And should we also be discussing the likely impact on LON to MAN / LPL routes when Virgin Trains launch their new 200kmh (yes I know they're all doing nearly 200mph in Europe) timetable in September?
Possibly not. The rail service will probably cost
more than most air tickets.
I speak from bitter experience of regular rail travel between Manchester and London - I have no reason to think that the situation is any better for travel from Liverpool.
Virgin's various fare conditions and restrictions make it impossible to get to London from Manchester before 11:00 without shelling out for a full-price ticket - currently £182.00 return and
bound to increase again before very long.
This applies equally to advance bookings - on weekdays, only full-price tickets are valid on trains that reach London before 11:00.
Virgin also have a deliberate policy of putting more 1st class units and fewer standard class units on each Manchester - London train.
This forces people who need to work during the journey and therefore do
not wish to risk having to stand all the way from Manchester to London to pay for a 1st class ticket - currently £280.00 return but, again, almost sure to increase shortly.
The economics of this make flying, especially to LCY with VLM from both cities, the more cost-effective option for business travellers in most cases.