A popular sleeper train has announced a brand new route - offering the chance for more people to experience the journey to Scotland.

The Caledonian Sleeper has announced a band new route, making it the biggest timetable change in 30 years as it will now link Scotland with Birmingham.

According to the operators, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William train services will travel to and from London via Birmingham, and have also assured the new stop won't affect journey lengths or departure times either.

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The Scottish government took over the Caledonian Sleeper in 2023 after its previous operator Serco had its contract ended seven years early and it came at the time when the government was looking to increase the number of people using the service.

According to BBC, Caledonian Sleeper's interim managing director Graham Kelly said research suggested there was demand for Birmingham to be added to the route and it was hoped the change would help contribute to tourism in the north of Scotland and the West Midlands.

He told BBC Scotland News: "We are continuing to run our service in its existing and current format. It is about adding in Birmingham as that additional opportunity. So in terms of the length of the trains and the resourcing on board, it will all continue to remain."

The new service will depart from Birmingham International on 15 January 2026 and will run six days a week, with no services departing stations on a Saturday night. The Lowland service that goes to Glasgow and Edinburgh is unaffected by the change.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "This iconic service means people from across the West Midlands will soon be able to travel comfortably and sustainably to discover the stunning beauty of northern Scotland. But this also means our Scottish friends can come and explore the wonderful West Midlands. That's a win-win for our tourism and hospitality businesses on both sides of the border."

It comes after one of the most picturesque trainlines in Britain is to get a new service for the first time in ten years. The West Coast Main Line will be blocked while Network Rail replaces the rail bridge over M6 near Penrith, which has led Avanti West Coastto divert its Class 805 Evero fleet onto the Settle to Carlisle line.

The stretch of railway, which is renowned for its beautiful scenery, will be used as a diversionary route when the West Coast Main Line is blocked between Preston and Carlisle for two weeks in the new year.

To keep customers moving on trains across the North West and into Scotland, Avanti West Coast is planning to run a shuttle service broadly every two hours between Preston and Carlisle non-stop via the Settle to Carlisle route.

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