Train takes on plane on Edinburgh-London route

Trains in the United Kingdom have long been derided as expensive and slow. As such, many Britons have chosen to travel by air, using discount airlines that often rival the rates offered by the country’s railway operators and get them to their destinations much faster. Yet National Express has announced that it plans to give discount airlines a run for their money, at least on the Edinburgh to London route. The train company aims to accomplish this goal by improving the service currently available, such as by adding up to 14,000 extra seats within the next two years. This will mean that a great many more people will be able to travel on this route, and probably at lower prices. Additionally, National Express has indicated that travelling time between the English and Scottish capital cities will drop by about 50 percent.

All of these improvements are possible thanks to National’s decision to pump more than £44 million into key upgrades, such as the addition of 25 new trains each day, which will depart to Edinburgh from the London King’s Cross Station. If all goes according to plan, the total travel time between London and Edinburgh will drop to four hours and 20 minutes. Although air travel is technically faster than this, train operators often point out that once you figure in the time it takes to commute to an airport and the requirement to finish check-in at least one hour prior to the departure of domestic flights, means that going by plane is often not much quicker at all.