122-655: The Bletchley Flyover is a railway viaduct that crosses the West Coast Main Line (WCML) just south of Bletchley railway station in Milton Keynes , England. It was originally a reinforced concrete railway viaduct that carried the former Varsity line between Oxford and Cambridge from 1959 until its closure in 1968. The flyover was retained, but largely unused until 2021, when the East West Rail Alliance demolished then rebuilt
244-518: A Class 41 (an HST prototype) achieved a top speed of 143 mph (230 km/h) in a test run. In the 1980s, the line was electrified and InterCity 225 trains introduced. These have in turn been largely replaced by Class 800 and Class 801 units. The November 2021 Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands stated that the linespeed would be upgraded to 140 mph (225 km/h). The line links London, South East England , East Anglia and
366-758: A 1904 proposal by the Great Northern Railway to electrify its suburban services from London. A short stretch of the ECML in the Newcastle area was electrified with a third rail in 1904, as part of the North Eastern Railway 's suburban Tyneside Electrics scheme. Following the success of this scheme, in 1919 the North Eastern Railway, planned to electrify 80 miles (130 km) of the main line between York and Newcastle;
488-561: A 58 per cent increase in passengers. The programme also electrified the Edinburgh-Carstairs branch of the WCML, to allow InterCity 225 sets to access Glasgow Central , with the added benefit of creating an electrified path to/from Edinburgh on the WCML from the south. In total the electrification programme covered roughly 1,400 single-track miles (2,300 km) and required major infrastructure changes, including resignalling of
610-418: A London–Glasgow time of 4 hours 8 minutes. Some projects that were removed from the modernisation as a result of the de-scoping, such as a flyover at Norton Bridge station, were later restarted. A £250 million project to grade-separate the tracks at Norton Bridge that allowed for increased service frequency as well as improved line-speeds was completed in spring 2016. Other projects such as
732-507: A heavy train over long distances, immediately cut over one hour from the standard London to Edinburgh journey time, from seven hours to under six. Further improvements to the infrastructure meant that by the mid-1970s, another half-hour had been cut from the journey time. In the years following the introduction of the Deltics, sections of the ECML were upgraded for trains running at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h). On 15 June 1965,
854-408: A large role in the decision to proceed. Construction began on the second phase in 1985. In 1986 the section to Huntingdon was completed; Leeds was reached in 1988, then York in 1989 and Edinburgh in 1991. Electric services on the full length of the line began on 8 July 1991, eight weeks later than scheduled. Significant traffic increases occurred in the two years after completion; one station recorded
976-513: A pair of Napier Deltic engines that had been developed for fast torpedo boats. The Class 55 'Deltics' were for a time the fastest and most powerful diesel locomotives in service in Britain, capable of reaching 100 mph (160 km/h) and providing up to 3,300 hp (2,500 kW). When introduced into service in 1961, the Class 55's ability to rapidly accelerate and maintain high speed with
1098-576: A plan to construct high level platforms for Bletchley station , just after the eastern end of the flyover. These platforms will serve East West Rail (only). West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line ( WCML ) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham , Manchester , Liverpool and Edinburgh . It
1220-410: A reappraisal of the plans, while the cost of the upgrade soared. Following fears that cost overruns on the project would push the final price tag to £13 billion, the plans were scaled down, bringing the cost down to between £8 billion and £10 billion, to be ready by 2008, with a maximum speed for tilting trains of a more modest 125 mph (201 km/h) – equalling the speeds available on
1342-628: A shortened InterCity 125 train of two Class 43 power cars and three coaches during a southbound run from Darlington to York. At least two other trains have subsequently recorded higher speeds, but as of February 2023 the InterCity 125 record remains the highest to have been officially verified. A British speed record for electric locomotives of 161.7 mph (260.2 km/h) was achieved on 17 September 1989, also at Stoke Bank, by Class 91 locomotive number 91010. On 26 September 1991, an InterCity 225 shortened electric locomotive train
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#17327832492721464-680: A single route, but was built as a patchwork of local lines which were linked together, built by various companies, the largest of which amalgamated in 1846 to create the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), which then gradually absorbed most of the others; the exceptions were the Caledonian Railway in Scotland, and the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) which both remained independent until 1923. The core route
1586-493: A special design of overhead wiring was developed for use on the visually-sensitive Royal Border Bridge , as well as the Croxdale and Durham City viaducts . Elsewhere the standard Mk. 3B equipment was deployed. The electrification was completed at a cost of £344.4 million (at 1983 prices, equivalent to £1169.3 million in 2023), a minor overrun against its authorised expenditure of £331.9 million. Of
1708-426: A steady green aspect the driver would reduce speed to no greater than 125 mph, and thus be ready to react to subsequent signals in the same manner as when driving a lower-speed train. The testing found, however, that drivers couldn't be expected to consistently and accurately interpret and respond to lineside signals when driving at the higher speed, and regulations were later changed throughout Britain to require
1830-471: A track realignment scheme to raise speeds on the WCML; a proposed project called InterCity 250 , which entailed realigning parts of the line in order to increase curve radii and smooth gradients in order to facilitate higher-speed running. The scheme, which would have seen the introduction of new rolling stock derived from that developed for the East Coast electrification, was scrapped in 1992. As part of
1952-527: A useful alternative route to Manchester, however poor relations between the LNWR and the NSR meant that through trains did not run until 1867. The route to Scotland was marketed by the LNWR as 'The Premier Line'. Because the cross-border trains ran over the LNWR and Caledonian Railway, through trains consisted of jointly owned "West Coast Joint Stock" to simplify operations. The first direct London to Glasgow trains in
