West Coast Main Line

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
History
Opened	1837–1869
Technical
Line length	399 mi (642 km)[1]
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[2] 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 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).^[3][4] 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, Liverpool, Manchester 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.^[5] The line has been declared a strategic European route and designated a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route.

Much of the line has a maximum speed of 125 mph (201 km/h), meeting the European Union's definition of an upgraded high-speed line,^[6] although only Class 390 Pendolinos and Class 221 Super Voyagers with tilting mechanisms operated by Avanti West Coast travel at that speed. Other traffic is limited to 110 mph (177 km/h).

Geography[]

The northern WCML as it weaves through the Lune Gorge in Cumbria alongside the M6

The core section between London Euston and Glasgow Central is 399 miles (642 km) long,^[1] 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 central core^[7] has branches serving the major towns and cities of Northampton, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester, Runcorn, and Liverpool; there is also a link to Edinburgh, but this is not the direct route between London and Edinburgh.^[8]

Originally the lines between Rugby, Birmingham and Stafford were part of the main route until the Trent Valley Line was built in 1847 forming a direct connection between Rugby and Stafford. South of Rugby there is a loop that serves Northampton, and there is also a branch north of Crewe to Liverpool which is notable since Weaver Junction on this branch is the oldest flyover-type junction in use. A loop branches off to serve Manchester, another between 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. A further branch at Carstairs links Edinburgh to the WCML, providing a direct connection between the WCML and the East Coast Main Line.

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 major 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[]

Early history[]

The WCML was not originally conceived as a single trunk route, but was a number of separate lines built by different companies between the 1830s and the 1880s. After the completion of the successful 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. And so this is how the early stages of the WCML evolved.

The first stretch of what is now the WCML was the Grand Junction Railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester to Birmingham, via 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.^[9][10]

3020 Cornwall, an early LNWR express locomotive (built 1847, as running circa 1890)

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 sections, the North Union Railway (Wigan–Preston), the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, 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.^[11]

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 via Stoke-on-Trent, also remained independent. Poor relations between the LNWR and the NSR meant that through trains did not run until 1867.^[12]

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.^[13] The first direct London to Glasgow trains in the 1850s took 12.5 hours to complete the 400-mile (640 km) journey.^[14]

The final sections of what is now the WCML were put in place over the following decades by the LNWR. 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.^[15]

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.^[10]

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 era[]

The Coronation Scot in 1937, hauled by a streamlined Coronation Class locomotive

The route came under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923 when 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,^[16] 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.^[17]).

British Rail era[]

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,^{[citation needed]} although it had been used informally since at least 1912.^[18]

Modernisation by British Rail[]

A train headed by a Class 85 electric locomotive at Euston in 1966, shortly after the introduction of electric train services on the WCML

As part of the 1955 modernisation plan, the line was modernised and electrified in stages between 1959 and 1974. The first stretch to be 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 full public service from 18 April 1966. Electrification of the Birmingham line was completed on 6 March 1967. In March 1970 the government approved electrification between Weaver Junction (where the route to Liverpool diverges) and Glasgow, and this was completed on 6 May 1974.^[7][19] The announcement, after five years of uncertainty, was made 48 hours before the writ was issued for a by-election in South Ayrshire.^[20] 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.^[20]

A new set of high-speed long-distance services was introduced in 1966, launching British Rail's highly successful "Inter-City" brand^[21] (the hyphen was later dropped) and offering journey times as London to Manchester or Liverpool in 2 hours 40 minutes (and even 2 hours 30 minutes for the twice-daily Manchester Pullman).^[22] A new feature was that these fast trains were offered on a regular-interval service throughout the day: hourly to Birmingham, two-hourly to Manchester, and so on.^[23] With the completion of the northern electrification in 1974, London to Glasgow journey times were reduced to 5 hours.^[7]

BR Class 87 electric locomotive, 87020 in BR blue livery with a train of Mark 2 coaches. These, along with the similar Class 86 formed the backbone of express passenger services on the WCML from the 1970s until the 2000s.

