West Coast Main Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

v • d • e 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 Weaver Junction  Acton Bridge Hartford Winsford Manchester Piccadilly Holyhead on North Wales Coast Line Stockport Chester 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 Hillmorton Junction  Long Buckby Northampton Hanslope Junction  Wolverton Milton Keynes Central  Bletchley Leighton Buzzard Cheddington Tring Berkhamstead Hemel Hempstead Apsley Kings Langley Watford Junction   Bushey Harrow & Wealdstone Wembley Central London Euston

The West Coast Main Line (WCML)^[1] is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. 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.

Central to the WCML is its 401-mile (645-km) 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. Strictly (and by definition), this section alone is the West Coast Main Line^[2], but the term now extends to include a complex system of branches and divergences serving the other major towns and cities of Northampton, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester, Runcorn, Liverpool and Edinburgh.^[3]

Beyond this, the WCML also forms a part of the suburban railway systems within London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to rural towns and villages.

The WCML is of strategic importance in a European context and has been designated as a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route. 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.

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

[edit] 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. These lines together with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the North Union Railway, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway amalgamated their operations in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). 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. 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.

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. 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. A 'conventional' attempt to raise linespeeds 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. A further branch at Carstairs links Edinburgh to the WCML, giving it a direct connection to the East Coast route.

[edit] 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^[4]; the line from Weaver Junction (where the route to Liverpool diverges) to Glasgow was electrified in 1974.^[5] 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"^{[citation needed]} 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, Stafford, Coventry and Euston. However, the new look for the railway has not aged well, with the new Euston terminus 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 of the Edinburgh branch was carried out in the late 1980s as part of the ECML electrification project. 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. 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 Inter-City brand in the late 1960s, which prior to privatisation in 1996 was known as "InterCity West Coast". "InterCity CrossCountry" using the West Midlands sections of the WCML was also greatly developed with the introduction of transferred HST units following the electrification of the ECML.

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. Notable also is the loss of the through service from Liverpool to Scotland.

[edit] Modernisation by Network Rail

By the dawn of the 1990s, it was clear that further modernisation was required. Initially, this took the form of the InterCity 250 project which would have seen the introduction of new rolling stock derived from that developed for the East Coast electrification introduced alongside a wholesale refurbishment of the WCML itself. But then the privatisation of BR intervened, which saw Virgin Trains win the franchise in 1996 for the running of long distance express services on the line. The bold modernisation plan unveiled by Virgin and the new infrastructure owner Railtrack would see the upgrade and renewal of the line to allow the use of tilting Pendolino trains with a maximum line speed of 225 km/h (140 mph), in place of the previous maximum of 177 km/h (110 mph). Railtrack estimated that this upgrade would cost £2bn, be ready by 2005, and cut journey times London to Birmingham to 1hr (currently^[when?] 1hr 21mins) and 1hr 45mins London to Manchester.

However, Railtrack had not assessed the technical viability of moving block signalling prior to promising the speed increase to Virgin and the Government. 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 and its replacement by Network Rail following the Hatfield crash brought a reappraisal of the plans whilst the original cost of the upgrade soared. 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). 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. The final phase of introducing 125mph running along most of the entire length of the line 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)^[6] although considerable work 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 were the last stages of the project to be completed in late 2008. The upgrading of the Crewe to Manchester line via Wilmslow was completed in Summer 2006.

December 2008 saw the final completion of the decade long modernisation project.^[7] On December 15, a fuse blew on a track circuit in northwest London which closed two of the four tracks in the area. The problem was soon rectified, resulting in delays of only 15 minutes on train travel through the area.^[8][9]

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 CrossCountry Voyager and Super-Voyager trains for the cross-country services. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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 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.

[edit] Accidents

See also: List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom

• 2009 Little Haywood plane crash
• 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.
• 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^[10]
• Rail accident at Stowe Hill Tunnel between Nether Heyford and Weedon, Northamptonshire - 21 September 1951; 15 killed.
• 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
• Quintinshill rail crash - 22 May 1915; 227 killed, 246 injured. - worst ever accident in the United Kingdom.
• Wigan North Western railway station - 1 August 1873; 13 killed, 30 major injuries.

