West Coast Main Line

Legend Edinburgh Waverley for ECML Haymarket Glasgow Central ( St Enoch) for SPT Network Motherwell for SPT Network Carstairs for SPT Network Carstairs South Junction Lockerbie Carlisle for Tyne Valley Line,    Cumbrian Coast Line and    Glasgow South Western Line Penrith Oxenholme Lake District     for Windermere Line Lancaster Preston Euxton Junction Wigan North Western Bolton Warrington Bank Quay Liverpool Lime Street Runcorn Manchester Piccadilly Holyhead on North Wales Coast Line Stockport Crewe North Junction Cheadle Hulme Junction Crewe Stoke-on-Trent Norton Bridge Junction Stone Junction Stafford Colwich Junction Lichfield Trent Valley Wolverhampton Tamworth Birmingham New Street Birmingham International Nuneaton Coventry Rugby for Birmingham Loop Northampton London Euston

The West Coast Main Line (WCML)^[1] is the busiest mixed traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East Haymarket railway station is in Haymarket, Edinburgh, Scotland. Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line Railway terminals in Glasgow, Scotland, and is managed by Network Rail. St Enoch subway station is the first station on the north of the River Clyde on the Glasgow Subway. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport and especially the Public transport Motherwell railway station serves Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport and especially the Public transport Carstairs Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML situated close to the The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport and especially the Public transport Lockerbie railway station lies on the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Carstairs in the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway This article is about the English railway station for the Australian station see Carlisle railway station Perth Carlisle railway station The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line, is a Railway line in northern England. For historical information see Cumbrian Coast Line (history Towns and villages along the route Carlisle The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries This article is about the station in Penrith Cumbria UK For the station in Sydney Australia see Penrith railway station Sydney. Oxenholme Lake District railway station is a Railway station in Oxenholme, near Kendal in Cumbria. Lancaster railway station (formerly known as Lancaster Castle railway station) is a Railway station that serves the city of Lancaster in Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line. Wigan North Western railway station is one of two main Railway stations serving the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Bolton railway station is the principal Railway station in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Warrington Bank Quay railway station is a mainline Railway station serving the UK town of Warrington. Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground Railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England Runcorn railway station is in the town of Runcorn in the unitary authority of Halton in the north west of England. Manchester Piccadilly station, known locally as just Piccadilly, is the principal railway station of Manchester in England. Holyhead railway station serves the town of Holyhead ( Welsh name: Caergybi) on Holy Island Anglesey. Stockport railway station (also known as Stockport Edgeley and Edgeley) is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Crewe railway station is one of the most historic Railway stations in the world Stoke-on-Trent railway station is a main-line railway station in central England. Stafford railway station ( Ordnance Survey grid reference) is an important main line interchange station in the United Kingdom. Colwich Junction is a rail junction on Britain's West Coast Main Line, near the town of Little Haywood, Staffordshire. Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the City of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. Tamworth railway station is located where the Cross Country Route passes over the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom, although there is no Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England. Nuneaton railway station serves the large town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England. Coventry railway station is situated about 250 yards to the south of junction 6 of the inner ring road in the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England Rugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England The Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line is a loop off the West Coast Main Line (WCML between Rugby and Stafford via the West Midlands cities of Northampton (Castle railway station is the Railway station that serves Northampton and parts of the south of Northamptonshire in England Euston station (official name London Euston) is a major Railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It is central to the provision of fast, long distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and southern Scotland. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. North West England is one of the nine official Regions of England. North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

Central to the WCML is its 401-mile long core section between London Euston and Glasgow Central with principal InterCity stations at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Nuneaton, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle and Motherwell. Euston station (official name London Euston) is a major Railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden InterCity (commonly abbreviated IC on timetables and tickets is the classification applied to certain long-distance Passenger train services in Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Milton Keynes ( ˌmɪltənˈkiːnz often abbreviated to MK, is a large town Rugby is a Market town in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. Nuneaton is the largest town in the English county of Warwickshire, and the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. This article is about the town of Stafford England For the larger local government district see Borough of Stafford. Crewe is a town in Cheshire, England, the largest town in the borough of Crewe and Nantwich, in which it is the only Unparished area. Warrington is a large town borough and Unitary authority area in Cheshire, England. Wigan is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south of Preston, west-northwest of Manchester Preston ( ˈprɛstən is a city and local government district in Lancashire, England, located on the River Ribble. Lancaster (pronounced ˈlæŋˌkæstə or ˈlænˌkæstə is a City in Lancashire, England. Oxenholme is a village just south of the town of Kendal, with which it has begun to merge Penrith is a Market town in the county of Cumbria, England. It is in the Eden Valley just north of the River Eamont, and lies less than Carlisle (pronounced CARLYLE(emphasis on the first syllable is a City in northern England the largest settlement in Cumbria. A complex system of branches and divergences serve the other major towns and cities of Northampton, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester, Runcorn, Liverpool and Edinburgh. This article is about Northampton in England for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation Northampton ( is a large Market Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Stoke-on-Trent ( often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city in Staffordshire, England which forms a linear Conurbation almost 12 miles (19 Macclesfield is a market town in Cheshire, England with a population of about 50688 (2001 census for Macclesfield urban sub-area Stockport ( is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground on the River Mersey at the influx of the rivers Goyt Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. ^[2]

