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West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London South East England East Midlands West Midlands North West England Scotland
Termini	Glasgow Central London Euston
Stations	46
Service
Type	Inter-city rail high-speed rail freight rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Passenger: Avanti West Coast Caledonian Sleeper CrossCountry Northern Trains ScotRail Southern TransPennine Express Transport for Wales Rail West Midlands Trains Freight: DB Cargo UK Direct Rail Services Freightliner GB Railfreight
History
Opened	1837–1881
Technical
Line length	399 mi (642 km)
Number of tracks	Two, four or six
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Loading gauge	W10
Electrification	Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed	110 or 125 mph (180 or 200 km/h)
Route map (Click to expand) Show static map Legend Edinburgh Waverley ( St Andrew Sq.) Haymarket Glasgow Central ( St Enoch) Motherwell Carstairs Carstairs South Junction Lockerbie Scotland England Carlisle Penrith Oxenholme Lake District for Windermere Lancaster Preston for Blackpool North Euxton Junction Bolton Wigan North Western Warrington Bank Quay Liverpool Lime Street Liverpool South Parkway Runcorn Weaver Junction Manchester Piccadilly Stockport Holyhead for Dublin Port Wales England Chester Cheadle Hulme Junction Crewe North Junction North Wales Coast Line Crewe Macclesfield Stoke-on-Trent Stone Junction Norton Bridge Junction Stafford Stafford South Junction Colwich Junction Wolverhampton Lichfield Trent Valley Cross-City Line Birmingham New Street Tamworth Cross Country Route Birmingham International Nuneaton Coventry Rugby Trent Valley Junction Rugby Hillmorton Junction Northampton Hanslope Junction Milton Keynes Central Watford Junction London Euston All routes shown. A detailed diagram of the core route can be found at West Coast Main Line diagram. This diagram: view talk edit Show diagram map

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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).

Geography

The spine between London Euston and Glasgow Central 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 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 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 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, 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 the economic climate of the time.

History

Pre-grouping, 1837–1923

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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.

LMS, 1923–1948

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 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 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.)

British Rail, 1948–1997

In 1948, following nationalisation, the line came under the control of British Railways' London Midland and Scottish Regions, when the term "West Coast Main Line" came into use officially, although it had been used informally since at least 1912.

Modernisation by British Rail

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 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 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, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Privatisation, 1997–present

As part of 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.

Modernisation by Railtrack and Network Rail

By 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Infrastructure

Track

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 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 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 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 the Midlands and this area has been called the "Golden Triangle of Logistics".

Electrification

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 the 2010-2017 timeframe.

The Wigan North Western to Lostock Parkway branch is also in the process of being electrified.

Rolling stock

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Commuter and regional trains

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Operator	Routes
				mph	km/h
BR Sprinter	Class 153		DMU	75	120	Transport for Wales Rail	Chester–Crewe
	Class 156					ScotRail	Glasgow South Western Line
	Class 158			90	145	Northern Trains Transport for Wales Rail	Settle–Carlisle line Birmingham International–Shrewsbury Aberystwyth, Pwllheli Chester and Holyhead
Bombardier Turbostar	Class 170			100	161	CrossCountry	Cardiff Central–Nottingham Birmingham New Street–Nottingham Birmingham New Street–Stansted Airport Birmingham New Street–Leicester
Siemens Desiro	Class 185					TransPennine Express	TransPennine North West
BR Second Generation	Class 318		EMU	90	145	ScotRail	Glasgow Central–Lanark and Carstairs
	Class 320/3						North Clyde Line Argyle Line Whifflet Line
	Class 320/4			100	161
	Class 323			90	145	Northern Trains	Crewe–Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke-on-Trent–Manchester Piccadilly
CAF Civity	Class 331			100	161		Crewe–Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke-on-Trent–Manchester Piccadilly
Siemens Desiro	Class 350			110	180	London Northwestern Railway	London Euston–Tring, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton and Birmingham New Street, Birmingham New Street–Liverpool Lime Street, Stafford–Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent London Euston–Crewe via Trent Valley line
Bombardier Electrostar	Class 377			100	161	Southern	Watford Junction–East Croydon
Siemens Desiro	Class 380					ScotRail	Ayrshire Coast Line Inverclyde Line North Berwick Line Paisley Canal Line Argyle Line Cathcart Circle Line
Hitachi AT200	Class 385						Shotts Line
Alstom Aventra	730/0			90	145	London Northwestern Railway	London Euston–Tring, Milton Keynes Central and Northampton

High-speed trains

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Operator	Routes
				mph	km/h
Bombardier Voyager	Class 220		DEMU	125	200	CrossCountry	Between Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly and between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining or leaving the ECML
	Class 221					Avanti West Coast	Services between London Euston to: North Wales, Chester, Shrewsbury, Blackpool North, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.
						CrossCountry	Between Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly and between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining or leaving the ECML
Alstom Pendolino	Class 390		EMU			Avanti West Coast	Services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North, Birmingham New Street and the West Midlands, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.
CAF Civity	Class 397					TransPennine Express	Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.
Hitachi AT300	Class 802 Nova 1		Bi-mode multiple unit			TransPennine Express	Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.
	Class 805 Evero					Avanti West Coast	Euston to Chester, Blackpool North, Wrexham General, Liverpool Lime Street, Wolverhampton and Holyhead.

Sleeper trains

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Operator	Routes
			mph	km/h
Class 92		Electric locomotive	87	140	GB Railfreight, on behalf of Caledonian Sleeper	All Caledonian Sleeper services, for sections between London Euston and Glasgow or Edinburgh
Mark 5 coach		Lounge Seated sleeper Sleeping car	100	161	Caledonian Sleeper	All Caledonian Sleeper services

Future trains

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Operator	Routes	Expected introduction
				mph	km/h
Alstom Aventra	Class 730/0		EMU	90	145	West Midlands Railway	Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton, Birmingham International and Coventry	2024
	Class 730/2			110	177	London Northwestern Railway	London Euston to Tring, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton and Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street Crewe to London Euston via the Trent Valley line
Hitachi AT300	Class 807			125	200	Avanti West Coast	Services between London Euston to: North Wales, Chester and Shrewsbury.	2023

Operators

Avanti West Coast

The current principal train operating company on the West Coast Main Line is Avanti West Coast, which runs the majority of long-distance services under the West Coast Partnership rail franchise. In November 2016, the government announced that the (then named) InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by a new franchise called 'West Coast Partnership', which includes operating the planned High Speed 2 (HS2) service as well as the existing West Coast Main Line express services. In August 2019, the DfT announced that First Trenitalia West Coast Rail (trading as Avanti West Coast) was the successful bidder. Avanti West Coast commenced operating the franchise on 8 December 2019.

Avanti operates nine trains per hour on the WCML from London Euston, with three trains per hour to Manchester Piccadilly, two trains per hour to Birmingham New Street, one train per hour to each of Chester, Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central via the Trent Valley (one Birmingham New Street train per hour continues to Scotland via Wolverhampton alternating between Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central), five trains on a weekday to Holyhead and three trains on a weekday to Bangor. There is also one weekday train in to/from Wrexham General. Additional peak terminating services run between London Euston and Preston, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Birmingham International, Lancaster and Carlisle. Additional trains during the early morning, late evening, rush hour and night that terminate or start at Birmingham. There are also three daily (Monday to Friday) services between London Euston and Blackpool North.

West Midlands Trains

West Midlands Trains provides commuter and long-distance services on the route, which terminate at London Euston. They are all operated under the London Northwestern Railway brand. There are two trains an hour from London to Birmingham; one calling at the majority of stations en route and one calling only at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Hampton-in-Arden, Birmingham International and Marston Green. There are two return trains per hour from Birmingham New Street to London Euston. These London–Birmingham stopping services are roughly one hour slower, end to end, than the Avanti West Coast fast service. There is also an hourly service from London Euston to Northampton calling at Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central and Wolverton.

West Midlands Trains also operates an hourly service between London Euston and Crewe, serving Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton (peak times and Sundays only), Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth (once a day on Mondays to Saturdays), Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford and Crewe. Some services also call at Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley. Trains also call at Long Buckby (Sundays only). This service was introduced in 2008 to coincide with the withdrawal of the similar Virgin Trains service. Under 'Project 110' this service was reconfigured in December 2012 and to operate 10 mph faster using enhanced British Rail Class 350/1 units.

