Train journey times to be slashed

Jun 22 2008 By Steve Dinneen

TRAIN passengers will soon be able to travel from Scotland to London in less than four hours.

Track improvements will shave over an hour off the west coast main line trip.

The world's biggest track revamp - to be finished in December - will mark the end of almost two years of misery for commuters, who have suffered a string of delays and cancellations.

Rail Minister Tom Harris said yesterday: "Disruption was an inevitable consequence of Europe's largest wholesale renewal scheme.

"It has been one of the most challenging rail engineering projects in the world.

"This tips the balance firmly in favour of rail over air."

Meanwhile, Network Rail are considering building five high-speedmain lines along the UK's busiest routes, including the west coast line to Glasgow and the east coast line to Edinburgh.

It would be the largest track build since the 19th century.

The review, to be unveiled tomorrow, will also consider using high-speed trains such as the French TGV.

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