Beyond this, the WCML also forms a part of the suburban railway systems within London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow (the UK's four largest conurbations) with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to rural towns and villages. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population

The WCML is of strategic importance in a European context and has been designated as a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route. The Trans-European Networks ( TEN in EU Jargon) were created by the European Union by Articles 154-156 of the Maastricht Treaty ( It is the principal rail freight corridor linking the European mainland (via the Channel Tunnel) via London and South East England to the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland and is one of the busiest freight routes in Europe. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with

Contents 1 History 2 Modernisation by British Rail 3 Modernisation by Network Rail 4 Accidents 5 The route in detail 5.1 London to Glasgow and Edinburgh (Network Rail Route 18) 5.1.1 Branches and loops 5.1.1.1 Rugby-Birmingham-Wolverhampton-Stafford (Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line) (Network Rail Route 17) 5.1.1.2 Crewe-Holyhead (North Wales Coast Line) (Network Rail Route 22) 5.1.1.3 Crewe-Manchester-Preston (Network Rail Route 20) 5.2 Network Rail Route 18 (WCML) - Branches and junctions 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

History

The line was built between the 1830s and the 1870s, as a number of separate railways, the first being the Grand Junction Railway (Warrington - Birmingham) then the London and Birmingham Railway, both completed in the 1830s. The Grand Junction Railway (GJR was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 Warrington is a large town borough and Unitary authority area in Cheshire, England. This is about the 19th century railway company For the 21st century train operating company see London Midland The London and Birmingham Railway These lines together with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the North Union Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway amalgamated in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR was the world's first inter-city passenger Railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance The North Union Railway was an early British Railway company formed in 1834 The Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between Manchester and Crewe and opened in stages from 1840 The London and North Western Railway (LNWR L&NWR was a Railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922 North of Carlisle, the Caledonian Railway remained independent and opened its mainline to Beattock in September 1847, to Edinburgh in February 1848 and to Glasgow in November 1849. The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish Railway company operating in Scotland The village of Beattock is located in the southern lowlands of Scotland, and lies within the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. One important section, the North Staffordshire Railway, which opened its line in 1848 from Macclesfield (connecting with the LNWR from Manchester) via Stoke-on-Trent to Norton Bridge and Colwich, also remained independent until the forced amalgamations of 1923. The North Staffordshire Railway was a British Railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries Norton Bridge is a village in Staffordshire, England, UK. Until 2004 it was served by Norton Bridge railway station. The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being

Partly to appease the concerns and opposition of landowners along the route, in places some railway lines were built so that they avoided large estates and rural towns, and to reduce construction costs the railways followed natural contours, resulting in many curves and bends. The WCML also passes through some of the more hilly areas of the British mainland, 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 the Leadhills area of southern Lanarkshire. Tring is a small Market town in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. This article is about Watford Gap and village For the larger town 80 km (50 miles south see Watford, Hertfordshire. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy Shap is a Linear village located amongst Fells and isolated dales in Eden district, Cumbria, England. Beattock Summit is a high point of the West Coast Main Line (WCML railway and of the A74(M motorway as they cross from Dumfries and Galloway to South South Lanarkshire ( Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the This has left a legacy of lower maximum speeds on the line compared to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) route, and the principal solution to the problem has been the adoption of tilting trains, formerly British Rail's ill-fated APT, and latterly the Class 390 Pendolino trains constructed by Alstom and introduced by Virgin in 2003. The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East A tilting train is a Train with a tilting mechanism that enables increased speed on regular Railway tracks See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" The Advanced Passenger Train ( APT) was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s which The British Class 390 "Pendolino" Electric multiple unit is a Tilting train built by Fiat Ferroviaria utilising Fiat Pendolino (from Italian Pendolo "Pendulum" and -ino, a diminutive suffix is an Italian family of Tilting trains used in Alstom ( is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and Transport markets Virgin Trains is a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the North West

The route to Scotland was marketed by the LNWR as 'The Premier Line' but operations were complicated by incompatible braking systems since the LNWR used the vacuum brake and the Caledonian used the Westinghouse air brake. The vacuum brake is a braking system used on Trains It was first introduced in the mid 1860s and a variant the automatic vacuum brake system became almost The air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York State in 1868. Through trains were therefore of necessity composed of dual braked and jointly owned "West Coast Joint Stock" (so named). Following amalgamation, on 1 January 1923, it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and the vacuum brake quickly became standard. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. London Midland for the new (2007 railway company The London Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMS) was a British Railway company In 1947, following nationalisation, it came under control of British Railways' London Midland and Scottish Regions, when the term "West Coast Main Line" officially came into use. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the modern day train operating company see London Midland The London Midland Region (LMR was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised The Scottish Region (ScR was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR and consisted of ex- London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS and ex- London However, it is something of a misnomer given that the line only physically runs along the west coast on a brief section overlooking Morecambe Bay between Lancaster and Carnforth for barely half a mile. Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park Carnforth is a small town near Lancaster in the north of Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay, by the River Keer