A service to Tring is provided half-hourly from Euston; one calling at Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted and one calling at Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamstead. An hourly service operates to Milton Keynes Central calling at Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamstead, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley.

West Midlands Trains also operates an hourly stopping train on the Marston Vale Line from Bletchley to Bedford as well as a 45-minute service on the Abbey Line to St Albans Abbey. These are both local branches off the WCML and classified as part of it.

After the Central Trains franchise was revised, London Midland took over services running on the WCML between Birmingham and Liverpool. In August 2017, London Midland lost the West Midlands franchise; West Midlands Trains took over in December 2017. Services on the WCML are all branded London Northwestern Railway services, and all local services around Birmingham are branded West Midlands Railway services.

TransPennine Express

TransPennine Express provides services along the WCML between Manchester Airport or Liverpool Lime Street, and Glasgow or Edinburgh (alternating serving each every 2 hours).

Southern

Southern provides an hourly service between East Croydon and Watford Junction, which calls at all stations on the West London Line, then Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction.

CrossCountry

CrossCountry operates services from Plymouth, Bournemouth and Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly; these trains run along the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Manchester Piccadilly. Some trains from Manchester Piccadilly to Bristol Temple Meads are extended to Paignton and Plymouth, and on summer weekends to Penzance and Newquay. CrossCountry services between Reading and Newcastle also use a small portion of the West Coast Main Line between Coventry and Birmingham New Street.

CrossCountry also operates occasional services to/from Glasgow Central, which operate to either Penzance, Plymouth, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bristol Temple Meads or Birmingham New Street. On summer weekends trains from Glasgow Central also operate to Paignton, Penzance and Newquay. These services use the West Coast Main Line from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central.

ScotRail

ScotRail operates services on sections of the West Coast Main Line for example near Glasgow with Argyle Line trains running on the section from Cambuslang to Carluke before veering off on the short branch to Lanark or heading along till Carstairs. The North Berwick Line runs from Glasgow Central High Level via Motherwell to Carstairs and onto Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick.

At Carlisle the Glasgow South Western Line runs for several miles before heading west towards Dumfries, Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer.

Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper operates services down the length of the West Coast Main Line, providing an overnight services each way between London and Scotland.

Recent developments

Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme

A number of items of work are under way or proposed to accommodate additional freight traffic between the Haven ports and the Midlands including track dualling. The 'Nuneaton North Chord' was completed and opened on 15 November 2012. The chord will ease access for some trains between the Birmingham to Peterborough Line and the WCML. The Ipswich chord was opened at the end of March 2014 allowing trains to run without reversing from Felixstowe towards the Midlands.

Stafford Area Improvements Programme

Planned flying junction and 2.5 mi (4.0 km) track diversion in the Stafford – Norton Bridge area. This replaced the previous level junction where the Stafford to Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent line diverges from the trunk route at Norton Bridge, avoiding conflicting train movements to enhance capacity and reduce journey times, additional freight capacity was also provided around Stafford station. This allowed two extra off-peak trains per hour from Euston to the North West, one extra train per hour from Manchester to Birmingham and one additional freight train per hour. The resignalling work associated with this project was due to be completed in summer 2015 and the Norton Bridge work was complete in December 2016, followed by a new timetable introduced in December 2017.

Weaver Junction to Liverpool signalling

Re-signalling work the WCML spur track from Liverpool to Weaver Junction was underway in 2016. Signal control moved to the Manchester Rail Operating Centre removing five local signal boxes. The signal improvements will improve journey times on this section of track.