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 miles per hour (180 km/h), and these trains, hauled by Class 86 and Class 87 electric locomotives, came to be seen as BR's flagship passenger product. Passenger traffic on the WCML doubled between 1962 and 1975.^[24]

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.^[25]

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.^[26]

The Advanced Passenger Train, British Rail's ill-fated tilting train, seen here next to the WCML at Crewe Heritage Centre

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; these were due to be reinstated in December 2018 but have now been further delayed until at least May 2019.^[27][28]

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.^[29]

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.

Modernisation by Network Rail[]

A tilting Class 390 Pendolino on the WCML (introduced since 2002)

By the dawn of the 1990s, it was clear that further modernisation was required. Initially this took the form of the InterCity 250 project. But then the privatisation of BR intervened, under which Virgin Trains won a 15-year franchise in 1996 for the running of long-distance express services on the line. 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 cancelled. 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.^[30] 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.

A Virgin Pendolino and EWS Class 66 freight train on the WCML

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).^[2] 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.^[31] 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.^[32] 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.^[33]

Infrastructure[]

Track[]

Quadruple track section of line at Roade cutting in Northamptonshire – lines have already divided south of here and diverge a little further north

The main spine of the WCML is quadruple track almost all of the route from London to Weaver junction, south east of Runcorn. 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 Winsford, where it reduces to double track through the town, reverting to quadruple track thereafter. The spine reduces to double track at Weaver junction (where a double track spur to Liverpool branches off). After Weaver junction the line continues north to Scotland in double track.^[34] There is a busy section around Glasgow in quadruple track.

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.^[35][36]

Electrification[]

Nearly all of the WCML is electrified with overhead wires at 25 kV AC.^[37] 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.^[38] 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 scheduled to be electrified.^[39]

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 is to be 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,^[40] 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 350s 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. Virgin has 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.

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 since many other types use sections of the WCML network as part of other routes – notable examples include the InterCity 125 HST on certain CrossCountry services (primarily through the West Midlands area) and the London North Eastern Railway InterCity 225 between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central.

Commuter/regional trains[]

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Cars per set	Top speed		Number	Operator	Routes	Built
					mph	km/h
Sprinter	Class 153		DMU	1	75	120	8	East Midlands Railway	Derby to Crewe	1987–1988
	Class 156		DMU	2	75	120	90	Abellio ScotRail Northern Trains	Settle to Carlisle Line, Glasgow South Western Line, Shotts Line	1987–89
	Class 158		DMU	2	90	145	61	Northern Trains Transport for Wales	Settle to Carlisle Line Birmingham International to Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, Chester and Holyhead.	1989–92
				3			8
Bombardier Turbostar	Class 170		DMU	2	100	161	11	Abellio ScotRail CrossCountry	Aberdeen-Inverness Line, Borders Railway, Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line, Fife Circle Line, Maryhill Line, Cardiff Central to: Nottingham, Birmingham New Street to: Nottingham, Birmingham New Street to: Stansted Airport, Birmingham New Street to: Leicester	1998–2002
				3			22
Alstom Coradia	Class 175		DMU	2	100	161	11	Transport for Wales	Holyhead to: Cardiff Central and Llanelli via Llandudno, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly to Bangor via Llandudno, Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe, Chester to Cardiff Central, Swansea, Milford Haven	1999–2001
				3			16
Siemens Desiro	Class 185		DMU	3	100	160	51	TransPennine Express	TransPennine North West	2005–2006
	Class 318		EMU	3	90	145	21	Abellio ScotRail	Glasgow Central to Lanark/Carstairs	1985–86
	Class 319		EMU	4	100	160	39	West Midlands Trains Northern Trains	LNR: Watford Junction to: St Albans Abbey, London Euston to Milton Keynes (Peak Hours) NT: Liverpool and Warrington Bank Quay to Preston, Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street via Earlestown, Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly	1987–1988 1990
	Class 320/3		EMU	3	90	145	22	Abellio ScotRail	North Clyde Line, Argyle Line, Whifflet Line	1990
	Class 320/4			3[41]	100	160	12			1989–90
	Class 323		EMU	3	90	145	26	West Midlands Trains Northern Trains	WMR: Birmingham New Street to: Redditch, Lichfield Trent Valley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Four Oaks, Longbridge and Birmingham International NT: Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester Piccadilly	1992–96
CAF Civity	Class 331		EMU	3	100	160	31	Northern Trains	Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly	2017–2020
				4			12
Alstom Juniper	Class 334		EMU	3	90	145	40	Abellio ScotRail	Glasgow Central to Lanark/Carstairs	1999–2002
Siemens Desiro	Class 350/1		EMU	4	110	180	30	West Midlands Trains	London Euston to Tring, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton and Birmingham New Street London Euston to Liverpool via Birmingham New Street	2004–2005
	Class 350/2						37			2008–2009
	Class 350/3						10			2014
	Class 350/4						10			2013–2014
Bombardier Electrostar	Class 377/2		EMU	4	100	160	12	Govia Thameslink Railway	Milton Keynes Central to East Croydon	2003–2004
	Class 377/7		EMU	5	100	160	8		Milton Keynes Central to East Croydon	2013–14
Siemens Desiro	Class 380/0		EMU	3	100	161	22	Abellio ScotRail	Ayrshire Coast Line, Inverclyde Line, North Berwick Line, Paisley Canal Line, Argyle Line, Cathcart Circle Line	2009–2011
	Class 380/1			4			16

