Travelling from London to Edinburgh by train could soon be faster than flying thanks to planned upgrades to the north-eastern rail line.
Proposed improvements and efficiency measures aim to cut 20 minutes from the journey, reducing travel time between the two capitals to just over four hours.
This would beat flying once airport check-in and security times are factored in, alongside the 9 minutes of air travel itself.
There are also benefits to rail travel with Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley both being in the city centre as opposed to the further removed airports. All of London’s main airports offer flights to Edinburgh.
The government is set to announce the move this month, according to reports in the Times.
It is good news for train line operators LNER and Lumo who are looking to woo passengers away from flights operated by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair.
There has reportedly been a hold up in rolling out the faster services due to timetabling complications.
But the government is now said to have reached an agreement with the operators and Network Rail to operate a full service using faster Azuma trains by December 2025.
Line improvements mean the modern trains, introduced as part of a £2.7 billion investment from the previous government, can reach their top speeds of 125 mph more often.
As part of the plan, Worksop and Sheffield will be given more services to the capital. Meanwhile, more trains will run between Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester.
Bradford will be a big beneficiary, getting a train every two hours - rather than the current once per day which has left the city’s 560,200 population behind.
Michael Solomon Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, told the Times: “It’s hugely important that train travel, not flying, is made the more attractive option for domestic travel, and cutting journey times plays a big role in that.
“Already in many cases, it is faster and more economically productive to travel inter-city by train, but more must be done, especially around ticket prices, to help encourage more people to choose green train over polluting plane.’”
Grand Central and GTR trains will also be able to use the line.
The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.
