London-Edinburgh trains to cost less than £25 with new budget rail link
The fares will compete with low-cost flights
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Trains between London and Edinburgh are set to cost less than £25 one-way with the launch of a high-speed, low-cost rail link.
The service, proposed by FirstGroup, will start in autumn 2021 under the brand East Coast Trains Ltd.
Connecting the English and Scottish capitals in around four hours, the service is inspired by Japanese bullet trains and will call at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth in Northumberland.
Trains will be single class with free onboard wifi, power sockets and at-seat catering.
FirstGroup has ordered five new 125mph intercity electric trains from Hitachi Rail, costing £100m, with plans to add more than 1.5 million seats each year.
The new service has been approved by the regulator and will compete with the existing service operated by London North Eastern Railway (LNER).
Booking three months in advance, LNER’s cheapest advance tickets currently cost £50.50 – £25.50 more than East Coast Trains’ proposed fares.
The new service aims to attract travellers who would normally opt to fly instead of travelling by train, said FirstGroup.
Two-thirds of journeys between Edinburgh and London are currently made by plane, with many choosing air travel due to more competitive prices. Ryanair currently offers return flights from £26.
The East Coast Trains service will run five times a day, seven days a week, with the first journey arriving in Edinburgh by 10am – one hour earlier than is currently possible by train.
The early service is aimed at business travellers.
Other benefits include the ability to reserve seats online up to a few minutes before departure.
FirstGroup already operates Hull Trains on the east coast mainline.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of FirstGroup’s rail division, said: “We’re excited to announce the next step to providing our high-quality low fare service for customers linking London and Edinburgh.
“There’s a real gap in the market for truly affordable rail travel between the two capitals – our plans show we are serious about competing with low-cost airlines and opening up rail travel on this key route to thousands of new passengers.”
Hitachi Rail Europe managing director Karen Boswell added: “Our Japanese-bullet train-inspired fleet will play a vital role in supporting FirstGroup’s exciting new service.
“These trains have been designed to increase the number of seats available whilst harnessing the latest in comfort design to boost passenger experiences.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments