7 MAY 1932, Page 3

Faster Trains

It is somewhat of a paradox that in this age of speed, when the drivers of motor-cars, motor-boats and aero- planes are for ever establishing fresh records, our leading railways should seek to be praised for accelerating their Scottish expresses by half an hour. For on the railways speeds have -been reduced since the War, and fathers can -tell -their wondering children of the faster trains of thirty or forty years ago. The Flying Scotsman ran to Edinburgh on Monday its 7 hours 50 minutes, but the Scottish express of Queen Victoria's later years reached Edinburgh in 6 hours 18 minutes. Doubtless the modern train is very much heavier, but locomotives are far more powerful than they used to.bc and the permanent way is much improved.' Presumably there are economic reasons for the gradual sloWing down of expresses. But Continental railways:have not-tried to save money at the expense of their passengers' time, and the policy seems of doubt ful wisdom here, when the road competition is so keen.