Adobe StockA major new daily train service connecting Stirling and London will be running during the first half of this year.
Lumo, which is part of FirstGroup, will run four services a day, with three on Sunday, doubling the current number.
The service will be up and running by Spring, according to Lumo.
Trains will also call at Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet, Motherwell and Lockerbie en route to England.
The Lumo brand currently runs on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
The UK government are renationalising all remaining franchised train services.
Lumo operates on a separate, open-access basis, meaning it sets its own fares, assumes all revenue risk, and receives no taxpayer-funded subsidies.
There are currently only two daily trains to London that stop at Stirling – the Highland Chieftain from Inverness, and the Caledonian Sleeper.
The new service will compete with Avanti West Coast, the publicly owned ScotRail, TransPennine Express, and LNER.
FirstGroup chief executive Graham Sutherland has welcomed the expansion.
He told the BBC: “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.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