2074-499: Is 399 miles (642 km) long, with principal InterCity stations at Watford Junction , Milton Keynes Central , Rugby , Stafford , Crewe , Warrington Bank Quay , Wigan North Western , Preston , Lancaster , Oxenholme Lake District , Penrith and Carlisle . The spine has bypasses serving the major towns and cities of Northampton , Coventry , Birmingham and Wolverhampton . Spurs serve Stoke-on-Trent , Macclesfield , Stockport , Manchester, Runcorn and Liverpool . There
2196-442: Is a short double track stretch through the 777-yard (710 m) Shugborough Tunnel. The line is then quadruple track most of the way to Acton Bridge railway station, except for a double track section between Winsford and Hartford. The line is double track from Acton Bridge railway station to Weaver Junction (where a double track spur to Liverpool branches off). The line is double track from Weaver Junction to Warrington Bank Quay, but
2318-562: Is also a branch to Edinburgh , at Carstairs in Scotland which is not the most direct route between London and Edinburgh. It provides a direct connection between the WCML and the East Coast Main Line . Originally, the lines between Rugby , Birmingham and Stafford were part of the main spine, until the Trent Valley Line was built in 1847. This line formed a direct connection between Rugby and Stafford becoming
2440-725: Is carried along its route by several bridges and viaducts which are recognised as architecturally significant listed structures ; the longest of which is the 659-metre-long (2,162 ft) Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed . Others include Digswell Viaduct , near Welwyn Garden City , at 475 m (1,558 ft), the Ouseburn Viaduct in Newcastle at 280 m (920 ft), Durham Viaduct at 240 m (790 ft), and Chester Burn Viaduct in Chester-le-Street at 230 m (750 ft). The 350-metre-long (1,150 ft) King Edward VII Bridge in Newcastle
2562-548: Is currently limiting speeds to 125 mph. There are currently no plans to retrofit ERTMS equipment to the InterCity 225 fleet, as they are expected to be withdrawn before the removal of the lineside signals; this means they will never reach their design speed of 140 mph (225 km/h) in service. The line is mainly quadruple track from London to Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham , with two double track sections: one between Digswell Jn & Woolmer Green Jn, where
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#17327832492722684-564: Is entirely electrified – this situation is, however, changing since the expansion of the Pendolino fleet; from 2013 onward Class 390 sets have been routinely deployed on Edinburgh/Glasgow–Birmingham services. By 2012, the WCML Pendolino fleet was strengthened by the addition of two coaches to 31 of the 52 existing sets, thus turning them into 11-car trains. Four brand new 11-car sets are also part of this order, one of which replaced
2806-509: Is on fairly straight track on the flatter, eastern side of England, through Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire , though there are significant speed restrictions because of the line's curvature particularly north of Darlington and between Doncaster and Leeds. By contrast, the West Coast Main Line crosses the Trent Valley and the mountains of Cumbria , with more curvature and had a lower speed limit of 110 mph (180 km/h). Speeds on
2928-543: Is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail , regional rail , commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 miles (644 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton , Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects
3050-563: Is provided by Hull Trains , Grand Central and Lumo . The ECML is part of Network Rail 's Strategic Route G, which comprises five separate lines: The core route is the main line between King's Cross and Edinburgh, the Hertford Loop is used for local and freight services, and the Northern City Line provides an inner-suburban service to the city. The line has engineers line references (ELR) ECM1 to ECM9. The ECML
3172-546: Is the loss of through services between Liverpool and Scotland; however these were restored by TransPennine Express in 2019. British Rail introduced the Advanced Passenger Train APT project, which proved that London–Glasgow WCML journey times of less than 4 hours were achievable and paved the way for the later tilting Virgin Pendolino trains. In the late 1980s, British Rail put forward
3294-598: Is the principal rail freight corridor linking the European mainland (via the Channel Tunnel ) through London and South East England to the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland. The line has been declared a strategic European route and designated a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route. A number of railway writers refer to it as "The Premier line". The WCML was not originally conceived as
3416-487: The Birmingham branch , and the routes to Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent was completed on 6 March 1967, allowing electric services to commence to those destinations. In March 1970 the government approved electrification of the northern half of the WCML, between Weaver Junction (where the branch to Liverpool diverges) and Glasgow, and this was completed on 6 May 1974. The announcement, after five years of uncertainty,
3538-540: The East Midlands , with Yorkshire , the North East and Scotland, and is important to their local economies. It carries commuter traffic in north London as well as cross-country, commuter and local passenger services, and freight . In 1997, operations were privatised. The primary long-distance operator is London North Eastern Railway , but open-access competition on services to Northern England and Scotland
3660-712: The Eastern Region , the North Eastern Region , and the Scottish Region (the former two were merged together in 1967). In the early 1960s, steam locomotives were replaced by diesel-electrics , amongst them the Deltic , a powerful high-speed locomotive developed and built by English Electric . The prototype was successful and a fleet of 22 locomotives were built and put into BR service for express traffic. Designated Class 55 , they were powered by
3782-577: The London and Birmingham Railway was completed, connecting to the capital via Coventry , Rugby and the Watford Gap . The Grand Junction and London and Birmingham railways shared a Birmingham terminus at Curzon Street station , so that it was now possible to travel by train between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. These lines, together with the Trent Valley Railway (between Rugby and Stafford, avoiding Birmingham) and
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3904-489: The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) for long-distance passenger traffic between London and Scotland. The LNER's chief mechanical engineer Nigel Gresley designed iconic Pacific steam locomotives including Flying Scotsman and Mallard , the latter of which achieved a world record speed for a steam locomotive, 126 mph (203 km/h) on the Grantham-to-Peterborough section. In 1948,
4026-584: The Manchester and Birmingham Railway (Crewe–Manchester), amalgamated operations in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Three other companies, the North Union Railway ( Parkside –Wigan–Preston), the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway , completed a through route to Carlisle by the end of 1846, these were later absorbed by
4148-488: The Mark 2 and from 1974 the fully integral , air-conditioned Mark 3 design. These remained the mainstay of express services until the early 2000s. Line speeds were raised to a maximum 110 mph (180 km/h), and these trains, hauled by Class 86 and Class 87 electric locomotives, came to be seen as BR's flagship passenger service. Passenger traffic on the WCML doubled between 1962 and 1975. The modernisation also saw
4270-681: The Midland Main Line . The infrastructure supported speeds of up to 140 mph, allowing a non-stop run of three hours and 29 minutes between London and Edinburgh on 26 September 1991. As part of testing done to support safe operation the increased maximum speed, BR experimented in 1988 with using a fifth signalling aspect – flashing green – on the fast lines between Peterborough and Stoke Tunnel. The flashing green aspect appeared at signals preceding one displaying an ordinary steady green aspect, and authorised running at up to 140 mph. Upon encountering
4392-503: The National Coal Board to pay for the construction of the 14-mile-long (23 km) Selby Diversion . Construction commenced in 1980, and was completed in late 1983 at a cost of £63 million (equivalent to £214 million in 2023). The new section diverged from the original alignment at Temple Hirst Junction, north of Doncaster, bypassed Selby station and the area to be undermined by coal workings, and then joined
4514-660: The Penmanshiel tunnel collapse in the Scottish Borders in 1979 necessitated urgent works to divert the line around the irreparably-damaged tunnel; ultimately the line was closed for five months and around 1,100 yards (1 km) of the original alignment had to be abandoned. In the late 1970s in the north of England, the development of the Selby Coalfield – and the anticipated subsidence that might result from its workings – led
4636-649: The Quintinshill rail disaster , occurred on the WCML during World War I , on 22 May 1915, between Glasgow Central and Carlisle, in which 227 were killed and 246 injured. The entire route came under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923 when the railway companies were grouped , under the Railways Act 1921 . The LMS competed fiercely with the rival LNER 's East Coast Main Line for London to Scotland traffic (see Race to
4758-492: The West Coast Main Line (WCML) and ECML; a detailed plan drawn up in 1957 gave a completion date of 1970 for ECML electrification. However, the East Coast authorities decided that they could not wait over a decade for service improvements, and instead decided to invest in high-speed diesel traction, the Deltic and High Speed Train, as an interim measure to implement improved services, whilst West Coast electrification proceeded, and
4880-534: The West Coast Main Line (WCML) were increased with the introduction of tilting Pendolino trains and now match the 125 mph speeds on the ECML. The line's current principal operator is London North Eastern Railway (LNER), whose services include regular long-distance expresses between King's Cross, the East Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland. LNER is operated on behalf of
5002-454: The death of Queen Elizabeth II , locomotive hauled services returned briefly to the WCML once more when incumbent operator Avanti West Coast employed a rake of Mark 3 coaches (hauled by a Class 90 locomotive) to provide additional services to Euston for those wishing to travel to London for the Queen's lying-in-state and subsequent funeral. The following table lists the rolling stock which forms
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5124-570: The early railway era was for companies to promote individual lines between two destinations, rather than to plan grand networks of lines, as it was considered easier to obtain backing from investors. The first stretch of what is now the WCML was the Grand Junction Railway connecting the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham , via Warrington , Crewe , Stafford and Wolverhampton , opening in 1837. The following year
5246-598: The privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, the infrastructure was taken over in 1994 by the private company Railtrack , which later collapsed in 2002, and was replaced by the not-for-profit company Network Rail . WCML's InterCity services became part of the InterCity West Coast franchise , which was won by Virgin Trains who took over in 1997. In 2019, Avanti West Coast won the new West Coast Partnership franchise, taking over from Virgin Trains. By
5368-536: The 1850s took 12.5 hours to complete the 400-mile (640 km) journey. The final sections of what is now the WCML were put in place over the following decades. A direct branch to Liverpool , bypassing the earlier Liverpool and Manchester line, was opened in 1869, from Weaver Junction north of Crewe to Ditton Junction via the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the River Mersey . At
5490-445: The 1980s; an ill-fated high speed train which used tilting technology , which was required to allow faster speeds on the curving route, and the abortive InterCity 250 project in the early-1990s. Further modernisation of the route finally occurred during the 2000s in the period of privatisation , which saw speeds raised further to 125 mph (201 km/h) and the introduction of tilting Class 390 Pendolino trains. As much of
5612-598: The 2010-2017 timeframe. The Wigan North Western to Lostock Parkway branch is also in the process of being electrified. The majority of stock used on the West Coast Main Line is new-build, part of Virgin's initial franchise agreement having been a commitment to introduce a brand-new fleet of tilting Class 390 "Pendolino" trains for long-distance high-speed WCML services. The 53-strong Pendolino fleet, plus three tilting SuperVoyager diesel sets, were bought for use on these InterCity services. One Pendolino
5734-615: The Crewe–Manchester line via Wilmslow was completed in summer 2006. In September 2006, a new speed record was set on the WCML ;– a Pendolino train completed the 401-mile (645 km) Glasgow Central – London Euston run in a record 3 hours 55 minutes, beating the APT's record of 4 hours 15 minutes, although the APT still holds the overall record on the northbound run. The decade-long modernisation project