[edit] 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^[11] published in April 2006, has divided its National network into 26 'Routes' for planning, maintenance and operational purposes.^[12] 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.^[13] The northern terminal sections of the WCML are reached by Routes 26 (to Motherwell and Glasgow) and 24 (to Edinburgh). This therefore differs from the "classic" definition of the WCML as being the direct route from London Euston to Glasgow Central.

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 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 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 57/3 diesel locomotive.

[edit] 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	Bletchley	SP868337
** Bedford	** Bedford	TL042497	Marston Vale Line spur
Milton Keynes (centre)	Milton Keynes Central	SP841380
Wolverton	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

[edit] Branches and loops

The WCML is remarkable for the diversity of branches served from the London to Edinburgh and Glasgow Main Line. 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:

[edit] 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) Oldbury Wolverhampton Stafford	Rugby Coventry Birmingham International Birmingham New Street Sandwell and Dudley Wolverhampton Stafford	SP511759 SP331781 SP187836 SP069866 SO992900 SO919988 SJ918229

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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	23	East Lancashire Line and Caldervale Line
Farington Curve Jnct	Junction	23	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 Leeds to Morecambe 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

The length of the WCML's main core section is nominally quoted as being 401.25 miles (645.7km). The basis of this measurement is taken as being the distance between the midpoint of Platform 18 of London Euston to that of Platform 1 of Glasgow Central, and has historically been the distance used in official calculations during speed record attempts.

[edit] 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

[edit] See also

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

[edit] 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
• 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
• Rugby to Glasgow in five minutes - time-lapse video, June 2008
• London to Glasgow in five minutes - BBC video, December 2008

v • d • e Main line railways in Great Britain High-speed main lines: High Speed 1 'Classic' main lines: Cross Country Route   East Coast Main Line   Great Eastern Main Line   Great Western Main Line   Midland Main Line   South Wales Main Line   West Coast Main Line Other main lines: Brighton Main Line   Chatham Main Line   Chiltern Main Line   South Eastern Main Line   South Western Main Line   West Anglia Main Line

v • d • e Railway lines in Central England InterCity lines Cross Country Route · Midland Main Line · West Coast Main Line · Chiltern Main Line Main lines Birmingham-Peterborough via Leicester Line · Birmingham-Worcester via Bromsgrove Line · Birmingham-Worcester via Kidderminster Line · Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line · Trent Valley Line · Welsh Marches Line · Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury Line Commuter lines Birmingham-Walsall-Rugeley "Chase" Line · Birmingham-Stratford Line · Coventry-Nuneaton Line · Cross-City Line · Erewash Valley Line · Leicester-Loughborough "Ivanhoe" Line · Northampton Loop Line · Robin Hood Line · Stourbridge Junction-Stourbridge Town Line · Walsall-Wolverhampton Line Rural lines Cotswold Line · Crewe-Derby Line · Derwent Valley Line · Leamington-Stratford Line · Marston Vale Line · Nottingham to Grantham Line · Nottingham-Lincoln Line · Shrewsbury-Chester Line Freight and disused lines Birmingham Snow Hill-Wolverhampton Low Level Line · Bumble Hole Line · Darlaston Loop · Great Central Main Line · Harborne Branch Line · Oakham to Kettering Line · Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line · South Staffordshire Line · Sutton Park Line · Wombourne Branch Line · Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway Heritage Battlefield Line · Great Central Railway · Midland Railway Centre · Rutland Railway · Severn Valley Railway

