Virgin Trains has announced that it is to provide an additional 12 trains a day between Manchester and London, when its new Virgin High Frequency timetable starts in January 2009.

During the off-peak period, three trains each hour will run between the two cities. Off-peak trains will leave Manchester every 20 minutes and will take just over two hours to complete the 184 mile journey to London at an average speed of 89mph. Five trains are planned to arrive in London before 09.00, two more than in today's timetable.

Virgin expects to provide more than 45 trains each weekday from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. Two trains each hour will operate via Stoke-on-Trent, with one via Wilmslow. Virgin's Pendolino trains from Manchester will also serve Stockport to/from London only as well as providing a regular hourly service at Macclesfield, Crewe and Milton Keynes.

The new timetable will provide more than 5,000 additional seats between Manchester and London each weekday. And the good news for weekend travellers is that a 20 minute interval service is being planned for much of the day on Saturdays and Sundays.

Virgin Trains Business Development Director Tim Shoveller said: "This is great news for Manchester and the first time that a long distance inter city service has operated at a frequency normally seen only on suburban rail networks. "With a 20 minute frequency passengers can throw away the timetable", he added.