‘Eurostar of Scotland’ launches today with £29.90 tickets from London to Stirling

A new train dubbed the ‘Eurostar of Scotland’ is set to make its first official journey today — much earlier than originally planned.

The new Lumo service, linking Stirling with London, was piped off amid fanfare in the shadow of the Wallace Monument on Thursday.

But it officially launches on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25, just ahead of peak tourist season.

Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly with Stirling, also calling at:

• Milton Keynes
• Nuneaton
• Crewe
• Preston
• Carlisle
• Lockerbie
• Motherwell
• Whifflet
• Greenfaulds
• Larbert

This is the first time that Stirling has been linked to the West Coast line and saves passengers having to travel to Glasgow and then down south, and vice versa.

How much will the new Lumo trains from London Euston to Stirling cost?

Not only is the route arriving earlier than expected, but it’ll also make travelling from London to Scotland considerably cheaper.

The service will be a game changer for passengers, with fares starting from as little as £29.90, a fraction of the cost of the current LNER and Avanti services.

A single ticket between London and Stirling will start from £29.90, while a ticket from London to Preston will cost £23.90 and Preston to Stirling £14.90.

Looking at current options on Trainline for May 25, a direct Lumo service from London Euston to Stirling is on sale for £36.90 – with the trip taking five hours and 56 minutes total.

Meanwhile the same journey with Avanti West Coast currently costs £97.50.

It’s not direct, as it involves changing first at Glasgow Central, and then at Glasgow Queen Street for the final leg – though it comes in slightly quicker at five hours and 37 minutes travel time. Another option involves changing at Carlisle and again at Edinburgh Haymarket.

The Caledonian Sleeper, which takes 7 hours and 44 minutes, is sold out on May 25 according to its website – but the following day has a seat available for £65.

When the July dates were first announced, Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, said the affordable fares were primarily about ‘putting customers first.’

‘By offering simple, low-cost tickets and direct services between Scotland, the North West of England and London, we’re making it easier and more affordable for people to travel for work, leisure and family visits,’ he said.

‘Launching Lumo on the West Coast Main Line is an exciting step forward, and with our new base in Preston creating jobs and supporting the local economy, this is a service that will benefit both passengers and communities along the route.’

Why has the new Lumo route been dubbed the ‘Eurostar of Scotland’?

Zoe Adjey, senior lecturer at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of East London, previously told Metro that the new Lumo service will be comparable to the Eurostar due to it’s convenience and cheaper fares, compared to flying.

‘Air travel requires an initial transit to one of London’s airports, followed by a two-hour wait for the flight, then a two-hour flight time,’ she said.

By comparison, travelling on the train only involves journeying to Euston, and sitting on a train for five hours, where there’s WiFi and refreshments.

There’s no need to factor in extra time to go through security, or pick up mini toiletries inside the airport beforehand, which is markedly similar to hopping on the train from St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord.

‘It’s like choosing between Eurostar and flying when travelling to Paris or Brussels,’ Zoe explained.

‘The train offers greater convenience despite the longer journey time.’

The service is also the only ‘open-access’ service on that line, which means it’s not subsidised by the government which allows for more competitive prices.

A version of this article was originally published on May 11, 2025, and has been updated.

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