v • d • e Railway lines in Northern England InterCity lines: Cross-Country Route • East Coast Main Line • Midland Main Line • West Coast Main Line Main lines: Chester-Manchester Line • Hope Valley Line • Liverpool-Manchester Lines • Manchester-Preston Line • Settle-Carlisle Railway Commuter lines: Airedale Line • Blackburn-Bolton Line • Blackpool Branch Lines • Caldervale Line • Dearne Valley Line • East Lancashire Line • Glossop Line • Hallam Line • Harrogate Line • Huddersfield Line • Kirkby Branch Line • Leeds-Bradford Lines • Liverpool-Wigan Line • Manchester-Southport Line • Mid-Cheshire Line • Morecambe Branch Line • Northern Line • Oldham Loop Line • Northallerton-Eaglescliffe Line • Ormskirk Branch Line · Pontefract Line • Sheffield-Hull Line • Sheffield-Lincoln Line • Stockport-Stalybridge Line • Stoke on Trent-Manchester Line • Styal Line • Wakefield Line • Wharfedale Line • Wirral Line • York & Selby Lines • York-Scarborough Line Rural lines: Barton Line • Borderlands Line • Buxton Line • Cumbrian Coast Line • Doncaster-Lincoln Line • Durham Coast Line • Esk Valley Line • Furness Line • Hull-York Line • Leeds-Morecambe Line • Newcastle and Carlisle Railway • Windermere Branch Line • Penistone Line • Ribble Valley Line • Tees Valley Line • Yorkshire Coast Line

v • d • e Railway lines in Scotland InterCity lines East Coast · West Coast Overnight Services Caledonian Sleeper Main lines Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Carstairs) · Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Falkirk) · Edinburgh-Aberdeen · Glasgow-Aberdeen · Glasgow South Western · Highland Glasgow Commuter Lines █ Argyle · █ Ayrshire Coast · █ Cathcart Circle · █ Croy (and Alloa) · █ Cumbernauld (and Falkirk) · █ Inverclyde · █ Maryhill · █ Motherwell-Cumbernauld · █ North Clyde · █ Paisley Canal · █ Shotts · █ South Western · █ Whifflet Edinburgh Commuter Lines █ Bathgate · █ Crossrail · █ Dunblane · █ Fife Circle · █ North Berwick · █ Shotts Rural Lines Aberdeen-Inverness · Far North · Kyle of Lochalsh · Tay Coast · West Highland Future Lines Aberdeen Crossrail · Airdrie to Bathgate · Borders Rail Link · Crossrail Glasgow · Glasgow Airport Rail Link Completed Projects Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Rail Link

v • d • e Transport in Buckinghamshire Road Motorways M1 • M4 • M25 • M40 A-Roads A4 • A40 • A41 • A404 • A412 • A413 • A418 • A421 • A422 • A428 • A4010 • A4012 • A4146 • A4155 • A5 • A508 • A509 • A5130 Notable Junctions Handy cross roundabout • Denham Roundabout • Magic Roundabout (High Wycombe) Other Milton Keynes grid road system Rail Main lines West Coast Main Line • Chiltern Main Line • Great Western Main Line Other lines Marston Vale Line • London to Aylesbury Line • Metropolitan line • Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line • Marlow Branch Line Closed lines Varsity Line • Great Central Main Line • Buckinghamshire Railway • Brill Tramway • Wycombe Railway • Cheddington to Aylesbury Line • Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway Other Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway • East West Rail Consortium • Buckinghamshire Railway Centre • Seer Green rail crash • List of railway stations Air Denham Aerodrome • Turweston Aerodrome • Silverstone Heliport • Wycombe Air Park • RAF Bases Waterways Rivers River Thames • River Great Ouse Canals Grand Union Canal • Branches: Slough Arm • Wendover Arm • Aylesbury Arm Footpaths National Trails Thames Path • The Ridgeway Long-distance footpaths Icknield Way (path) • Chiltern Way • Greater Ridgeway • Midshires Way • Ouse Valley Way • Shakespeare's Way • Swan's Way Cycle Paths Route 4 • Route 6 • Route 50 • Route 51 • Route 57 • Route 61  • Route 70  • Milton Keynes redway system

Coordinates: 52°10′41″N 0°55′27″W / 52.17801°N 0.92405°W / 52.17801; 0.92405