Proposed development

Increased line speed

Virgin Trains put forward plans in 2007 to increase the line speed in places on the WCML – particularly along sections of the Trent Valley Line between Stafford and Rugby from 125 to 135 mph (200 to 217 km/h) after the quadrupling of track had been completed. This would permit faster services and possibly allow additional train paths. 135 mph (217 km/h) was claimed to be achievable by Pendolino trains while using existing lineside signalling without the need for cab signalling via the use of the TASS system (Tilt Authorisation and Speed Supervision) to prevent overspeeding. In practice, regulations introduced by the HMRI (now ORR) at the time of the ECML high-speed test runs in 1991 are still in force prohibiting this. Network Rail was aware of Virgin Train's aspirations; however, in November 2009 Chris Mole MP (then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport) announced that there were no plans for this to happen and thus for the foreseeable future the maximum speed will remain at 125 mph (201 km/h).

In promoting this proposal, Virgin Trains reported that passenger numbers on Virgin West Coast increased from 13.6 million in 1997/98 to 18.7 million in 2005/6, while numbers on CrossCountry grew from 12.6 million to 20.4 million over the same period.

Crossrail extension

In the London & South East Rail Utilisation Strategy (RUS) document published by Network Rail in 2011, a proposal was put forward to extend the Crossrail lines, currently under construction in central London, along the West Coast Main Line as far as Tring and Milton Keynes Central. The scheme would involve the construction of a tunnel in the vicinity of the proposed new station at Old Oak Common in West London connecting the Crossrail route to the WCML slow lines with a potential for interchange with the planned High Speed 2 line. Under current plans, a proportion of westbound Crossrail trains will terminate at Paddington due to capacity limitations; the RUS recommends the WCML extension as it will enable these services to continue beyond Paddington, maximising the use of the central London tunnels. The RUS also notes that diversion of WCML regional rail services via Crossrail into central London would alleviate congestion at Euston station, and consequently reduce the need for infrastructure work on the London Underground network which would be required to accommodate HS2 passengers arriving at Euston. The Crossrail extension proposal has not been officially confirmed or funded. In August 2014, the government launched a study into the Crossrail extension.

Accidents

Route

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Network Rail routes have changed hence mentions of routes are all out of date. All references about previous routes are dead. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2020)

In June 2019 Network Rail formed five regions for helping to support Britain's railways. In August and September 2019, 14 routes responsible for the operation, maintenance and renewal of infrastructure were assigned across these regions. The West Coast Main Line runs through two of these regions ("Scotland's Railway" and "North West and Central") and is a part of 3 routes ("Scotland", "North West" and "West Coast Mainline South").

The cities and towns served by the WCML are listed in the tables below. Stations on loops and branches are marked **. Those stations in italics are not served by inter-city services run by Avanti West Coast but only by local trains. Between Euston and Watford Junction the WCML is largely but not exactly paralleled by the operationally independent Watford DC Line, a local stopping service now part of London Overground, with 17 intermediate stations, including three with additional platforms on the WCML.

The final table retraces the route specifically to indicate the many loops, branches, junctions and interchange stations on the core of the WCML.

The North Wales Coast Line between Crewe and Holyhead is not electrified. Services between London, Chester and Holyhead are operated by Super Voyager tilting diesel trains. Formerly in the case of one of the Holyhead services, a Pendolino set was hauled from Crewe by a Class 57/3 diesel locomotive.

London to Glasgow and Edinburgh

Branches and loops

v t e Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line
Legend
and other local routes
to Crewe Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent Penkridge Colwich Junction Colwich to Shrewsbury Rugeley Trent Valley Wolverhampton Walsall Coseley Tipton Armitage Dudley Port Sandwell & Dudley to Burton upon Trent Smethwick Galton Bridge Lichfield Trent Valley Smethwick Rolfe Street to Bromsgrove & Redditch Birmingham New Street Aston Adderley Park Water Orton to Burton upon Trent Stechford Tamworth Lea Hall Polesworth Marston Green Atherstone Birmingham International Hampton-in-Arden Nuneaton Berkswell Tile Hill to Leicester Canley Bedworth Bulkington Coventry Shilton Brinklow to Leamington Spa Rugby to Northampton to London Euston
Key
West Coast Main Line Birmingham Loop Line freight and diversionary lines other lines

The WCML is noted for the diversity of branches served between the London and Glasgow main line. The adjacent diagram deals with the very complex network of lines in the West Midlands that link the old route via Birmingham with the new WCML route via the Trent Valley (i.e. 1830s versus 1840s).