5856-750: The Department for Transport by a consortium of Arup Group , Ernst & Young and SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit , which took over from Virgin Trains East Coast on 24 June 2018. Other operators of passenger trains on the line are: Eurostar previously held the rights to run five trains a day on the line for services from mainland Europe to cities north of London, as part of the Regional Eurostar plan, which never came to fruition. The overnight Caledonian Sleeper occasionally uses
5978-422: The ECML represented the best value by far. Its in-house forecasts determined that increases in revenue and considerable reductions in energy and maintenance costs would occur by electrifying the line. In 1984, the decision was made to commence the electrification of the rest of the ECML to Edinburgh and Leeds. The Secretary of State for Transport Nicholas Ridley and Minister for Railways David Mitchell played
6100-487: The ECML were offered to bidders as the InterCity East Coast franchise. It was held by Great North Eastern Railway from 1996 until 2007, when the company experienced financial difficulties; the franchise then passed to National Express East Coast until in 2009, when it too encountered financial problems and the government was forced to run the franchise itself as ' East Coast '. Another attempt at returning
6222-470: The ECML. LNER's 4468 Mallard set the record for a steam locomotive at 126 mph (203 km/h) whilst descending Stoke Bank on 3 July 1938. The record remains standing today, and a trackside sign was erected in July 1998 at the 90 + 1 ⁄ 4 milepost to commemorate the achievement. The world record for diesel-powered trains was set at 148 mph (238 km/h) on 1 November 1987, by
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#17327832492726344-503: The ECML. Where the existing bridge clearance was insufficient, project managers favoured wherever possible the rebuilding of the bridge rather than the lowering of the track, as the latter requires considerable civil works and can create long-term drainage problems. Where listed buildings were to be affected by the programme, BR sought approval for its plans from the Royal Fine Art Commission . Through this process
6466-488: The East Coast route, but some way short of the original target, and even further behind BR's original vision of 155 mph (250 km/h) speeds planned and achieved with the APT. The first phase of the upgrade, south of Manchester, opened on 27 September 2004 with journey times of 1 hour 21 minutes for London to Birmingham and 2 hours 6 minutes for London to Manchester. The final phase, introducing 125 mph (201 km/h) running along most of
6588-543: The LNER and its West Coast competitor, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), produced ever-more-powerful express locomotives. This reached its crescendo in the late 1930s, when the LNER introduced the famous streamlined Class A4 locomotives and the LMS countered with its own streamlined Coronation Class – both of which were capable of reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h). The competition
6710-610: The LNWR. North of Carlisle, the Caledonian Railway remained independent, and opened its main line from Carlisle to Beattock on 10 September 1847, connecting to Edinburgh in February 1848, and to Glasgow in November 1849. Another important section, the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR), which opened its route in 1848 from Macclesfield (connecting with the LNWR from Manchester) to Stafford and Colwich Junction via Stoke-on-Trent , also remained independent. The NSR provided
6832-520: The Leeds–York line of the former York and North Midland Railway at Colton Junction, south-west of York. The old line between Selby and York was dismantled and is now a public cycleway. Mining subsidence discovered in 2001 also necessitated the realignment of 1.8 km (1.1 mi) of line at Dolphingstone in East Lothian , between Prestonpans and Wallyford stations. The new alignment takes
6954-799: The Midlands and this area has been called the " Golden Triangle of Logistics ". Nearly all of the WCML is electrified with overhead line equipment at 25 kV AC . Several of the formerly unelectrified branches of the WCML in the North West have recently been electrified such as the Preston to Blackpool North Line on which electric service commenced in May 2018 along with the Preston – Manchester Piccadilly line which saw electric service commence in February 2019. Wigan to Liverpool via St Helens Shaw Street and St Helens Junction were also electrified in
7076-489: The NBR between Berwick and Edinburgh (agreed in 1862 but not exercised until 1869). The entire ECML came under control of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923, under the Railways Act 1921 which 'grouped' many small railway companies into four large ones . The LNER was the second largest railway company in Britain, its routes were located to the north and east of London. The LNER appointed Nigel Gresley (who
7198-410: The North ). Attempts were made to minimise end-to-end journey times for a small number of powerful lightweight trains that could be marketed as glamorous premium crack expresses, especially between London and Glasgow, such as the 1937–39 Coronation Scot , hauled by streamlined Princess Coronation Class locomotives, which made the journey in 6 hours 30 minutes, making it competitive with
7320-586: The Oxford ;– Cambridge route, work to replace 14 of the spans began in April 2020. Sections beside and over the WCML were removed in April and May. The arches crossing Buckingham Road (on the east side of WCML) started being removed on 5 July 2020. "The final span was lifted out by crane in October and the last of the supporting piers and pillars were removed over the weekend of 9-10 January 2021". At
7442-527: The UK, BR carried out an extensive programme of modernisation of it between the late 1950s and early 1970s, which included full overhead electrification of the route, and the introduction of modern intercity passenger services at speeds of up to 110 mph (177 km/h). Further abortive modernisation schemes were proposed, including the introduction of the Advanced Passenger Train (APT) in
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#17327832492727564-436: The WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line . Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry , Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns. It is one of the busiest freight routes in Europe, carrying 40% of all UK rail freight traffic. The line