The WCML is not a single railway; rather it can be thought of as a network of routes which diverge and rejoin the central core which runs between London Euston and Glasgow Central. The route from Rugby to Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stafford was the original main line until the shorter line was built via the Trent Valley. South of Rugby there is a loop that serves Northampton and a branch north of Crewe to Liverpool which is notable since Weaver Junction on this branch is the oldest flyover type junction in use. Rugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England Northampton (Castle railway station is the Railway station that serves Northampton and parts of the south of Northamptonshire in England Crewe railway station is one of the most historic Railway stations in the world Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground Railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England Among the other diversions are loops that branch off to serve Manchester, one from Colwich Junction in the Trent Valley south of Stafford via Stoke-on-Trent, one north of Stafford also via Stoke-on-Trent and one via Crewe and Wilmslow. Wilmslow is a town in the Borough of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. The Windsor Link north-south junction line in Manchester constructed by British Rail in 1988 has made possible a through service via Bolton back to the main line at Preston. Bolton ( is a large town in Greater Manchester, in the North West region of England. A further branch at Carstairs links Edinburgh to the WCML, giving it a direct connection to the East Coast route. Carstairs Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML situated close to the

Modernisation by British Rail

The line was modernised and electrified in stages between 1959 and 1974 - initial electrification was in 1959 between Crewe and Manchester and Liverpool, with the rest of the southern section of the line following in stages to 1967^[3]; the line from Weaver Junction (where the route to Liverpool diverges) to Glasgow was electrified in 1974. The British Rail Class 87 is a type of Electric locomotive built from 1973-75 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL. Copyrighted image says to use a freer equivalent wherever one is available Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to Railway electrification in Great Britain describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to railways and tramways in Great Britain ^[4] This era was notable for time-consuming and congestion-causing routine changes from at first steam and later diesel to electric traction at busy change-over stations like Birmingham New Street, Crewe and Preston. A policy of "no diesels under the wires" was taken to extremes; at one time excursions from South Wales to Blackpool had to change to electric traction at Crewe and back to diesel at Preston.

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 - the most significant examples of this being Birmingham New Street, Coventry and Euston. However, the new look for the railway has not aged well, with the Euston redevelopment being the most controversial - the famous Doric Arch portal into the original Philip Hardwick designed terminus was demolished in 1962 amid much public outcry. Only recently have plans been mooted to completely rebuild both New Street and Euston stations.

Electrification did not arrive on the short Carstairs Junction - Edinburgh Waverley branch until 1989, since this was at the time considered part of the ECML. Carstairs Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML situated close to the Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Only the Preston - Manchester via Bolton, and Crewe - Holyhead branches remain unelectrified.

Modernisation culminated in the adoption of air brakes for locomotive hauled express trains. An air brake is a conveyance braking system applied by means of compressed air. Also under British Rail, freight train operations and practices changed drastically resulting in the virtual elimination of the traditional slow moving and generally unbraked pick-up goods train and the introduction of faster moving point to point train load operations using air braked vehicles.

The running of express passenger services on the WCML came under the InterCity brand in the late 1970s, which prior to privatisation in 1996 was known as "InterCity West Coast". InterCity (or in the earliest days the hyphenated Inter-City was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services "InterCity CrossCountry" with its hub at Birmingham was also greatly developed with the introduction of transferred HST units following the electrification of the ECML. Following privatisation, the principal operator on the line has been Virgin Trains who operate all long-distance express services, but many regional operators along the route also run local commuter sevices. Virgin Trains is a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the North West

Modernisation brought great improvements, not least in speed and frequency, to many WCML services but there have been some losses over the years. Locations and lines served by through trains or through coaches from London in 1947 but no longer so served include: Windermere; Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and Workington; Huddersfield and Halifax (via Stockport); Blackpool; Colne (via Stockport); Morecambe and Heysham; Southport (via Edge Hill); and Stranraer Harbour. Windermere is a Town in Cumbria, England. It lies about half a mile away from the lake of the same name. Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and Seaport in Cumbria, England. For the neighbourhood in Memphis Tennessee see Whitehaven Memphis. Http//uploadwikimediaorg/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Workingtonjpg Workington is a town and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England at the mouth of the Huddersfield ( is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (306km north Halifax is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 82056 in the Blackpool (/ˈblækˌpul is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. Colne is the second largest town in the borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 20000 Morecambe is a resort town within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. Heysham ( IPA /ˈhiːʃəm/ "hee-sham" is a large coastal Village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England Southport is a seaside town on the Irish Sea coast situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in England, UK. Edge Hill Railway station serves the district of Edge Hill in Liverpool, England. Stranraer ( Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar, ən̴̪ t̪ɾɔːn ɾãũ Notable also is the loss of the through service from Liverpool to Scotland.

