Would-be visitors to Scotland will have a new way of getting there from mid-2026 thanks to a new daily rail service between London and Stirling, a central Scottish city around 42 km northeast of Glasgow. The announcement came on 2 June 2025 at a special event at Holyrood, attended by Scottish and European parliamentarians.
The route, run by Lumo, will feature 10 stops, according to a press release. They are: Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert. Significantly, the firm notes, “this new route gives Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert their first-ever direct rail services to London, providing substantial economic benefits and new travel opportunities.”
We've secured a £50 million contract to refresh and maintain Alstom-built Class 222 trains for @LumoTravel’s new #Stirling to #London route.
— Alstom UK & Ireland (@AlstomUK) June 4, 2025
Supporting 50 #jobs, we’re proud to help deliver smarter, greener and more comfortable journeys.
Read more 👉https://t.co/PxEt9XNRIl pic.twitter.com/tPfJ41t1gU
It will be a West Coast service to complement the firm’s current East Coast Main Line from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh. Competitors do exist, in the shape of Avanti West Coast trains and national operations ScotRail, TransPennine Express and LNER. However, LNER’s Highland Chieftain from Inverness and ScotRail’s Caledonian Sleeper only stop twice per day at Stirling.
Conceived in 2015 and launched in 2021, Lumo proposes a low-cost travel option, with a single-class service, an in-seat refreshment trolley offer, and free Wi-Fi for all passengers. Framing itself as a “digital-first” operator, the firm places heavy emphasis on paperless ticketing. It operates against a backdrop of renationalised rail services in the UK. Under an “open access” licence, it is responsible for defining its own fares and is not subsidised with any taxpayer money.
The new Stirling service was supposed to come online in 2025 but umbrella company FirstGroup has implied rolling stock shortages are to blame for the delay, saying they expect “to commence mid-2026 following the delivery of the trains and staff training.” It has contracted with Eversholt Rail to supply the new route and has secured five Class 222 six-car trains.
@LumoTravel were in parliament last week talking about their plan for a new London route from Stirling next year, stopping at several stations in Central Scotland. This would be a massive boost for people along the route and I can’t wait to see it happen. pic.twitter.com/iiquQdSPVo
— Graham Simpson (@GrahamSMSP) June 1, 2025
Chief executive Graham Sutherland has attributed improved community connection, economic growth and increasing demand for rail services to the firm’s “investment and capabilities.” Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Lumo, said the new service “underscores Lumo’s commitment to growing Scotland’s rail network” and “has the potential to unlock significant economic opportunities for communities along the route.”He highlighted the potential impact on “towns previously overlooked by traditional rail services.”
The Independent reports that, if the effect of the firm’s East Coast operations is anything to go by, ticket prices could be driven down by the new service and airlines could lose flyers who will instead opt to travel by rail. An all-electric operator, Lumo claims to “revolutionise eco-friendly travel, effortlessly linking destinations for a sustainable and greener journey.”
