VIRGIN Trains is inviting passengers to experience travel between London and York in just eight minutes .. on their laptop or phone.

The train operator has marked its 20th anniversary by releasing speeded-up film footage showing the scene from the drivers’ cab on a journey up the East Coast mainline from Kings Cross to York.

To see the video, go to https://virgintrains.box.com/s/9y877koqup0yqr6khbwr91kq2cc68gka

Danny Gonzalez, marketing director for Virgin Trains on its east coast route, said: “Train travel in Britain offers some stunning sights and we’d defy anyone to enjoy the same experience when stuck in motorway traffic or peeking through the tiny windows of a plane.

"We’re lucky enough to operate two of the most iconic, famous routes in the country. We’d encourage everyone to take the time to see these for themselves - but if you’ve only got a few minutes to spare, these videos offer a beautiful introduction.”

A spokesman said that over the past two decades, Virgin Trains had 'become famous for speeding up intercity journeys on its west coast route, where it accelerated the Glasgow-London journey time from more than five hours to 4hr,29min following introduction of its Virgin High Frequency timetable in 2009.'

He added: "Virgin took over the east coast route in 2015 and plans to create three services per hour and quicker journeys between York and London King’s Cross following the introduction of its new fleet of state-of-the-art Azuma trains."