Modernisation by Network Rail

The WCML is currently nearing completion of a major upgrade along almost its entire length. The M1 is a major south – north Motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where This article is about Watford Gap and village For the larger town 80 km (50 miles south see Watford, Hertfordshire. Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants Virgin Trains is a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the North West Pendolino (from Italian Pendolo "Pendulum" and -ino, a diminutive suffix is an Italian family of Tilting trains used in English Welsh and Scottish Railway Ltd ( EWS) is the largest British rail freight company The Class 66 locomotive is a development of the Class 59 and used both on British and European railway networks—where it is marketed as EMD Series 66. The original plans drawn up by Railtrack estimated that this upgrade would cost £2bn, be ready by 2005, and cut journey times London to Birmingham to 1hr (currently 1hr 40mins) and 1hr 45mins London to Manchester. For the generic term see Rail tracks. Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, Tunnels This would be achieved through increasing the line speed to 225 km/h (140 mph), in place of the previous maximum of 175 km/h (110 mph).

However, Railtrack had not assessed the technical viability of moving block signalling prior to promising the speed increase to Virgin and the Government. Railway signalling is a system used to control Railway traffic safely essentially to prevent Trains from colliding. No-one had attempted to implement moving block on a line as complex as the WCML anywhere in the world, and it soon became apparent to engineers that the technology was not mature enough to be used on the line. The bankruptcy of Railtrack in 2001 following the Hatfield crash brought a reappraisal of the plans whilst the original cost of the upgrade soared. The Hatfield rail crash was a Railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield Hertfordshire, UK. Despite early fears that the cost overruns on the project would push the final price tag to £13bn, reappraisal of the plans has brought the cost down to between £8bn and £10bn, ready by 2008 with a maximum speed for tilting trains of a more modest 200 km/h (125 mph). (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Services from Liverpool to the South West and the South Coast were withdrawn by Virgin in September 2003.

The first phase of the upgrade, south of Manchester, opened on 27 September 2004 with London to Birmingham journey times of 1hr 21mins and London to Manchester 2 hours 6 minutes. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The final phase was announced as opening on 12 December 2005, bringing the fastest journey from London to Glasgow to 4 hours 25 mins (down from 5hrs 10mins)^[5] although considerable work such as the quadrupling of the track in the Trent Valley (in progress and moving towards completion under budget), upgrading the slow lines, the second phase of remodelling Nuneaton, and the remodelling of Stafford, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Coventry stations are mostly now progressing. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The upgrading of the Crewe to Manchester line via Wilmslow was completed in Summer 2006. The Trent Valley quadrupling still sees weekend services diverted via the Birmingham Loop which can push Glasgow-London journey times to over 6 hours.

New trains for the route include 53 nine-car Class 390 Pendolino trains and initially 30 four-car Class 350 Desiro electric trains for London Midland Trains (with more anticipated) as well as Virgin Voyager and Super-Voyager trains for the cross-country services. The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" Electrical multiple units were built by Siemens AG from 2004 - 2005. Desiro is a brand name of modular train manufactured by Siemens of Germany Pendolino 2005 off-peak frequency of six trains per hour (rising to ten in the morning peak) is planned to increase to nine off-peak by 2009 including three per hour to both Birmingham and Manchester plus an hourly tilting Voyager service to Chester as well as improved services to Liverpool, Preston and Scotland. Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 There will also be an hourly Desiro operation from London to Crewe serving Watford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichfield, Rugeley, Stafford and Crewe. Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire close to the border with Staffordshire Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham Lichfield is a city and Civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Rugeley is a historic Market town in the county of Staffordshire, England.

Virgin Trains recently put forward plans to increase the line speed in places on the WCML and particularly on sections of the Trent Valley Line between Stafford and Rugby from 125 mph to 135 mph after the quadrupling of track had been completed. The Trent Valley Line is a Railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line. This would permit faster services and possibly allow additional train paths. 135 mph is claimed to be achievable by Pendolino trains while using existing signalling systems without the need for a cab signalling system. Cab signalling is a Railroad safety system that communicates track status information to the train cab (driving position where the engineer or driver can see the information Network Rail are studying this proposal.

In promoting the above proposal Virgin Trains report that passenger numbers on Virgin West Coast have increased from 13. 6 million in 1997/98 to 18. 7 million in 2005/6, while numbers on Virgin CrossCountry have grown from 12. 6 million to 20. 4 million over the same period.

In September 2006, a new speed record was set on the WCML - a Pendolino train completed the 401-mile 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.

