The strikes being called off isn’t the only good rail news we’ve been treated to recently. Now, a new railway link could link Stirling and London with a snazzy fleet of trains complete with super-spacious interiors.
A new train operator, Grand Union, hopes to win approval for the new service after submitting an application to the Office of Rail and Road regulator. It’s not just about the new line, either: they pledged to offer passengers first class-style reclining seats in standard class, with three seats per row (one on one side, two on the other), rather than the traditional two seats on either side.
They’re also discussing introducing a new fleet of trains with manufacturers, with hopes to finalise plans soon. The first-class carriages could apparently even feature private compartments. Bougie, right?
The trains would run from 2025 via the West Coast main line, which current cross-border operator Avanti West Coast uses for trains from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The service would run four times a day, bypassing Glasgow and calling at Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet, Motherwell, Lockerbie in Scotland – giving Greenfaulds and Whifflet their first ever direct links to the UK capital.
The operators expect a decision by the ORR about the future of the Stirling-London route in late May or June this year, so hold tight.
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