A new train service that will connect North Lanarkshire with London is set to start next year.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains, an open-access operator, to start a new rail service between London and Stirling, from June 2025.

The rail firm will introduce four new return services per day between London Euston and the Scottish city.

These services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds in Cumbernauld, and Larbert.

As part of the service, Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct service to London.

According to the firm, the latest access decision will provide more services for passengers travelling between London and central Scotland.

The new services will be the first run by an open-access operator on the West Coast Mainline.

Open access operators run services independently of government funding as they do not have a franchise agreement with government.

Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and & Reform, said: “Our decision helps increase services for passengers and boost competition on Britain’s railway network.

"By providing more trains serving new destinations, open access operators offer passengers more choice in the origin and price of their journey leading to better outcomes for rail users.”