A new train service between Stirling and London will begin next summer after rail regulators gave it the green light.

The return service will run four times a day from June 2025 to London Euston.

The trains will call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it has approved an application by Grand Union Trains to operate the service.

The ORR said the plan would increase choice for passengers and significantly increase direct journey options between London and both central and southern Scotland.

The regulator's director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: "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."

Grand Union Trains will run on an open access basis, meaning it will receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies and take on all revenue risk.

It will be the first open access operator on the West Coast Main Line.