High-speed trains[]

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Cars per set	Top speed		Number	Operator	Routes	Built
					mph	km/h
InterCity 125	Class 43		Diesel locomotive	7	125	200	12	CrossCountry	Edinburgh branch of the WCML between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining / leaving the ECML	1975–82
	Mark 3 Coach		Passenger coach				40			1975–88
Bombardier Voyager	Class 220		DEMU	4			34	CrossCountry	Between Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly and between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining / leaving the ECML	2000–01
	Class 221		DEMU	5			20	Avanti West Coast	Services between London Euston to: North Wales, Chester, Shrewsbury, Blackpool North, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.	2001–2002
							22	CrossCountry	Between Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly and between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining / leaving the ECML
Pendolino	Class 390		EMU	9 or 11			56	Avanti West Coast	Services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North, West Midlands, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. Selected Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley services to Birmingham New Street	2001–2004 2010–2012
CAF Civity	Class 397		EMU	5			12	TransPennine Express	Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.	2017–19
Hitachi AT300	Class 800 Azuma		Bi-mode multiple unit	5			10	London North Eastern Railway	Edinburgh branch of the WCML between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley before joining / leaving the ECML	2014–2018
				9			13
	Class 801 Azuma		EMU	5			12			2017–2020
				9			30

Sleeper trains[]

Class	Image	Type	Cars per set	Top speed		Number	Operator	Routes	Built
				mph	km/h
Class 92		Electric locomotive	1	87	140	6	Caledonian Sleeper (x6) Hired from GB Railfreight	All Caledonian Sleeper services between London Euston as far as Glasgow & Edinburgh	1993–1996
Mark 5 Coach		Lounge car Seated Sleeper Sleeping car	16	100	161	75	Caledonian Sleeper	All Caledonian Sleeper services between London Euston to Scottish destinations[42]	2016–2018

Future trains[]

Class	Image	Type	Cars per set	Top speed		Number	Operator	Routes	Entry to Service
				mph	km/h
Class 805		Bi-mode multiple unit	5	125	200	13	Avanti West Coast[43]	Services between London Euston to: North Wales, Chester and Shrewsbury.	2022
Class 807		EMU	7			10		Services between London Euston to: Blackpool, Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street.