Accidents

See also: List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom

• Grayrigg derailment (at Lambrigg Crossovers, south of Grayrigg) - 23 February 2007; 1 killed
• Tebay rail accident - 15 February 2004; 4 workers killed (no public involvement)
• Norton Bridge rail crash - 16 October 2003; 1 injured
• Winsford rail crash - 23 June 1999; 31 injured
• Watford rail crash - 8 August 1996; 1 killed, 69 injured
• Stafford rail crash (1996) - 8 March 1996; 1 killed, 22 injured
• Newton rail crash - 21 July 1991; 4 killed; 22 injured
• Stafford rail crash (1990) - 4 August 1990; 1 killed, 35 injured
• Colwich rail crash - 19 September 1986; 1 killed 60 injured
• Wembley Central rail crash - 11 October 1984 3 killed, 18 injured
• Nuneaton rail crash - 6 June 1975; 6 killed 67 injured
• Watford Junction rail crash - 1975; 1 killed, 11 injured
• Hixon - 6 January 1968; 11 killed, 27 injured
• Stechford rail crash - 28 February 1967; 9 killed, 16 injured
• Cheadle Hulme - 28 May 1964; 3 killed
• Coppenhall Junction - 26 December 1962; 18 killed, 34 injured
• Harrow and Wealdstone - 8 October 1952; 112 killed, 340 injured
• Lambrigg Crossing signal box between Grayrigg and Oxenholme - 18 May 1947; express hit light engine through driver missing a signal while looking in his food box; 4 in hospital, 34 minor injuries^[6]
• Lichfield, 1 January 1946; 20 killed, 21 injured. This list is of railway accidents in Britain sorted chronologically The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 2015 GMT on 23 February 2007 just to the south of Grayrigg, Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Tebay rail accident occurred on 15 February 2004 near Tebay, Cumbria, England. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Norton Bridge is a village in Staffordshire, England, UK. Until 2004 it was served by Norton Bridge railway station. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. There have been three major rail accidents near Winsford in Cheshire: 1948 accident On 17 April 1948, 24 people died when a passenger Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) In the early evening of Thursday 8 August 1996, a passenger train travelling from London Euston on the West Coast Main Line passed a signal at danger and Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) On 8 March 1996, a Travelling Post Office mail train hauled by a Rail Express Systems British Rail Class 86 Electric locomotive collided Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The train crash at Stafford on August 4, 1990, resulted in the death of a train driver and injuries to 36 people Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Colwich rail crash occurred on the evening of Friday 19 September 1986 at Colwich Junction, Staffordshire, England. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The Wembley Central rail crash occurred on 11 October 1984 just outside Wembley Central railway station, Greater London. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Nuneaton rail crash was a Train crash which occurred on 6 June 1975 on the West Coast Main Line just south of Nuneaton railway station in Warwickshire Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Hixon rail crash occurred on 6 January 1968 when a Low-loader transporter carrying a 120-ton electrical Transformer was struck by an Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Stechford rail crash occurred on 28 February 1967 at Stechford railway station in the area of Stechford in Birmingham, England Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Cheadle Hulme railway station is on the West Coast Main Line and is included in Network Rail Route 20 (North West Urban Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. There have been three major rail accidents near Winsford in Cheshire: 1948 accident On 17 April 1948, 24 people died when a passenger Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash was a major Railway disaster and collision on the British railway system on 8 October 1952. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Grayrigg is a small English Village situated 5  Miles from the Cumbrian Town of Kendal. Oxenholme Lake District railway station is a Railway station in Oxenholme, near Kendal in Cumbria. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
• Bourne End rail crash - 30 September 1945; 43 killed, 64 injured
• Winwick Junction - 28 September 1934; 12 killed
• Quintinshill rail crash - 22 May 1915; 227 killed, 246 injured. The Bourne End rail crash occurred on 30 September 1945. Overview An overnight Sleeping-car Express train from Scotland Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Winwick rail crash took place at Winwick Junction, near Warrington on the London Midland and Scottish Railway, on September 28 1934 Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
• Wigan North Western railway station - 1 August 1873; 13 killed, 30 major injuries. Wigan North Western railway station is one of two main Railway stations serving the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

The route in detail

See also: Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line, Trent Valley Line, and Stafford to Manchester Line

Network Rail, successor from 2001 to Railtrack plc, in its latest business plan^[7] published in April 2006, has divided its National network into 26 'Routes' for planning, maintenance and operational purposes. The Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line is a loop off the West Coast Main Line (WCML between Rugby and Stafford via the West Midlands cities of The Trent Valley Line is a Railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" Company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited a company limited ^[8] Route 18 is named as 'that part of the West Coast Main Line that runs between London Euston and Carstairs Junction' although it also includes several branch lines that had not previously been considered part of the WCML. ^[9] The northern terminal sections of the WCML are reached by Routes 26 (to Motherwell and Glasgow) and 24 (to Edinburgh).

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 main-line services run by Virgin Trains 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 with 17 intermediate stations, including three with additional platforms on the WCML. The Watford DC Line is a railway line that runs from London Euston to Watford Junction.

The final table retraces the route specifically to indicate the many loops, branches, junctions and interchange stations on Route 18, which is the core of the WCML, with the new 'Route' names for connecting lines.

The North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead and the line from Manchester to Preston are not electrified. Services from London to Holyhead and from Manchester to Scotland are mostly operated either by Virgin Super Voyager tilting diesel trains or, in the case of one of the Holyhead services, by a Pendolino set hauled from Crewe by a Class 57 diesel locomotive. The British Rail Class 57 Diesel locomotives were introduced by Brush Traction between 1997-2004 A Diesel locomotive is a type of Railroad Locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine.

