FirstGroup has taken over Ian Yeowart’s Stirling-London open access operation, which holds five-year track access rights and is proposed to start in June 2025.
Having acquired Grand Union Trains WCML Holdings Ltd and its Grand Union Trains Ltd operating subsidiary from Yeowart, the deal gives FirstGroup ownership of the open access rights granted on March 7 by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The companies, newly renamed First Rail Stirling Holdings Ltd and First Rail Stirling Ltd, are now led by First Rail MD Steve Montgomery. The previous directors have resigned.
Financial terms of the deal, which concluded on August 9, have not been disclosed.
The ORR track access rights from June 2025 to June 2030 are for four daily return services between Euston and Stirling, calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert, with an additional positioning service each day, each way, between Euston and Preston.
Yeowart continues to head the separate Grand Union Trains GWML Holdings Ltd, which was granted open access rights between London Paddington and Carmarthen in December 2022, authorised to start from December 2024.
FirstGroup confirms that is not involved in Yeowart’s proposed Carmarthen operation, which is totally separate from the Stirling acquisition, Yeowart having de-merged it last summer.
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