7686-586: The WCML) were given 30 new "Desiro" Class 350s , originally ordered for services in the south-east. Following Govia 's successful bid for the West Midlands franchise in 2007, another 37 Class 350 units were ordered to replace its older fleet of Class 321s . The older BR-vintage locomotive-hauled passenger rolling stock still has a limited role on the WCML, with the overnight Caledonian Sleeper services between London Euston and Scotland using Mark 3 and Mark 2 coaches until their replacement with Mark 5 stock in October 2019. Virgin also retained and refurbished one of
7808-597: The Widened Lines route and the GWML, where ERTMS complements traditional lineside signals, the southern ECML will have its signals removed once the transition period to ERTMS is complete. This means that all trains running on the route will be required to be fitted with the appropriate onboard equipment. The Class 800 series (LNER Azuma Classes 800 and 801 , Hull Trains Paragon Class 802 , Lumo Class 803 ), Thameslink Class 700 and Great Northern Class 717 fleets are fitted with ERTMS equipment from manufacture. The Great Northern Class 387 fleet are undergoing retrofit, with
7930-486: The a part of the spine. South of Rugby, there is a bypass loop that serves Northampton . There is a spur at Weaver Junction north of Crewe to Liverpool . Weaver Junction on this branch is the oldest flyover-type junction in Britain. A spur branches off from Crewe to serve Manchester . There is also a spur between Colwich Junction in the Trent Valley, south of Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent, with another spur north of Stafford, also to Stoke-on-Trent. The geography of
8052-521: The core passenger service pattern on the WCML serving its principal termini; it is not exhaustive as many other types use small sections of the WCML as part of other routes. East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line ( ECML ) is a 393-mile long (632 km) electrified railway between its northern terminus at Edinburgh Waverley and southern terminus at London King's Cross station . The key towns and cities of Peterborough , Doncaster , York , Darlington , Durham and Newcastle are on
8174-400: The crossing with a flyover or tunnel, which would increase capacity on both lines, have been proposed on several occasions but are complicated by costs and spatial constraints at the site. With most of the line rated for 125 mph (200 km/h) operation, the ECML was the fastest main line in the UK until the opening of High Speed 1 . The high speeds are possible because much of the line
8296-729: The dawn of the 1990s, it was clear that further modernisation was required. Initially this took the form of the InterCity 250 project. The modernisation plan unveiled by Virgin and the new infrastructure owner Railtrack involved the upgrade and renewal of the line to allow the use of tilting Pendolino trains with a maximum line speed of 140 mph (225 km/h), in place of the previous maximum of 110 mph (177 km/h). Railtrack estimated that this upgrade would cost £2 billion, be ready by 2005, and cut journey times to 1 hour for London to Birmingham and 1 hr 45 mins for London to Manchester. However, these plans proved too ambitious and were subsequently scaled back. The upgrade
8418-400: The demolition and redevelopment of several of the key stations on the line: BR was keen to symbolise the coming of the "electric age" by replacing the Victorian-era buildings with new structures built from glass and concrete. Notable examples were Birmingham New Street , Manchester Piccadilly , Stafford , Coventry and London Euston . To enable the latter, the famous Doric Arch portal into
8540-449: The early May 2021 holiday, 103 concrete girders were lifted into place to provide the bridge deck over the main line. During summer 2021, a new structure was built for use by East West Rail , in the form of a box tunnel around the WCML; by February 2022, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of track had been installed over the new flyover, enabling engineering trains to reach the eastern end of the construction site. The renovation project includes
8662-453: The economic climate of the time. The early history of the WCML is complex, as it was not originally conceived as a single trunk route, but was built as a patchwork of separate lines by different companies, mostly during the 1830s and 1840s, but some parts were opened as late as the 1880s. After the completion of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, schemes were mooted to build more inter-city lines. The business practice of
8784-444: The fastest London–Edinburgh timing down by another hour, to 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. They operated most express passenger services on the line until electrification was completed in 1991, after which they continued in use on services that run off the ECML and onto non-electrified lines. Generally popular with the public, and considered by some to be iconic, they ran on the ECML for 41 years, before being withdrawn in 2019. In 1973,
8906-543: The first length of high-speed line, a 17 miles (27 km) stretch between Peterborough and Grantham, was completed. The next section was 12 miles (19 km) of line between Grantham and Newark and more sections were upgraded to enable high speeds along much of the line. Continuing demand for reduced journey times led British Rail to introduce a successor to the Deltics, the InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST) between 1978 and 1979. These could reach speeds up to 125 mph (201 km/h) on existing infrastructure, bringing
9028-474: The first train sent to Worksop Depot in October 2022. Following its return to service in July 2023, the remaining trains will be retrofitted in Hornsey Depot. The introduction of in-cab signaling will allow the ECML line speed to be increased to 140 mph in some places. The Class 800 series trains were designed to reach this speed, but minor modifications will be required to remove the equipment that
9150-438: The form of a gentle curve of up to 77 m (253 ft) towards the south, supported by concrete slabs and other ground stabilisation and reinforcement techniques, and is designed to avoid the need for a permanent speed restriction. It came into use in the last week of April 2003, at a cost of £56 million (equivalent to £92 million in 2023). World speed records for both steam and diesel traction have been set on
9272-603: The franchise to private-sector operation was made by Virgin Trains East Coast in 2015, but this failed in 2018, and thus since then it has been run by the public sector through the government's operator of last resort procedure under the London North Eastern Railway brand. The route of the ECML has been altered or diverted several times, beginning with the opening of the King Edward VII Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1906. Later,
9394-518: The line from Temple Hirst Junction (near Selby in Yorkshire) to the Scottish border; the construction of new signalling centres at Niddrie, York, and Newcastle; the commissioning of ten new connections to the national electricity grid; and structure clearance and electrical immunisation works along the length of the line. Included in the structure clearance works were the 127 overbridges that crossed