In the following tables, related to the WCML branches, only the Intercity stations are recorded:

Rugby–Birmingham–Wolverhampton–Stafford

Crewe–Manchester–Preston

Tunnels, viaducts and major bridges

Major civil engineering structures on the West Coast Main Line include the following. Many of the engineering features on the southern part of the route are original to the opening of the London and Birmingham Railway in the 1830s and are now listed buildings in recognition of their historic and engineering interest.

WCML branches and junctions

See also

• Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway
• East Coast Main Line
• Great Central Main Line
• Highland Main Line
• Irish Sea tunnel
• Midland Main Line
• Midland Main Line railway upgrade
• Portpatrick Railway
• Rail transport in Great Britain
• West Coast Main Line route modernisation

Notes

1. 125 mph (200 km/h) for Avanti West Coast tilting trains only.

References

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6. "Special Focus - West Coast Main Line Backbone of Britain". Modern Railways. Vol. 79. Key Publishing. March 2022. pp. 51–66.
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20. "The winter timetables of British Railways: The West Coast speed-up". Trains Illustrated. Hampton Court: Ian Allan. December 1959. p. 584.
21. "Auction Announcements of Messrs. Knight, Frank, and Rutley". The Times. London. 27 April 1912. p. 22. "The Abington and Crawford Estates ... extending as they do for some 12 miles either side of the main road and the West Coast Main Line to the North, with Abington and Crawford Stations on the Estate.
22. Marshall, John (1979). The Guinness Book Of Rail Facts & Feats. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 0-900424-56-7.
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26. Passenger Timetable 1 May 1972 to 6 May 1973. British Railways Board, London Midland Region. pp. 83, 06.
27. British Railways Board (April 1966).Your New Railway: London Midland Electrification. Information booklet.
28. Christiansen, Rex (1983). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 7 The West Midlands. David St John Thomas David and Charles. p. 246. ISBN 0946537-00-3.
29. Potter, Stephen; Roy, Robin (1986). Research and development: British Rail's fast trains. Design and Innovation, Block 3. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-335-17273-3.
30. Stamp, Gavin (1 October 2007). "Steam ahead: the proposed rebuilding of London's Euston station is an opportunity to atone for a great architectural crime". Apollo: the international magazine of art and antiques. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
31. Semmens, Peter (1991). Electrifying the East Coast Route. ISBN 0-85059-929-6.
32. Houghton, Tom (20 December 2019). "Direct trains launched between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow". Liverpool Echo (Updated ed.). Retrieved 4 June 2022.
33. "'Queasy Rider:' The Failure of the Advanced Passenger Train" (PDF).
34. "Railways: West Coast Main Line" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
35. "West coast rail upgrade expected". BBC News. 28 August 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
36. Meek, James (1 April 2004). "The £10bn Rail Crash". The Guardian. London.
37. "West Coast Main Line". Railway Technology. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
38. "High-speed tilting train on track". BBC News. 12 December 2005.
39. "West Coast rail works completed". BBC News. 14 December 2008.
40. "First trains use Norton Bridge rail flyover". A Little Bit of Stone. 29 March 2016.
41. "Orphanage Road bridge to be replaced as work to upgrade railway at Watford continues" (Press release). Network Rail. 28 January 2015.
42. "West coast main line upgrade". Corus rail. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
43. "Freight Route Utilisation Strategy – March 2007" (PDF). Network Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
44. "The rise of the UK warehouse and the "golden logistics triangle"". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
45. "Railroad/Railway Electric Traction Systems". crbasic.info. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
46. McDonnell, S. (12 February 2019). "First electric passenger trains finally entering service in Bolton". Bolton News. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
47. "North West electrification". Network Rail. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
48. "Virgin Rail Group welcomes West Coast franchise extension discussions". Rail Network. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
49. "The Sleepers are stirring" Rail issue 756 3 September 2014 page 70
50. TransPennine Express coach production begins Railway Gazette International 27 October 2016
51. Clinnick, Richard (5 June 2020). "Confirmed by Avanti West Coast that the IETs will be 805s and 807s". Twitter.
52. "All aboard the "Trackathon" to find a name for new Avanti West Coast fleet" (Press release). Avanti West Coast. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022. Name to be revealed later this year ahead trains entering service in 2023
53. "West Coast marks new partnership model for rail". DfT. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
54. Gwyn Topham (27 November 2019). "West coast train services to be rebranded with Avanti logo". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
55. "Nuneaton North Chord freight line now open". Network Rail. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
56. "Work starts on Nuneaton chord". Rail. Peterborough. 10 August 2011. p. 20.
57. "The new Ipswich chord will ease a major bottleneck on the Great Eastern main line". Network Rail. 25 March 2014.
58. "Stafford – Crewe rail enhancements". Network Rail. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
59. "£340m railway upgrade planned for Liverpool City Region". Network Rail Media Centre.
60. ^ "8. Potential new lines". London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy. Network Rail. 28 July 2011. pp. 149–153. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
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62. Hansard (House of Commons), 4 November 2009.
63. Connor, Neil (25 April 2006). "We won't bid if rail link becomes a 'bus run'". icBirmingham.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
64. "Government launches study into potential Crossrail extension". GOV.UK.
65. "Ministry of Transport Accident Report Between Grayrigg and Oxenholme, L.M.S.R., 18 May 1947". Archived from the original on 18 September 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
66. "Our routes". Network Rail. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
67. Historic England. "PRIMROSE HILL TUNNELS (EASTERN PORTALS), Camden (1329904)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
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69. "Keeping Track: Primrose Hill and the railway". 29 November 2015.
70. Brailsford, Martyn (2017). Railway Track Diagrams Book 1: Scotland & Isle of Man. Frome: Trackmaps. pp. 1, 7, 8, 10. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
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72. WCM2: W.C.M.L. (ELR CHANGE LAW JN - GLASGOW CENTRAL STAT), RailwayData
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Sources

