Title: West Coast Main Line - Wikipedia
Headings: West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents
Geography
History
Early history
LMS era
British Rail era
Modernisation by British Rail
Modernisation by Network Rail
Infrastructure
Track
Electrification
Rolling stock
Commuter/regional trains
High-speed trains
Sleeper trains
Future trains
Operators
Avanti West Coast
West Midlands Trains
TransPennine Express
Southern
London North Eastern Railway
CrossCountry
Abellio ScotRail
Caledonian Sleeper
Recent developments
Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme
Stafford Area Improvements Programme
Weaver Junction to Liverpool signalling
Proposed development
Increased line speed
Crossrail extension
Accidents
Route
London to Glasgow and Edinburgh
Branches and loops
Tunnels, viaducts and major bridges
WCML branches and junctions
See also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

Content: West Coast Main Line - Wikipedia
West Coast Main Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Railway route in Britain
For similarly named lines, see West Coast Line (disambiguation). West Coast Main Line
The WCML running alongside the M1 at Watford Gap
Overview
Status
Operational
Owner
Network Rail
Locale
Greater London
South East England
West Midlands
North West England
Scotland
Termini
London Euston
Glasgow Central
Stations
46
Service
Type
Commuter rail
Inter-city rail
High-speed rail
Heavy rail
System
National Rail
Operator (s)
Passenger: Avanti West Coast
Caledonian Sleeper
CrossCountry
Northern Trains
ScotRail
Southern
TransPennine Express
Transport for Wales Rail Limited
West Midlands Trains
Freight: DB Cargo UK
Direct Rail Services
Freightliner
GB Railfreight
Rolling stock
Class 37
Class 43 HST
Class 66
Class 67
Class 68
Class 86
Class 87
Class 90
Class 91
Class 92
Class 150 Sprinter
Class 153 Super Sprinter
Class 156 Super Sprinter
Class 175 Coradia
Class 185 Pennine
Class 220 Voyager
Class 221 Super Voyager
Class 318
Class 319
Class 320
Class 323
Class 331 Civity
Class 350 Desiro
Class 377 Electrostar
Class 380 Desiro
Class 390 Pendolino
History
Opened
1837–1869
Technical
Line length
399 mi (642 km)
Number of tracks
Double track
Quadruple track
Sextuple track
Track gauge
1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8
+
1⁄2 in)
Loading gauge
W10
Electrification
25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE
Operating speed
125 mph (201 km/h) for tilting trains
110 mph (177 km/h) for standard trains
Route map
( Click to expand – Interactive map)
West Coast Main Line
All WCML services & branches
v
t
e
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 Ferry 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 WCML routes shown. A detailed diagram of the core route can be
found at West Coast Main Line diagram. 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, Liverpool, Manchester 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 399 miles (642 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1869. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km).