Edinburgh to London by rail: New Flying Scotsman to cut journey to four hours

Add to My Stories A new high-speed rail service will shave journey times from Edinburgh to London to just four hours as part of a shake-up of East Coast rail services to be introduced in May.
The Flying Scotsman service will leave Edinburgh at 5.40am and arrive at London Kings Cross at 9.40am on weekdays, stopping only at Newcastle. Later trains will take four hours and 20 minutes.

High-speed: East Coast hopes to lure business passengers away from air travel with the biggest timetable overhaul on the East Coast Main Line for 20 years

The Flying Scotsman was abandoned by GNER, the previous train operator, in 2002. East Coast, the current operator, hopes the revival of the service will help to lure business passengers away from air travel.East Coast is promising 19 new weekday services and more than three million extra seats with the biggest timetable overhaul on the East Coast Main Line for 20 years.

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The new timetable is being introduced on 22 May and tickets will go on sale on 25 February.
Passengers are being promised a new, improved on-board service, which will include complimentary meals and drinks served at-seat in First Class. The timetable will also include a train every 30 minutes between Leeds and London Kings Cross and the first direct service from London to Harrogate for 20 years.

The Flying Scotsman will leave Edinburgh at 5.40am and arrive at London King's Cross just four hours laterEast Coast Managing Director Karen Boswell said: 'The launch of an exciting new timetable on 22 May represents the biggest change to the East Coast route in a generation. It ! will del iver more services, more seats and a much improved pattern of services for millions of passengers.'A new four-hour Flying Scotsman service from Edinburgh to London on weekday mornings, which stops at Newcastle and connects with Northumberland stations, will help us to continue to meet our customers needs and offer a very attractive alternative to flying.'

A copy of the new timetable is available at www.eastcoast.co.uk/22May.