New rail services between London and central Scotland are expected to launch in mid-2026 after an agreement was reached for the use of five trains.
Transport giant FirstGroup said it has secured a deal with rolling stock company Eversholt Rail in relation to its planned new route between London Euston and the city of Stirling.
Services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.
There will be four return services a day (three on Sundays) on the full route, with an additional daily return service between Euston and Preston.
This will provide more competition for several operators such as LNER and Avanti West Coast.
FirstGroup holds track access rights from regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for the route on the West Coast Main Line until 2030.
Trains will be operated under FirstGroup’s Lumo brand, which currently runs only on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
The new West Coast services were initially planned to start this year, but FirstGroup said they are “currently expected to commence mid-2026 following the delivery of the trains and staff training”.
The company said the agreement with Eversholt Rail is for five Class 222 diesel trains, each with a capacity for about 340 standard-class seats.
It expects the services will achieve annual sales of about £50 million and a “low double-digit” operating profit margin.
The Government started the process of renationalising all remaining franchised train services last month when it brought South Western Railway into public ownership.
Lumo runs on a separate open access basis, meaning it sets its own fares, takes on all revenue risk and receives no taxpayer-funded subsidies.
In January, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander wrote to ORR chairman Declan Collier expressing concerns that the open access model can cause “potential congestion” and result in taxpayers being “left to fill shortfalls” in maintenance costs.
She stated it is her “expectation” that “the impacts on the taxpayer and on overall performance” are “given primacy” by the regulator when it analyses proposals.
FirstGroup chief executive Graham Sutherland said: “The mobilisation of our new service between London and Stirling is another important step towards rolling out Lumo as a nationwide operator and growing our open access capacity, a key priority for the group.
“Our investment and capabilities in open access rail have delivered reliable, value-for-money services, grown rail demand and helped to spur economic growth and connect communities.
“We look forward to doing the same on our new services.”
