04/12/2009 00:37:00

Transport Scotland has announced that a faster rail service between Scottish cities Edinburgh and Glasgow is on its way.

The new winter timetable displays several journeys between the central Scotland cities that show slashed travel times, cutting the duration of the trip from 93 minutes to an hour.

Journey times have managed to be cut because the additional trains will not stop at all of the stations usually positioned on the Edinburgh - Glasgow line, instead opting for a quicker route. The changes will not affect the current Edinburgh - Glasgow trains however, with the longer journey trains still operating as usual.

The speedier trains will run through Lanarkshire, calling at Haymarket, Livingston South, West Calder, Shotts and Bellshill.

As part of a drive by the Scottish government that aims to get more commuters travelling by train than car, it has also been promised that the Edinburgh - Glasgow trains will include extra evening services, quicker journeys and more regular departures.

According to the BBC, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: "We have worked hard to ensure communities across central Scotland can benefit from access to the rail network and these new services deliver a good balance between connectivity and journey times.

"These new services demonstrate we are committed to helping more people make the switch away from the private car to more sustainable modes of transport."

ScotRail's managing director, Steve Montgomery, said: "I welcome these increases to services. The enhancements will bring many benefits to our growing number of customers."