London to Glasgow and Edinburgh (Network Rail Route 18)

Town/City	Station	Ordnance Survey grid reference	Branches and loops
London	London Euston	TQ295827
Wembley	Wembley Central	TQ182850
Harrow	Harrow and Wealdstone	TQ154894
Bushey	Bushey	TQ118953
Watford	Watford Junction	TQ109973
Apsley	Apsley	TL080019
Kings Langley	Kings Langley	TL062048
Hemel Hempstead	Hemel Hempstead	TL042059
Berkhamsted	Berkhamsted	SP993081
Tring	Tring	SP950122
Cheddington	Cheddington	SP922185
Leighton Buzzard	Leighton Buzzard	SP910250
Bletchley, Milton Keynes	Bletchley	SP868337
** Bedford	** Bedford	TL042497	Marston Vale Line spur
Milton Keynes (centre)	Milton Keynes Central	SP841380
Wolverton, Milton Keynes	Wolverton	SP820414
** Northampton	** Northampton	SP623666	Northampton Loop diverges north of Wolverton
** Long Buckby	** Long Buckby	SP511759	Northampton Loop rejoins south of Rugby
Rugby	Rugby	SP511759	Rugby-Birmingham-Wolverhampton-Stafford (see separate table below)
Nuneaton	Nuneaton	SP364921
Atherstone	Atherstone	SP304979
Polesworth	Polesworth	SK264031
Tamworth	Tamworth	SK213044
Lichfield	Lichfield Trent Valley	SK136099
Rugeley	Rugeley Trent Valley	SK048191
Stafford	Stafford	SJ918229	Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford rejoins Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent diverges either before or after Stafford (two routes)
** Stoke-on-Trent	** Stoke-on-Trent	SJ879456
** Congleton	** Congleton	SJ872623
** Macclesfield	** Macclesfield	SJ919736
** Stockport	** Stockport	SJ892898
** Manchester	** Manchester Piccadilly	SJ849977
Crewe	Crewe	SJ711546	Crewe-Manchester-Preston and Crewe-Chester-North Wales-Holyhead (see separate tables below)
Winsford	Winsford	SJ670660
Northwich	Hartford	SJ631717
Acton Bridge	Acton Bridge	SJ598745	Liverpool route diverges north of Acton Bridge
** Runcorn	** Runcorn	SJ508826
** Liverpool	** Liverpool Lime Street	SJ352905
Warrington	Warrington Bank Quay	SJ599878
Wigan	Wigan North Western	SD581053
Preston	Preston	SD534290	Crewe-Manchester-Preston rejoins
Lancaster	Lancaster	SD471617
Oxenholme (Kendal)	Oxenholme Lake District	SD531901
Penrith	Penrith	NY511299
Carlisle	Carlisle	NY402554
Lockerbie	Lockerbie	NY137817
Carstairs	Carstairs Junction	NS952454
Then either
Motherwell	Motherwell	NS750572
Glasgow	Glasgow Central	NS587651
or
Haymarket	Haymarket	NT239731
Edinburgh	Edinburgh Waverley	NT257738

