London to Glasgow train record attempt falls short by… 21 seconds

An attempt to break the 37-year-old record for London to Glasgow by train ended with the Pendolino 39004 arriving at Glasgow Central Station 21 seconds over time.

The previous record was set at 3 hours 52 minutes and 40 seconds in 1984 by a BR Advanced Passenger Train (APT).

Pendoli-nope

Officials said the attempt missed the record due to speed limits. While the Pendolino was limited to 125mph, the reigning champion APT was able to reach speeds of over 160mph in 1984.

Mark Smith, a former rail industry worker and train expert, tweeted a temporary speed limit at Carstairs cost them 90 seconds but “it’s still the fastest train I’ve ever taken from London to Scotland”.

Before the record attempt, the train was named “Royal Scot”, a nod to the iconic name for the flagship London to Glasgow Train that ran from 1927 and was retired in 1962.

Seats on the train were offered through the Railway Magazine, with proceeds going to Action for Children and The Railway Benefit Fund.

Back on track

The operator of the service has already eyed up a second attempt next year. Nick Westcott, Avanti operations director, told The Scotsman they “need to have another crack at the record next summer”.

He said, “completing the 400-mile route with just 21 seconds in it wasn’t bad.”

“We will have a bash before HS2 takes the wind out of our sails.”

High speed 2 (HS2) will reduce train journeys from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh to 3 hours 37 minutes and continue further north on the west coast main line.

Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, said the attempt marked “a brilliant collaboration across the railway industry”.