9516-468: The line has a maximum speed of 125 mph (201 km/h), it meets the European Union 's definition of an upgraded high-speed line , although only Class 390 Pendolinos and Class 221 Super Voyagers with tilting mechanisms operated by Avanti West Coast travel at that speed. Non-tilting trains are limited to 110 mph (177 km/h). The spine between London Euston and Glasgow Central
9638-473: The line is quadruple track between Warrington Bank Quay to Wigan North Western. At Newton-le-Willows, the slow tracks join the Liverpool to Manchester line to pass through the centre of the town, while the fast tracks take the direct route via the Golborne cut-off. There are two more stretches of quadruple track, otherwise the line is double track to Scotland. The first is from Euxton Balshaw Lane to Preston, and
9760-612: The line passes over the Digswell Viaduct , Welwyn North station and the two Welwyn tunnels; and one between Fletton Junction (south of Peterborough) and Holme Junction, south of Holme Fen. The route between Holme Junction and Huntingdon is mostly triple track, with the exception of a southbound loop between Conington and Woodwalton. North of Grantham the line is double track except for quadruple-track sections at Retford , around Doncaster, between Colton Junction (south of York), Thirsk and Northallerton , and Newcastle. The line
9882-565: The line saw little use, with most freight traffic taking other routes. The Varsity line closed to passengers on 1 January 1968; it remained open to goods traffic until October 1993, when the bridge was mothballed. The flyover was returned to use in 2006 along with a mile of track west of Bletchley to a loop at the Newton Longville Brickworks landfill site. As part of the East West Rail project that will reopen
10004-548: The line, was announced as opening on 12 December 2005, bringing the fastest journey between London and Glasgow to 4 hours 25 mins (down from 5 hours 10 minutes). However, considerable work remained, such as the quadrupling of the track in the Trent Valley, upgrading the slow lines, the second phase of remodelling Nuneaton, and the remodelling of Stafford, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Coventry stations, and these were completed in late 2008. The upgrading of
10126-513: The line. Services were operated using "East Coast Joint Stock" until 1922. The trains were hauled by GNR locomotives between King's Cross and York, which entailed utilisation of GNR running powers over the NER between Shaftholme Junction and York (which had been agreed in 1849 and exercised from the opening of the GNR in 1850); and by NER locomotives between York and Edinburgh, using NER running powers over
10248-528: The line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broadly parallel to the A1 road . The main line acts as a 'spine' for several diverging branches, serving destinations such as Cambridge , Leeds , Hull , Sunderland and Lincoln , all with direct services to London. In addition, a few ECML services extend beyond Edinburgh to serve other Scottish destinations, such as Stirling , Inverness , Aberdeen or Glasgow Central , although
10370-550: The lineside signalling system on the southern ECML between London King's Cross and the Stoke Tunnel was commissioned in 1977 and as such was up for renewal between 2020 and 2029. Instead of renewing the current lineside signalling, it was decided to upgrade this section of the ECML to ERTMS in-cab signalling. This will not be the first instance of ERTMS on the UK rail network; it is in use on the Cambrian Line (where it
10492-631: The northern end, the Caledonian replaced its original Southside terminus in Glasgow, with the much larger and better located Glasgow Central in 1879. To expand capacity, the line between London and Rugby was widened to four tracks in the 1870s. As part of this work, a new line, the Northampton Loop , was built, opening in 1881, connecting Northampton before rejoining the main line at Rugby. The worst-ever rail accident in UK history,
10614-853: The original Philip Hardwick -designed terminus was demolished in 1962 amid much public outcry. Electrification of the Edinburgh branch was carried out in the late 1980s as part of the East Coast Main Line electrification project in order to allow InterCity 225 sets to access Glasgow via Carstairs Junction. Modernisation brought great improvements in speed and frequency. However some locations and lines were no longer served by through trains or through coaches from London, such as: Windermere ; Barrow-in-Furness , Whitehaven and Workington ; Huddersfield , Bradford Interchange , Leeds and Halifax (via Stockport); Blackpool South ; Colne (via Stockport); Morecambe and Heysham ; Southport (via Edge Hill ); Blackburn and Stranraer Harbour. Notable also
10736-444: The original Mark 3 rakes with a Driving Van Trailer and a Class 90 locomotive as a standby set to cover for Pendolino breakdowns. This set was retired from service on 25 October with a rail tour the following day. In November 2014, the "Pretendolino" was transferred to Norwich Crown Point depot to enter service with Abellio Greater Anglia having come to the end of its agreed lease to Virgin Trains. In September 2022, following
10858-547: The other main line between London and Scotland. The principal solution has been the adoption of tilting trains , initially with British Rail 's APT and latterly the Class 390 Pendolino trains constructed by Alstom and introduced by Virgin Trains in 2003. A 'conventional' attempt to raise line speeds as part of the InterCity 250 upgrade in the 1990s would have relaxed maximum cant levels on curves and seen some track realignments; this scheme faltered for lack of funding in
10980-477: The principal London-Glasgow route is the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The line was built during the 1840s by three railway companies, the North British Railway , the North Eastern Railway , and the Great Northern Railway . In 1923, the Railways Act 1921 led to their amalgamation to form the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the line became its primary route. The LNER competed with
11102-402: The prototype HST British Rail Class 41 recorded a top speed of 143 mph (230 km/h) in a test run on the line. There had been proposals to electrify all or parts of the ECML as far back as the early 1900s, but no significant scheme was implemented until the 1970s and 1980s, with the entire line being electrified in two stages between 1976 and 1991. Early proposed schemes included
