wi-Fi, LumoGo – a ticketing and entertainment centre, and LumoFlex - a flexible ticketing system, providing customers with better-connected and more flexible ways to travel.
Lumo continues to be an extremely reliable operator, with some of the lowest levels of self-cancellations in the industry and highest rates of customer satisfaction.
Click here to learn more about Lumo.
London Trams
We operate the London Trams network on behalf of Transport for London, which sees patronage of around 21m passengers per year. Passenger numbers increased by more than 10m since the tram system opened in 2000 until 2019.
London Cable Car
Since June 2024 we have operated the IFS Cloud Cable Car for Transport for London which connects the Royal Docks with the Greenwich Peninsula. The cable car opened in 2012, as the first and only urban cable car in the UK, providing a unique way of travelling across the River Thames and the opportunity to experience incredible views. Our team of colleagues not only help up to 2,500 customers per hour to travel but also offers an exciting visitor experience and special events.
Mistral Data
Mistral Data, a subsidiary of First Rail, creates software and data solutions for their industry customers. Using cloud technology, various data feeds can be integrated into one place – including both overnight batch data from customer systems such as a website or an app as well as real-time information captured through on-train technology. This provides greater detail as well as a single version of what is happening on the railway, allowing for faster and more informed decisions to be made across the whole network. This in turn helps Mistral’s customers improve the overall passenger experience and performance of the railway.
First Rail Consultancy
First Rail Consultancy delivers specialist services across the public transport sector, particularly in the rail industry. Ranging from commercial, customer experience, human resources, marketing, and programme and project management to bid writing, analysis, engineering, operations, and performance and planning, First Rail Consultancy provides expert advice to its clients that covers every facet of a transport operator.