Rail link to London is welcomed
A proposed new direct train link between Stirling and London will enhance the city’s prospects as a place to live and work, according to a chartered surveyor firm.
The analysis has been carried out by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors following the announcement earlier this month that York-based Grand Union Trains had been given the green light to run three trains a day between Stirling and London.
GUT’S managing director has since told the Observer the operator is working on a target of the summer of 2025 for the service to be up and running, with hopes there will be a jobs boost from the new line.
Alasdair Mcconnell, commercial surveyor in Shepherd’s Stirling office, said: “We welcome this decision which means that Stirling joins other major Scottish cities in having a direct link to London which will further enhance the city’s ability to connect with key markets across the UK and encourage further investment in both the commercial and residential sectors.”
The service will also call at a number of other stations along the route, including at Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet, Motherwell and Lockerbie north of the border.
It comes on the back of questions over the city’s train links to the UK capital after existing operator LNER announced a consultation on its service over plans to cut trains between the two spots due to declining passenger numbers.
Grand Union Trains managing director Ian Yeowart said the move to go for the new service is part of the company’s desire to increase access to areas that are currently poorly connected by public transport.
The Stirling-london service would be the second operated by GUT, with the company already approved to run trains between
Carmarthen and London Paddington by the end of 2024.
Mr Yeowart said: “As an open access development company we are always looking at opportunities to introduce services into areas that are, on the face of it, poorly served in intercity connectional terms.
“Parts of Wales and Scotland fall into that category of course.
This decision means that Stirling joins other major cities in having a direct link to London Alasdair Mcconnell
“For Stirling and the Central Belt area, many passengers would have a change at either Glasgow or Edinburgh if going to London or the northwest and midlands, so our work was focused on whether commercially we could capture the benefits of through services and the economic local benefits that come with such a service.
“We are hopeful that we can start sometime in the summer of 2025 but our arrival time on the network does rely on the rolling stock availability which itself is tied into its own replacement by new trains.
“From a visitor point of view a reasonable regular direct train to the gateway to the Highlands and Stirling itself is of significant benefit in attracting visitors, and linking London directly remains economically important. There will be a number of jobs created but the actual number will again be partly determined by the final timetable and where and how trains are maintained.”