Pendolinos could travel up to 135 mph on some parts of the line

The timetable boost is one of a number of plans for the West Coast Main Line service unveiled by the Virgin Trains boss on Monday.

More frequent services between London and Liverpool, Chester, Glasgow and North Wales are also planned.

Sir Richard said his company would also bid for the Cross Country rail route when its franchise ends in 2007.

In recent years, Virgin has run both its West Coast and Cross Country franchises on a year-by-year contract.

In October last year, the Department for Transport said it would be re-letting a reconstituted Cross Country franchise in autumn 2007.

We are talking with Network Rail about running at 135mph on some parts of the route Tony Collins, Chief Executive

On Monday, Sir Richard said Virgin intended to bid for Cross Country and told staff in a website broadcast: "We've started so we'll finish."

"There were many cynics who just laughed at our plans when we launched the franchises. They said it could never be done and at one point even I briefly wondered if they might have been right.

"But we persevered and the Virgin rail operation of today is a shining example of what can be achieved with the right vision."

Virgin also unveiled plans to boost the speed of its tilting Pendolino trains from 125mph to 135mph on some sections of the West Coast line.

Passenger rise

It currently operates more than 50 Pendolinos and has seen passengers rise on the West Coast from 15.4m in 1998-99 to 18.7m in 2005-06.

In the same period, Cross Country passengers have risen from 13.6m to 20.4m.

Virgin Trains chief executive Tony Collins said: "We need to look now at more Pendolino trains and more carriages on the existing trains, otherwise we will inhibit further growth. We also need to improve car parking at stations.

"These are not some vague ideas for the future; they are real issues that we are already progressing. We also have trains that can travel at 140mph, but are restricted to 125mph.