• Buck, Martin; Rawlinson, Mark (2000). Line By Line: The West Coast Main Line, London Euston to Glasgow Central. Swindon: Freightmaster Publishing. ISBN 0-9537540-0-6.
• "EUSTON MAIN LINE ELECTRIFICATION, A Technical Conference sponsored jointly by the British Railways Board and the Institutions of Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Locomotive, and Railway Signal Engineers, 25–26th October 1966". Conference Proceedings. 181 (6 (Part 3F)). Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMECH). 1966–67.
  • Brentnall, E. G. (1966). "Paper 2: Signalling and Telecommunications Works on the Euston Main Line Electrification". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Conference Proceedings. 181 (36): 65–86. doi:10.1243/PIME_CONF_1966_181_108_02.
  • Butland, A. N. (1966). "Paper 3: Civil Engineering Works of the Euston Main Line Electrification Scheme". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Conference Proceedings. 181 (36): 51–64. doi:10.1243/PIME_CONF_1966_181_107_02.
  • Emerson, A. H. (1966). "Paper 4: Electrification of the London Midland Main Line from Euston". Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Conference Proceedings. 181 (36): 17–50. doi:10.1243/PIME_CONF_1966_181_105_02.

Further reading

• Allen, David (29 January – 11 February 1997). "West Coast Signalling". RAIL. No. 297. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 34–38. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
• Ballantyne, Hugh (1989). The Colour of British Rail: West Coast Main Line. Vol. 2. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 9780906899328. OCLC 21600017.
• Joy, David (1967). Main Line Over Shap. Dalesman Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN 9780852060636. OCLC 12273695.
• Longhurst, Roly (1979). Electric Locomotives of the West Coast Main Line. Bradford Barton. ISBN 9780851533551. OCLC 16491712.
• Nock, O. S. (1965). Britain's new railway: Electrification of the London-Midland main lines from Euston to Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Liverpool and Manchester. London: Ian Allan. OCLC 59003738.
• Nock, O. S. (1974). Electric Euston to Glasgow. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0711005303.