Branches and loops

The WCML is remarkable for the diversity of branches served from the London to Edinburgh and Glasgow Main Line. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Ordnance Survey (OS is an Executive agency of the United Kingdom government The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Euston station (official name London Euston) is a major Railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden Wembley is an area located in North-West London, England which forms the northern part of the London Borough of Brent. Wembley Central is a Network Rail station served by London Underground, London Overground and National Rail services Harrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. Harrow & Wealdstone is a Network Rail station in Wealdstone, Greater London. For other meanings see Bushi and similar. Bushey (population 24000 is a Town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire Bushey railway station serves the towns of Bushey and Oxhey. The station was renamed from "Bushey & Oxhey" to "Bushey" on 6 May Watford (ˈwɒtfəd) is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England, situated 19 miles (30 km northwest of London Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Apsley is a 19th century Mill town in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Apsley railway station is in Apsley, on the southern outskirts of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Kings Langley is an historic English Village 21 miles north west of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of Kings Langley railway station is just under the M25 motorway at Junction 20 Hemel Hempstead is a Town in Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom with a Population of 81143 at the United Kingdom Census Hemel Hempstead railway station is on the West Coast Main Line, on the western edge of the town of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England Berkhamsted is a historic town of some 19000 people It is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. Berkhamsted railway station is in the town of Berkhamsted, just beside Berkhamsted Castle. Tring is a small Market town in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Tring railway station is 15 miles outside the small town of Tring in the village aptly named Tring Station, beside Grand Union Canal and actually Cheddington is a Village comprising 1429 acres (58 km² and Civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire. Cheddington railway station lies a little way outside the village of Cheddington, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. "Leedon" redirects here For the record label see Leedon Records. Leighton Buzzard railway station (actually in Linslade) is a Railway station that serves the Leighton Buzzard and Linslade area of Bletchley is a Railway station that serves Bletchley Milton Keynes ( ceremonial Buckinghamshire) southern districts of Milton Keynes generally Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough History The previous Bedford Midland station was built by the Midland Railway in 1859 originally on its line to join the Great Northern at Hitchin The Marston Vale Line (Network Rail route MD 140 is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. Milton Keynes ( ˌmɪltənˈkiːnz often abbreviated to MK, is a large town Central Milton Keynes is the Central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in Milton Keynes Central is a Railway station that serves the central area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire This article is about Northampton in England for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation Northampton ( is a large Market Northampton (Castle railway station is the Railway station that serves Northampton and parts of the south of Northamptonshire in England Long Buckby is a Village and Civil parish in Northamptonshire, England, situated midway between Northampton and Rugby. Long Buckby railway station is a small Railway station that serves the village of Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, England. Rugby is a Market town in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. Rugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England Nuneaton is the largest town in the English county of Warwickshire, and the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. Nuneaton railway station serves the large town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England. Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire close to the border with Staffordshire Atherstone Railway station serves the town of Atherstone in Warwickshire. Polesworth is a large Village and Civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Polesworth railway station serves the town of Polesworth in Warwickshire, England. Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham Tamworth railway station is located where the Cross Country Route passes over the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom, although there is no Lichfield is a city and Civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the City of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. Rugeley is a historic Market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station on the outskirts of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. This article is about the town of Stafford England For the larger local government district see Borough of Stafford. Stafford railway station ( Ordnance Survey grid reference) is an important main line interchange station in the United Kingdom. Stoke-on-Trent ( often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city in Staffordshire, England which forms a linear Conurbation almost 12 miles (19 Stoke-on-Trent railway station is a main-line railway station in central England. Congleton is a town and Civil parish in Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, and to the west of the Congleton railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire town of Congleton. Macclesfield is a market town in Cheshire, England with a population of about 50688 (2001 census for Macclesfield urban sub-area Macclesfield railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire town of Macclesfield. Stockport ( is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground on the River Mersey at the influx of the rivers Goyt Stockport railway station (also known as Stockport Edgeley and Edgeley) is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Manchester Piccadilly station, known locally as just Piccadilly, is the principal railway station of Manchester in England. Crewe is a town in Cheshire, England, the largest town in the borough of Crewe and Nantwich, in which it is the only Unparished area. Crewe railway station is one of the most historic Railway stations in the world Winsford is a town and Civil parish within the Vale Royal borough of Cheshire, England. Winsford railway station serves the town of Winsford in Cheshire, England. Northwich is a town in Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Hartford railway station is in the village of Hartford, in Cheshire, England. Acton Bridge (formerly Acton-in-Delamere) is a village and Civil parish in Cheshire, England. Acton Bridge railway station is near the village of Acton Bridge, in the borough of Vale Royal, Cheshire in the north west of England. Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England Runcorn railway station is in the town of Runcorn in the unitary authority of Halton in the north west of England. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground Railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England Warrington is a large town borough and Unitary authority area in Cheshire, England. Warrington Bank Quay railway station is a mainline Railway station serving the UK town of Warrington. Wigan is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south of Preston, west-northwest of Manchester Wigan North Western railway station is one of two main Railway stations serving the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Preston ( ˈprɛstən is a city and local government district in Lancashire, England, located on the River Ribble. Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line. Lancaster (pronounced ˈlæŋˌkæstə or ˈlænˌkæstə is a City in Lancashire, England. Lancaster railway station (formerly known as Lancaster Castle railway station) is a Railway station that serves the city of Lancaster in Oxenholme is a village just south of the town of Kendal, with which it has begun to merge Kendal is a Market town and Civil parish within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Oxenholme Lake District railway station is a Railway station in Oxenholme, near Kendal in Cumbria. Penrith is a Market town in the county of Cumbria, England. It is in the Eden Valley just north of the River Eamont, and lies less than This article is about the station in Penrith Cumbria UK For the station in Sydney Australia see Penrith railway station Sydney. Carlisle (pronounced CARLYLE(emphasis on the first syllable is a City in northern England the largest settlement in Cumbria. This article is about the English railway station for the Australian station see Carlisle railway station Perth Carlisle railway station Lockerbie ( Scottish Gaelic: Logarbaidh) is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. Lockerbie railway station lies on the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Carstairs in the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway The name Carstairs ( Gaelic: Caisteal Tarrais) refers to a pair of Villages located some 4&ndash5 miles east of the Town of Lanark Carstairs Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML situated close to the Motherwell ( Tobar na Màthar in Gaelic) and ( Motherwill in local Scots - local people tend not to pronouce the 'e' in Motherwell is a large Town Motherwell railway station serves Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line Railway terminals in Glasgow, Scotland, and is managed by Network Rail. Haymarket is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated in the west of the city and is a focal point for many main roads notably Dalry Haymarket railway station is in Haymarket, Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital The following map 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 (Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line) (Network Rail Route 17)

Main article: Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line

Town/City	Station	Ordnance Survey grid reference
Rugby Coventry Birmingham International Airport Birmingham (centre) Sandwell and Dudley Wolverhampton Stafford	Rugby Coventry Birmingham International Birmingham New Street Sandwell and Dudley Wolverhampton Stafford	SP511759 SP331781 SP187836 SP069866 SO992900 SO919988 SJ918229

Crewe-Holyhead (North Wales Coast Line) (Network Rail Route 22)

Town/City	Station	Ordnance Survey grid reference
Crewe Chester Flint Prestatyn Rhyl Colwyn Bay Llandudno Junction Llandudno Bangor Holyhead (for Dublin via ferry)	Crewe Chester Flint Prestatyn Rhyl Colwyn Bay Llandudno Junction Llandudno Bangor Holyhead	SJ711546 SJ413669 SJ245731 SJ063830 SJ009811 SH850791 SH794778 SH783819 SH575716 SH248822

