WHILE express trains now dash between Bicester and London in just over 40 minutes, one special Chiltern Railways service is able to cover the run in under two minutes.
Unfortunately for commuters dreaming of an even faster journey, the trip can only be made on a speeded-up video filmed to celebrate the completion of Chiltern’s £150m mainline upgrade.
Let’s Go To London was inspired by a British Railways promotional film made in 1962, called Let’s Go To Birmingham, featuring a journey on the Birmingham Pullman train.
Like its predecessor, the new four-minute video is set to the music of Johann Strauss’s Perpetuum Mobile polka, freshly recorded by the Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan.
Members of the orchestra are seen playing on board the train as it runs between Birmingham and London, speeding through Banbury station and Aynho junction before pausing briefly at Bicester North station ahead of a non-stop run to Marylebone.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here