FirstGroup said revenue from its Lumo trains division has risen as industry data shows strong passenger growth on the East Coast Mainline where its operates alongside nationalised LNER services.

The company reported 1.43m open access passenger journeys in H1 2026 (H1 2025: 1.40m), an increase of 2%.

Open access revenue grew in the first half to £53.2m (H1 2025: £51.9m) with industry data showing overall passenger growth of 30% on the East Coast route.

FirstGroup said it is on course to more than double existing open access capacity in the next 2-3 years. Rolling stock has been secured for the London to Stirling service with full service anticipated from the middle of next year.

Revenue grew 3.5% in the regional bus division, with revenue per mile improving to £5.60 (H1 2025: £5.46).

Group adjusted operating profit rose 4% to £42.7m (H1 2025: £41.1m) in a challenging economic and policy environment.