An attempt to break the 36-year-old record for the fastest train journey between London and Glasgow has failed.
Avanti West Coast’s Royal Scot train arrived at Glasgow Central 21 seconds behind the record of three hours, 52 minutes and 40 seconds set by British Rail in December 1984, according to rail expert Mark Smith, who was onboard.
Mr Smith, founder of Seat61.com, wrote on Twitter that a temporary speed limit on the track in Carstairs, South Lanarkshire, “cost us 90 seconds”.
READ MORE: ScotRail accused of turning Tartan Army against rail staff over England v Scotland 'disruption'
He added: “It was a known risk but they thought we could still do it. But it’s still the fastest train I’ve ever taken from London to Scotland.”
Before the departure of the train from London Euston at 10.36am, Avanti West Coast said it was attempting to set a new record to highlight “the ease of travelling between the home nations”.
The firm collaborated with Government-owned Network Rail, which manages rail infrastructure, to plot the train’s path around passenger and freight services on the West Coast Main Line.
The attempt to break the 36-year-old record for the fastest rail journey between London and Glasgow had been launched on Thursday morning.
Avanti West Coast said it was embarking on the record bid to highlight “the ease of travelling between the home nations”.
It collaborated with Government-owned Network Rail, which manages rail infrastructure, to plot the train’s path around passenger and freight services on the West Coast Main Line.
READ MORE: Why Scotland's most infamous road has to shut yet again for four nights
The existing record for the quickest train journey between the two cities is still three hours, 52 minutes and 40 seconds.
That was set by British Rail in December 1984 using a prototype Advanced Passenger Train.
The quickest modern regular services on the route take around four-and-a-half hours.
It was hoped that the Royal Scot could run at 125mph – the maximum permitted speed on Britain’s mainline railway – for as much of the 401-mile (645km) route as possible.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had wished everyone onboard good luck, saying it was time to break the 40-year-old record.
READ MORE: EasyJet criticised by environmentalists after launching 12 new domestic routes
He added: “Our rail network binds our Union together, and today’s attempt underlines why our clean, green railways is a great way to see the UK.”
Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy said the event was a “brilliant collaboration across the railway industry”.
He added: “It shows how the clean, green railway of today can cement economic growth, jobs, housing and social cohesion through better connectivity across the United Kingdom.”
Sir Peter has been asked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to examine how UK transport links can be improved, and will publish his final report this summer.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of Avanti West Coast’s parent company, First Rail, said the record attempt “shows how effectively rail can deliver cross-border connectivity”.
He added that trains have an “essential role” in connecting major cities, driving economic growth and combating climate change.
The Railway Performance Society was the official timekeeper for the record attempt.
READ MORE: Residents make emotive video appeal for end to Scots 'ferry fiasco' that is threatening island life
The train carried rail industry VIPs and subscribers to The Railway Magazine who made a charitable donation.
The money raised will go towards Avanti West Coast’s charity partner, Action for Children, and the Railway Benefit Fund, which supports people involved in the railway and their families.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel