THE SNP is backing plans to use a high-speed magnetic bullet train to slash the five-hour journey time between Glasgow and London to two-and-a-half hours.

Maglev technology allows trains to glide over magnets at speeds of up to 330mph and would avoid putting strain on the UK’s existing rail network by running on separate tracks.

Angus MacNeil, the SNP’s transport spokesman at Westminster, has signed a parliamentary motion backing the system, claiming it would revolutionise rail travel and spread economic prosperity from the south-east of England.

MacNeil said the trains, introduced in China and Japan, would benefit the business community and environment by offering a practical alternative to short-haul flights.

The levitation train, also backed by the Conservative policy group, would stop at cities including Leeds and Newcastle.

“We live in a small island and the length of time it takes to get from one end to another does not compare favourably with many other countries with high-speed rail links,” said MacNeil.

“We’ve also got to somehow get away from the out-of-city-centre airports . . . Any technology offering city-centre to city-centre connections faster and which [is] better for the environment has to be welcomed.”

Plans for a high-speed link, costing about £30 billion, have been backed by Alex Salmond and David Cameron, the Tory leader. Government advisers claim it would boost the Scottish economy by £7 billion.

The southern leg would be funded by a future Conservative government, while the Scottish government would be responsible for funding the track from the border to Glasgow. The project is one of five key elements of The Sunday Times Get Scotland Moving campaign which have now been endorsed by the Scottish government.

While the maglev system was rejected by the Labour government at Westminster last year, UK Ultraspeed, a consortium aiming to build maglev routes across Britain, hopes its introduction will be in the next Tory election manifesto.

Last week Eurostar, Britain’s only high-speed rail operator, said it wants the Automotrice Grande Vitesse (AGV), the world’s newest high-speed train design, on the Glasgow and London route. A spokesman for Stewart Stevenson, Scotland’s transport minister, said: “We are interested in all new technologies.”

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