MSP calls for fast London railway link

A LIBERAL Democrat MSP has lodged a parliamentary motion calling for a high-speed rail link between Scotland and London.

A number of proposals have been launched in recent months for a new rail line between Edinburgh, Glasgow and the UK capital - travelling either down the east or west coast.

It could reduce journey times from almost five hours to around three hours. Glasgow MSP Robert Brown said: "A high-speed rail link between Scotland and London, offering a journey time of less than three hours, would be genuinely competitive with domestic flights from Scotland to London."

Mr Brown said the UK Government's plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport had run into protests from the environmental lobby and local residents.

A high-speed rail connection, slashing journey times between London, the north of England and Scotland, offered "a sustainable alternative" to many short-haul flights within Britain.