External links

• Electric All The Way – 1974 British Rail information booklet about the completion of electrification to Glasgow.
• Rail Industry www page which monitors the progress of the project
• Department of Transport – 2006 – West Coast Main Line – Update Report
• Network Rail Business Plans and Reports
• British Railways in 1960, Euston to Crewe
• British Railways in 1960, Crewe to Carlisle
• British Railways in 1960, Carlisle to Carstairs
• British Railways in 1960, Carstairs to Glasgow
• London to Glasgow in five minutes – BBC video, December 2008
• Origins of 1849 stretch of line from Glasgow to Carlisle

v t e Railway lines in London
Main lines	Primary East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Great Western Main Line High Speed 1 High Speed 2 (under construction) Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line Secondary Brighton Main Line Chatham Main Line Chiltern Main Line Elizabeth line London, Tilbury and Southend line South Eastern Main Line South West Main Line Waterloo–Reading line West Anglia Main Line West London Route
Branch	Regional Aylesbury Line Bexleyheath line Caterham line Dartford loop line Epsom Downs Branch Hampton Court branch line Hertford loop line Lea Valley lines North Kent Line Oxted line Shepperton branch line Staines–Windsor line Sutton and Mole Valley lines Tattenham Corner line Watford DC line Intra-London Acton–Northolt line Brentford branch line Bromley North line Catford loop line Chessington branch line Chingford branch line Crystal Palace line Dudding Hill line East London line Gospel Oak to Barking line Greenford branch line Greenwich line Mid-Kent line Holborn Viaduct–Herne Hill line Hounslow Loop line Kingston loop line North London line Northern City Line Nunhead to Lewisham Link Romford–Upminster line South London line West London line Widened Lines
Disused	Addiscombe Line Crystal Palace High Level branch line Greenwich Park branch line North London Line (City Branch) Palace Gates line Staines & West Drayton Line Stanmore branch line Uxbridge (Vine Street) branch line Wimbledon–West Croydon line Woodside & Sanderstead Line
London transport portal

v t e Railway lines in the North West
Primary to London	West Coast Main Line
Other	Inter-regional Buxton line Calder Valley line Chester–Warrington line Crewe–Derby line Glossop line Hope Valley line Huddersfield line Leeds–Morecambe line Mid-Cheshire line Morecambe branch line Ribble Valley line Stafford–Manchester line Tyne Valley line Weaver Junction–Liverpool line Intra-regional Blackpool branch lines Borderlands line Chester–Birkenhead line Crewe–Manchester line Cumbrian Coast line East Lancashire line Furness line Hooton–Helsby line Kirkby branch line Liverpool–Manchester lines Liverpool–Wigan line Manchester–Preston line Manchester–Southport line Northern line Ormskirk branch line Settle–Carlisle line Stockport–Stalybridge line Styal line Windermere branch line Wirral line
Heritage	East Lancashire Railway Eden Valley Railway Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway Ribble Steam Railway

v t e Railway lines in South East England
Primary	International High Speed 1 National Great Western Main Line West Coast Main Line Chiltern Main Line
Secondary	Berks/Bucks/Oxon to London Elizabeth line Aylesbury line Waterloo–Reading line (and in Surrey) Windsor & Eton Riverside line (and in Surrey) Kent to London Bexleyheath line Chatham Main Line Dartford Loop Line Kent Coast line Maidstone line Medway Valley line North Kent line Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line Sheerness line South Eastern Main Line Redhill–Tonbridge line (and in Surrey) Surrey/Sussex/Hants to London Alton line Arun Valley line Brighton Main Line Caterham line Eastleigh–Fareham line Hampton Court branch line Hastings line (and in Kent) Chertsey branch line Epsom Downs Branch New Guildford line Oxted line (and in Kent) Portsmouth Direct line Shepperton branch line South West Main Line Sutton and Mole Valley lines Tattenham Corner line West of England line Others Ascot–Guildford line Cherwell Valley line Cotswold Line Eastleigh–Romsey line East Coastway line (inc Marshlink line) Henley branch line Island line Lymington branch line Marlow branch line Marston Vale line North Downs Line Oxford–Bicester line Aylesbury–Princes Risborough line Reading–Taunton line West Coastway line Wessex Main Line Slough–Windsor & Eton line Reading–Basingstoke line Seaford branch line
Non-passenger	Fawley branch line Hundred of Hoo Railway Staines-West Drayton line Varsity line
Heritage	Bluebell Railway Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Cholsey & Wallingford Railway East Kent Railway Isle of Wight Steam Railway Kent & East Sussex Railway Lavender Line Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Spa Valley Railway Watercress Line

