Rail carriages scrapped to make way for tilting trains (From Warrington Guardian)

Rail carriages scrapped to make way for tilting trains

TILTING trains look set to make journeys from Warrington to London faster than ever - but concerns have been raised about the future of the carriages that used to run on the line.

Nearly 300 'mark three' carriages are being displaced from the West Coast Main Line to make way for Virgin's Pendolino trains, which can reach speeds of up to 125 mph.

And Porterbrook, which owns the former British Rail carriages, has only been able to place half of them with other train operating companies.

It says that they could be upgraded to run at 125 mph but instead are likely to be put into storage.

Warrington Euro MP Chris Davies said: "These carriages were built with public money and still have many years of useful life in them. If ever there was a case for central planning and use of resources on the railways then this is it.

"Railway carriages built for carrying passengers in air conditioned comfort at 110mph speeds are being sent to the scrapyard because no-one is now in charge of planning one improvement at the same time as another."

Mr Davies described the situation as a shameful waste of public money, and is calling on Transport Secretary Alistair Darling to take steps in his forthcoming rail review to address the issue.