11224-454: The railways were nationalised and operated by British Railways . In the early 1960s, steam was replaced by diesel-electric traction , including the Deltics , and sections of the line were upgraded so that trains could run at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h). With the demand for higher speed, British Rail introduced InterCity 125 high-speed trains between 1976 and 1981. In 1973,
11346-799: The replacement of a weak bridge in Watford allowed line-speeds to be increased from 90 mph (145 km/h) to 125 mph (201 km/h), decreasing journey times. The main spine of the WCML is quadruple track almost all of the route from London to south of Winsford . At Hanslope Junction (near Milton Keynes ), the line divides with one pair going direct to Rugby and the other pair diverting via Northampton to rejoin at Rugby. The spine continues north in quadruple track until Brinklow, where it reduces to triple track. The line between Brinklow and Nuneaton has three tracks, with one northbound track and fast and slow southbound tracks. The line then reverts to quadruple track at Nuneaton. North of Rugeley, there
11468-433: The rival East Coast Flying Scotsman (British Railways in the 1950s could not match this, but did achieve a London-Glasgow timing of 7 hours 15 minutes in the 1959–60 timetable by strictly limiting the number of coaches to eight and not stopping between London and Carlisle. ) In 1948, following nationalisation , the line came under the control of British Railways ' London Midland and Scottish Regions , when
11590-550: The route was determined by avoiding large estates and hilly areas, such as the Chilterns ( Tring Cutting ); the Watford Gap and Northampton uplands, followed by the Trent Valley; the mountains of Cumbria , with a summit at Shap ; and Beattock Summit in South Lanarkshire . This legacy means the WCML has limitations as a long-distance main line, with lower maximum speeds than the East Coast Main Line (ECML) route,
11712-435: The route with overhead line equipment. The first stretch to be upgraded and electrified was Crewe to Manchester, completed on 12 September 1960. This was followed by Crewe to Liverpool, completed on 1 January 1962. Electrification was then extended south to London. The first electric trains from London ran on 12 November 1965, with a full public service to Manchester and Liverpool launched on 18 April 1966. Electrification of both
11834-408: The scheme progressed as far as a prototype locomotive , however it was cancelled on financial grounds after 1923 when the NER was grouped into the LNER, and the new management had no interest in pursuing the scheme. In the early-1930s, studies were conducted into electrifying sections or all of the ECML. British Rail 's 1955 modernisation plan placed equal importance on electrification of both
11956-529: The second is a busy section around Glasgow. The WCML is noted for the diversity of branches served from the spine, notably those to/from the West Midlands and North Wales , Greater Manchester , and Liverpool. These are detailed in the route diagram . The complete route has been cleared for W10 loading gauge freight traffic, allowing use of higher 9 ft 6 in (2,896 mm) hi-cube shipping containers . The route passes through Nuneaton and
12078-681: The set lost in the Grayrigg derailment. Although the new stock was supplied in Virgin livery, it was not expected to enter traffic before 31 March 2012, when the InterCity West Coast franchise was due to be re-let, though the date for the new franchise was later put back to December 2012, and any effect of this on the timetable for introducing the new coaches remains unclear. Previous franchisees Central Trains and Silverlink (operating local and regional services partly over sections of
12200-484: The structure. It reopened for engineering use in early 2022. The original structure was composed of 37 concrete spans , resting on concrete piers . It is 605 metres (1,985 ft) long. Most of the spans are beam-shaped ; two are double-length arches . Electrification pads were provided when the flyover was first built, despite there being no plans to electrify the line. In 1959, the Bletchley Flyover
12322-460: The technical viability and cost of implementing moving block prior to promising the speed increase to Virgin and the government. By 1999, with little headway on the modernisation project made, it became apparent to engineers that the technology was not mature enough to be used on the line. The bankruptcy of Railtrack in 2001 and its replacement by Network Rail following the Hatfield crash brought
12444-409: The term "West Coast Main Line" came into use officially, although it had been used informally since at least 1912. As part of the 1955 modernisation plan , British Rail carried out a large programme of modernisation of the WCML in stages between 1959 and 1974; the modernisation involved upgrading the track and signaling to allow higher speeds, rebuilding a number of stations, and electrification of
12566-649: The total cost, 60 per cent was for the electrification process itself, while the remaining 40 per cent covered rolling stock, including the new InterCity 225 trains procured specially for the route. These were introduced in 1989 to operate express services. They were developed by the General Electric Company (GEC), as the winners of a competitive tender process. The InterCity 225 sets were used alongside other rolling stock, including Class 90 locomotives and Class 317 electric multiple units. The displaced diesel trains were reallocated predominantly to
12688-420: The use of in-cab signalling whenever running service trains at speeds above 125 mph. Nevertheless, the fifth aspect was not removed from signals in the test area , and the relevant track Sectional Appendix continued to list the capability to run special test trains in excess of 125 mph as recently as 2008. As part of the privatisation of British Rail in the mid-1990s, passenger operations on
12810-842: Was authorised in 1971 for the benefit of London suburban services as part of the Great Northern Suburban Electrification Project , using Mk. 3A equipment. The scheme electrified 70 route miles (110 km), including the Hertford Loop Line , part of the Cambridge Line from Hitchin to Royston , and incorporated the Northern City Line to Moorgate . In the late 1970s, a working group of British Rail and Department for Transport officials convened and determined that, of all options for further electrification,
12932-652: Was authorised to reach speeds up to 140mph completing the London to Edinburgh journey in 3 hours 29 minutes. In November 2021, as part of the Integrated Rail Plan , the DfT announced a major upgrade of the line. The upgrade is set to include major track improvements and digital signalling, leading to higher speeds, reduced journey times and increases in seat capacity. The power supply will also be upgraded to allow longer and more frequent trains. The last refresh of
