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Rail passengers from central Scotland, Carlisle, Crewe and other stations will be able to choose between London Euston’s competing operators from June 2025.
The move is expected to lower fares and encourage some travelers to switch from planes and roads to rail.
The Office for Rail and Road (ORR) has given Grand Union Trains permission for a new link from Stirling and five other Scottish stations to London Euston.
Trains run four times a day and also serve Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes Central.
It will be the first time that incumbent long-distance carrier Avanti West Coast faces so-called “open access” competition.
But unlike Avanti West Coast’s electric fleet, Grand Union will rely on diesel trains.
Announcing the planning approval, Stephanie Tobin, ORR’s strategic director, said: “Our decision will help improve services for passengers and increase competition on the UK rail network.”
“By offering more trains to new destinations, open access operators give passengers more choice in where and at what price they travel, leading to better outcomes for rail users.”
Stirling currently operates two direct trains a day to London via LNER’s East Coast Main Line and overnight Caledonian Sleeper.
Grand Union trains will also serve three stations that currently have no links to London: Larbert, Greenfalls and Whifflet, as well as Motherwell and Lockerbie.
The rail operator said: “The route will avoid the busy Edinburgh and Glasgow stations and will provide passengers with a faster service without the need to change trains.”
Grand Union says it plans to use electric or “dual mode” (electric and diesel) trains “in the long term”. But initially, “Due to current power supply issues on the West Coast Main Line, the service will begin using off-lease Class 22x trains, with top speeds potentially reaching 195 mph.” has been written.
These Belgian-made trains are branded Meridian and are currently used by the East Midlands Railway.
Currently, the only long-distance open access trains in the UK are on the East Coast Main Line, with Hull Trains, Grand Central and Lumo competing with the state-owned LNER.
ORR concluded that the proposed service would “increase passenger choice and significantly increase opportunities for direct travel between London and south-central Scotland and south-central Scotland, while leveraging existing capacity on the network.” .
independent person has asked Avanti West Coast and LNER for a response.
Listen to Simon Calder’s podcast on open access rails