ADVERTISEMENTA new high-speed rail service hopes to link the UK cities of Edinburgh and London by the end of 2024.
The train route was originally slated to launch in 2019 but was delayed.
The Scottish and English capitals are currently connected by services operated by LNER, Lumo and the Caledonian Sleeper.
The new trains are set to slash journey times and beat taking the plane between the two destinations.
It’s good news for visitors to the UK who will be able to travel between two of its most popular tourist destinations more easily.
New Edinburgh-London trains will be faster than taking the plane
The average rail journey time between Edinburgh and London is currently 5.5 hours, with a few trains making it in as little as 4.5 hours.
However, a route overhaul will see new services linking the capital cities in just over four hours, according to local press.
Provided the plans are given the green light by the UK government, the revamped hourly service will shorten journey times by 30 minutes or more.
The journeys will be operated by LNER and will only make two stops at Newcastle and York en route.
This means passengers headed northbound to Edinburgh will arrive in four hours and five minutes while the southbound journey will take four hours and eight minutes.
The new route “will be quicker, or at least as quick, door-to-door, as if you had been travelling by air,” according to LNER's managing director, David Horne.
Flights between the two capitals take one hour and 20 minutes on average.
However, if you take into account the recommendation to arrive two hours before a flight for check-in and airport security, plus the time spent getting from each airport to the city centre, the new rail service will beat taking the plane by a significant margin.
New Edinburgh-London service to launch in 2024
Horne added that the new East Coast timetable hopes to launch in December and will run one train an hour.
“It's not been announced because there is a final decision to be taken by the Department for Transport,” he said.
“There's still some work taking place by Network Rail and the [rail] industry to make sure the precise timings of freight trains can still be accommodated.”
Fare prices and departure times for the new services are yet to be announced.