JOURNEY times between Glasgow and London could be slashed to as little as three-and-a-quarter hours with European-style upgrades to existing infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line, a rail boss has said.
Chris Gibb, chief operating officer for Virgin Trains, said alterations to a stretch of the line between Glasgow and Wigan could begin now, paving the way for super-fast connections between Scotland and London by the time the second stage of the HS2 high-speed railway is finished in 2033.
Although Network Rail would have to cover the initial cost of the upgrade, Mr Gibb stressed they would recoup the money from Virgin – or whoever else operated on the West Coast Main Line in future – through fees for using the route, who would be able to generate increased revenue from an increase in passenger numbers.
He also stressed it would be much cheaper than building an entirely new cross-Border high-speed railway.
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