Rail hope hits the buffers

PLANS for trains to travel between Edinburgh and London in under four hours are now in doubt.

Timetable clashes with other operators on the east coast main line could make it impossible to schedule, said Karen Boswell, managing director of the nationalised East Coast rail company.

She said: "A journey of less than four hours is something Network Rail has a commitment to have a look at and see what's possible over the next two years."

She warned that East Coast provides only 136 trains out of the 2,300 using the line each day, making timetabling "tricky".