v t e Railway lines in the West Midlands
Main lines	West Coast Main Line Cross Country Route Chiltern Main Line
Inter-regional	Birmingham–Peterborough line Crewe–Derby line Cotswold Line Shrewsbury–Chester line Stafford–Manchester line Welsh Marches line
Local	Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line Camp Hill line Chase Line Colwich–Stone line Coventry–Leamington line Coventry–Nuneaton line Cross-City Line Leamington–Stratford line North Warwickshire Line Northampton loop Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line Stourbridge Town branch line Trent Valley line Wolverhampton–Shrewsbury line
Freight only	South Staffordshire line Sutton Park line Walsall–Wolverhampton line
Heritage	Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Severn Valley Railway Telford Steam Railway

v t e Transport in Buckinghamshire
Road	Motorways M1 M4 M25 M40 A-roads A4 A40 A41 A404 A412 A413 A418 A421 A422 A428 A4010 A4012 A4146 A4155 A5 A508 A509 A5130 Roman roads Akeman Street Watling Street Notable junctions Handy Cross roundabout Denham Roundabout Magic Roundabout (High Wycombe) Motorway service stations Beaconsfield Newport Pagnell
Rail	Main lines West Coast Main Line Chiltern Main Line Great Western Main Line Other lines Marston Vale line London–Aylesbury line Metropolitan line Aylesbury–Princes Risborough line Marlow branch line Closed lines Varsity Line Great Central Main Line Banbury to Verney Junction branch line Brill Tramway Wycombe Railway Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Cheddington to Aylesbury Line Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway Wolverton–Newport Pagnell line Bedford–Northampton line Other Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway East West Rail Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Seer Green rail crash
Air	Denham Aerodrome Turweston Aerodrome Silverstone Heliport Wycombe Air Park
Waterways	Rivers River Thames River Great Ouse Canals Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (planned) Grand Union Canal Slough Arm Wendover Arm Aylesbury Arm
Footpaths	National Trails Thames Path The Ridgeway Long-distance footpaths Icknield Way (path) Chiltern Way Greater Ridgeway Midshires Way Ouse Valley Way Shakespeare's Way Swan's Way
Cycle paths	Route 4 Route 6 Route 51 Route 57
Related articles	v t e Transport in Milton Keynes Road Milton Keynes grid road system A421 A422 A4146 A5 A509 Watling Street (Roman road, "Old A5") Rail Bletchley Flyover Bletchley railway station Bletchley TMD Bow Brickhill railway station East West Rail Fenny Stratford railway station Marston Vale line Milton Keynes Central railway station Varsity Line West Coast Main Line Woburn Sands railway station Wolverton railway station Wolverton–Newport Pagnell line Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway Bus Buses in Milton Keynes Arriva Shires & Essex Milton Keynes Coachway MK Metro Stagecoach Midlands United Counties Omnibus Water Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (proposed) Cosgrove aqueduct Grand Union Canal Other transport Milton Keynes redway system (shared path network)

• West Coast Main Line
• Main inter-regional railway lines in Great Britain
• Railway lines in London
• Railway lines in North West England
• Railway lines in South East England
• Railway lines in Scotland
• Railway lines in Wales
• Railway lines in the West Midlands (region)
• Rail transport in Bedfordshire
• Rail transport in Birmingham, West Midlands
• Rail transport in Buckinghamshire
• Rail transport in Cheshire
• Rail transport in Coventry
• Rail transport in Cumbria
• Rail transport in Greater Manchester
• Rail transport in Hertfordshire
• Rail transport in Lancashire
• Rail transport in Merseyside
• Rail transport in Northamptonshire
• Rail transport in Scotland
• Rail transport in Staffordshire
• Rail transport in Warwickshire
• Rail transport in the West Midlands (county)
• Rail transport in Wolverhampton
• Standard gauge railways in England
• Standard gauge railways in Scotland
• Transport in the London Borough of Brent
• Transport in the London Borough of Camden
• Transport in the London Borough of Harrow
• 25 kV AC railway electrification