13054-569: Was connected to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , a short section of which was used to reach the NER at Knottingley . In 1871, the line was shortened when the NER opened a direct line from an end-on junction, with the GNR, at Shaftholme, just south of Askern to Selby and over Selby Bridge on the Leeds - Hull line direct to York . Through journeys were important and lucrative for the companies and in 1860 they built special rolling stock for
13176-547: Was constructed by three independent railway companies. During the 1830s and 1840s, each company built part of the route to serve its own area, but also intending to link with other railways to form the through route that would become the East Coast Main Line. From north to south, the companies were: The GNR established an end-on connection with the NER at Askern , famously described by the GNR's chairman as in "a ploughed field four miles north of Doncaster". Askern
13298-528: Was curtailed soon thereafter by the coming of World War II . In the aftermath of the war, Clement Attlee 's Labour Government nationalised the LNER and the other three major railway companies in Great Britain with the passage of the Transport Act 1947 , and with effect from 1 January 1948 merged them into British Railways (BR). The ECML came under the control of three of BR's regions ;
13420-419: Was described as "a classic example of disastrous project management". Central to the implementation of the plan was the adoption of moving block signalling , which had never been proven on anything more than simple metro lines and light rail systems – not on a complex high-speed heavy-rail network such as the WCML. Despite this, Railtrack made what would prove to be the fatal mistake of not properly assessing
13542-407: Was engaged in long running rivalry with the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the other main trunk route between London and Scotland. At various points in the late 19th century, highly publicised but unofficial races occurred between express trains on the two routes, most notably in 1888 and 1895. These races were ended over concerns over safety, but later the rivalry resumed in the 1920s and 1930s as both
13664-482: Was finally completed in December 2008. This allowed Virgin's VHF (very high frequency) timetable to be progressively introduced through early 2009, the highlights of which are a three-trains-per-hour service to both Birmingham and Manchester during off-peak periods, and nearly all London-Scottish timings brought under the 4 hours 30 minutes barrier – with one service (calling only at Preston) achieving
13786-599: Was first piloted), on the Thameslink core Widened Lines route (with an ATO overlay), and on the Heathrow branch of the Great Western Main Line . However, it is the most complex application yet; never before in the UK has ERTMS been used on such a busy, mixed-traffic line, with freight , commuter , regional and InterCity services sharing as little as two tracks in the tightest sections. Unlike
13908-518: Was knighted in 1937) as its Chief Mechanical Engineer, and under his tenure, Pacific steam locomotives were developed as the standard express locomotive to work the line, several of which became famous, these included the Class A3 , including 4472 Flying Scotsman , and the later Class A4 , including 4468 Mallard . During this time Mallard set a new world-record speed for a steam locomotive (see § Speed records ). The East Coast Main Line
14030-422: Was largely complete by 1974. During the period when Richard Beeching was chairman of British Rail, WCML electrification with a spur from Carstairs to Edinburgh was seen as possible justification for the truncation of the ECML at Newcastle. British Rail carried out electrification of the southern part of the ECML with 25 kV AC overhead lines from London King's Cross to Hitchin between 1976 and 1977. This
14152-399: Was later dropped) and offering journey times as London to Birmingham in 1 hour 35 minutes, and London to Manchester or Liverpool in 2 hours 40 minutes (and even 2 hours 30 minutes for the twice-daily Manchester Pullman ). This represented a big improvement on the 3 hours 30 minutes to Manchester and Liverpool of the fastest steam service. A new feature
14274-479: Was made 48 hours before the writ was issued for a by-election in South Ayrshire . The Observer commented that, if the £25 million decision was politically rather than financially motivated, it would have the makings of a major political scandal. A new set of high-speed long-distance services was introduced in 1966, launching British Rail's highly successful " Inter-City " brand (the hyphen
14396-445: Was mostly built between the 1830s and 1850s, but several cut-off routes and branches were built in later decades. In 1923, the entire route came under the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) when the railway companies were grouped under the Railways Act 1921 . The LMS itself was nationalised in 1947 to form part of British Railways (BR). As the WCML is the most important long-distance railway trunk route in
14518-686: Was opened in 1906, replacing the older High Level Bridge as the main railway crossing of the River Tyne . Newark flat crossing , where the ECML crosses the Nottingham–Lincoln line on the same level just north of Newark Northgate station, is one of only two remaining flat crossings in Britain, the other being on the Cambrian Line where it intersections with the Welsh Highland Railway . Plans for grade separating
14640-672: Was opened to carry the Varsity line over the West Coast Main Line (WCML) as part of the British Rail Modernisation Plan . The plan proposed to develop the Varsity Line as a freight link from the East Coast ports to South Wales, capable of handling up to 2,400 wagons of coal class traffic and empties daily. However, following British Railways deciding not to proceed with the Swanbourne sidings plan,
14762-479: Was that these fast trains were offered on a regular-interval service throughout the day: initially hourly to Birmingham, two-hourly to Manchester, and so on. The service proved to be so popular that in 1972 these InterCity service frequencies were doubled to deal with increased demand. With the completion of the northern electrification in 1974, London to Glasgow journey times were reduced from 6 hours to 5. Along with electrification came modern coaches such as
14884-693: Was written off in 2007 following the Grayrigg derailment . After the 2007 franchise "shake-up" in the Midlands, more SuperVoyagers were transferred to Virgin West Coast, instead of going to the new CrossCountry franchise. The SuperVoyagers are used on London–Chester and Holyhead services because the Chester/North Wales line is not electrified, so they run "under the wires" between London and Crewe. SuperVoyagers were also used on Virgin's London-Scotland via Birmingham services, even though this route
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