Eight new daily rail journeys between Edinburgh and London are being introduced later in 2016, Virgin Trains has announced.

The additional weekday services between the two cities from May means seat capacity has been boosted by 22,000 on the route, an increase of almost a third.

The company said the four new services a day in each direction offer journeys every half-hour for most of the day. Two additional services will be added on Sundays.

The company is releasing thousands of £25 fares for the new timetable as part of the launch. It will also extend the time possible to book tickets from 12 weeks to 24 weeks.

David Horne, managing director on the east coast route, said: "This is a major boost for our customers travelling between Edinburgh and London who will be able to catch a train every half-hour for most of the day.

"We have seen how increasing capacity and frequency adds to the popularity of train travel and we're confident that customers will respond positively to these changes."

The new timetable comes into force from May 16, with tickets expected to go on sale from February 19.