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.^[44][45]

Avanti operates nine trains per hour on the WCML from London Euston, with three trains per hour to each of Manchester Piccadilly and 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 two daily services between London Euston and Shrewsbury and four 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 three 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[]

As part of its North West route, TransPennine Express provides services along the WCML between Manchester Airport and Glasgow/Edinburgh (alternating serving each every 2 hours) as part of its Manchester Airport to Scotland service.

Southern[]

Southern provide an hourly service between East Croydon and Milton Keynes Central, which calls at all stations then Clapham Junction via Selhurst, then all stations on the West London Line then Shepherd's Bush, Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone, Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central.

London North Eastern Railway[]

London North Eastern Railway operates one train per day between Glasgow Central and London King's Cross via Edinburgh Waverley,^[48] operating over the West Coast Main Line route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

CrossCountry[]

CrossCountry operates services from Plymouth, Bournemouth and Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly; these trains run also 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. Services towards Reading are often extended to Southampton Central (or occasionally Bournemouth) and 1 train per day towards Reading is extended to Guildford.

CrossCountry also operates a 2 hourly service to/from Glasgow Central, which operates 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.

Abellio ScotRail[]

Abellio 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 service 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.^[49][50] 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.^[51]

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.^[52]

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.^[53]

Proposed development[]

Outline map of the possible future Crossrail extensions as recommended in the 2011 RUS, which include the WCML^[54]

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;^[55] 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).^[56]

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.^[57]

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.^[54] In August 2014, the government launched a study into the Crossrail extension.^[58]

Accidents[]

• 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 – worst accident in England and London.
• Weedon (1951); – 21 September 1951; 15 killed, 36 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^[59]
• Lichfield – 1 January 1946; 20 killed, 21 injured.
• Bourne End rail crash – 30 September 1945; 43 killed, 64 injured
• Winwick Junction – 28 September 1934; 12 killed
• Weedon (1915); 14 August 1915; 10 killed, 21 injured
• Quintinshill rail crash – 22 May 1915; 227 killed, 246 injured. – worst ever rail accident in the United Kingdom.
• Ditton Junction rail crash; 17 September 1912; 15 killed
• Chelford rail accident; 22 December 1894; 14 killed, 48 injured
• Wigan rail crash – 1 August 1873; 13 killed, 30 major injuries.
• Tamworth rail crash – 14 September 1870; 3 killed, 13 injured.
• Warrington rail crash – 29 June 1867; 8 killed, 33 injured
• Atherstone rail accident – 16 November 1860; 10 killed.

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)

Map of WCML

In June 2019 Network Rail formed five 'regions' for helping to support Britain's railways.^[60] 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 Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line
Legend
and other local routes
to Crewe Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent Penkridge Colwich Junction to Shrewsbury Rugeley Trent Valley Wolverhampton Walsall Coseley Tipton Armitage Dudley Port Sandwell and 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 Coventry 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.^{[61][62][63][64][65]}

WCML branches and junctions[]

See also[]

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

References[]

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. Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMECH). 181 (6 (Part 3F)). 1966–67.
  • Brentnall, E. G. (1966). "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). "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). "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[]

• Ballantyne, Hugh (1989). The Colour of British Rail: West Coast Main Line. 2. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 9780906899328. OCLC 21600017.
• * 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.
• Beecroft, Don; Pirt, Keith (2008). Steam memories: 1950's - 1960's. No. 21, West coast main line & branches in Lancashire : including Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth and Blackpool. Challenger Publications. ISBN 9781899624997. OCLC 528374617.
• 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. Bardford Barton. ISBN 9780851533551. OCLC 16491712.
• McCutcheon, Campbell; Christopher, John (2014). Bradshaw's Guide: West Coast Main Line, Manchester to Glasgow. 10. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445640419. OCLC 902726172.
• Allen, David (29 January – 11 February 1997). "West Coast Signalling". RAIL. No. 297. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 34–38. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Coast Main Line.

Route map:

• 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