i used Lumo for the first time yesterday and my lasting impression is that if the paths for these express services already existed, why didn't the good and the great at the DfT or LNER come up with the idea themselves?

As for the onboard service. It was OK. Disappointed you can't order food on the train and the power sockets are in an even worse position than on the old GWR HST sets. But, the journey was nothing to complain about. I did like the personal touch from the drivers with announcements and updates.

Given the price, I'll use them again but only if I wanted to be back in Newcastle earlier than my LNER booking and a Lumo departure just so happened to be available (and not canceled). How they deal with service disruptions really puts me off them being my "go to" option.