THE safest trains in the world will soon be picking up passengers in Preston as part of a £2.1 billion investment programme.

Virgin Trains, which runs services along the West Coast Main Line from London to Scotland - via Lancashire - will introduce the revolutionary Train Control System on its new fleet of tilting trains, capable of topping 140mph.

The system will spell the end of the line for the traditional 'traffic-light' signals, and hopefully make disasters such as that in Paddington a thing of the past.

Instead of expecting drivers to watch for coloured light signals, safety information will be transmitted into the cab of each train via digital radio. The information will be flashed up on the driver's monitor. A central computer will calculate the safe speed for each train to travel at, based on how fast the train in front is travelling.

An announcement about the TCS system was due to be made earlier this month, but bosses at Virgin decided to delay their announcement in the wake of the Paddington crash, which is believed to have killed up to 40 passengers.

A spokesman for Virgin said: "This will make for much safer trains, travelling faster. We want our trains to be the safest in the world."

The new trains are expected to slash travelling times from London to the North, making public transport a much more viable option for commuters. Virgin is part funding the £2.1 billion investment by raising the price of fares from Preston to London, making a standard open return fare nearly £150.

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