»In which a shadow knows

The Scots are looking in to the feasibility of Maglev trains to speed intercity surface transit. The idea is gaining popularity, probably because politicians can sound hip and promise jobs with the projects.

THE Scottish Tory Party revealed today it is investigating the possibility of eight-minute journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh using a revolutionary MagLev high-speed train link.

It follows the announcement by Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling that he wants a feasibility study into how MagLev, which can reach speeds of 300mph, would work over short distances.

Mr Grayling said today high speed links had the potential to transform short-haul routes between cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow and such a link had the potential to reduce travelling time.

The Scottish Tories deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: "The effective integration of Glasgow and Edinburgh to form one twin-city economic powerhouse for Scotland would be a revolutionary step.

"This will require an enormous improvement in the transport links between the two cities and we are examining the option of a new Maglev service between Glasgow and Edinburgh."

A Maglev from Pudong to Shanghai has been running for about two years (link includes do-it-yourself maglev instructions!).