Trains will replace planes in a decade says Virgin chief

Virgin Train's chief executive Tony Collins said flights between cities across Britain would virtually end because of vast improvements to the
rail network.

The only obstacle is the Government's stranglehold on the rail system which he claims is curtailing private companies' ability to develop their services effectively.

He said: "I could see a situation when you wouldn't need to fly between Edinburgh and London, or anywhere in the UK. You would want to travel by train.

"You could introduce more frequent services, speed up the journey time and offer Virgin Atlantic-style comforts."

Mr Collins envisages the luxuries of hot meals and movies at your seat, plugs for your iPod and laptop and more leg room for first and business-
class passengers.

But he added: "The Department for Transport has far too tight a grip on the industry. All the key decisions are made by civil servants.

"There should be a minimum public service requirement and the rest should be left to the private sector."

He proposes linking the West Coast line to Heathrow within a decade, and improving the tracks to reduce the train time between London and Glasgow to less than four hours.

Cutting the journey time between London and Manchester has already helped Virgin secure massive gains from air travel, he said.