Crewe-Manchester-Preston (Network Rail Route 20)

Town/City	Station	Ordnance Survey grid reference
Crewe Wilmslow Stockport Manchester Bolton Preston	Crewe Wilmslow Stockport Manchester Piccadilly Bolton Preston	SJ711546 SJ850811 SJ892898 SJ849977 SD719086 SD534290

Network Rail Route 18 (WCML) - Branches and junctions

Location	Type	Route	Details
Camden Jnct	Branch	18	Watford DC Line (WDCL)
+	Junction	6	North London Line from Primrose Hill joins WDCL and WCML
Willesden Jnct	Junction	6	North London Line from West Hampstead joins WDCL and WCML
+	Junction	2	West London Line from Clapham Junction joins WCML
+	Junction	6	North London Line from Richmond joins WCML
Willesden Junction	Interchange	6	North London Line with Watford DC Line
Watford Junction	Branch	18	Watford DC Line terminates at separate bay platforms
+	Branch	18	St Albans Branch Line (AC single line single section) to St Albans
Bletchley	Branch	18	Marston Vale Line to Bedford
Bletchley High Level (Denbigh Hall South Jnct)	Branch	16	Freight only line to Newton Longville (remnant of mothballed Varsity Line to Oxford)
Hanslope Junction	Loop	18	Northampton Loop leaves a few miles north of Wolverton and rejoins just south of Rugby
Rugby	Junction	17	West Midlands Main Line to Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stafford
Nuneaton	Junction	19	The Birmingham to Peterborough Line from Peterborough
+	Junction	17	The Coventry to Nuneaton Line
+	Junction	17	The Birmingham to Peterborough Line to Birmingham
Tamworth	Interchange	17	The Cross Country Route (MR) Bristol and Birmingham to Derby and the North East
Lichfield Trent Valley	Interchange	17	The Cross-City Line Redditch to Lichfield
+	Junction	17	north of the station
Rugeley Trent Valley	Junction	17	The Chase Line from Birmingham to Rugeley and Stafford
Colwich Junction	Branch	18	to Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester (Route 20 from Cheadle Hulme)
Stafford	Junction	17	West Midlands Main Line from Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton
Norton Bridge	Branch	18	to Stone to join line from Colwich Jnct to Manchester (Route 20 from Cheadle Hulme)
Stoke-on-Trent	Junction	19	from Derby
Kidsgrove	Branch	18	to Alsager and Crewe
Cheadle Hulme	-	20	Route 18 London - Manchester Line becomes Route 20 through to Manchester
Crewe	Branch	18	from Kidsgrove (diesel service from Skegness, Grantham, Nottingham Derby and Stoke-on-Trent)
+	Junction	14	The Welsh Marches Line from South Wales, Hereford and Shrewsbury
+	Junction	22	to Chester and the North Wales Coast Line
+	Junction	20	to Wilmslow, Manchester Airport, Stockport and Manchester
Hartford North	Junction	20	(freight only) from Northwich
Weaver Jnct	Branch	18	to Runcorn and Liverpool (Route 20 from Liverpool South Parkway railway station)
Liverpool South Parkway	-	20	Route 18 London to Liverpool Line becomes Route 20 to Liverpool Lime Street
Warrington	Junction	22	from Llandudno and Chester to Manchester
Winwick Jnct	Junction	20	to Liverpool, Earlestown and Manchester
Wigan	Junction	20	from Manchester
+	Junction	20	The Liverpool to Wigan Line
Euxton Jnct	Junction	20	The Manchester to Preston Line from Manchester
Farington Jnct	Junction	20	Ormskirk Branch Line, East Lancashire Line and Caldervale Line
Preston Dock	Junction	23	west
Preston	Junction	20	to Blackpool
Morecambe South Jnct	Junction	23	to Morecambe
Hest Bank Jnct	Junction	23	from Morecambe
Carnforth Jnct	Junction	23	Furness Line to Barrow-in-Furness and also the Airedale Line to Leeds
Oxenholme	Junction	23	to Windermere
Penrith	Junction	23	Route 23 uses two junctions to the north of the station
Carlisle	Junction	23	Route 23 Settle-Carlisle Railway and Route 9 from Newcastle
+	Junction	23	The Cumbrian Coast Line from Barrow-in-Furness
Gretna Jnct	Junction	26	to the Glasgow South Western Line
Carstairs South Jnct	Junction	24	Route 18 West Coast Main Line becomes Route 24 to Edinburgh
Carstairs South	-	26	Route 18 West Coast Main Line becomes Route 26 to Glasgow

References

• Buck, M. and Rawlinson, M. (2000), Line By Line: The West Coast Main Line, London Euston to Glasgow Central, Freightmaster Publishing, ISBN 0-9537540-0-6

See also

• East Coast Main Line
• Rail transport in the United Kingdom

External links

• 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
• Rugby to Glasgow in five minutes - time-lapse video
• 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

The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland.

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