East Coast Main Line

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a major railway line in the United Kingdom, which links London to Edinburgh and Leeds. The Network Rail definition of the ECML includes four separate lines:

Related Topics:
Railway - United Kingdom - London - Edinburgh - Leeds - Network Rail

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• The main line between King's Cross station in London and Waverley Station in Edinburgh, via Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar;
• The line from Doncaster to Leeds, via Wakefield Westgate;
• The branch line from North Berwick to Edinburgh, and
• The suburban branch line from London's Moorgate station to Stevenage, via Finsbury Park and the Hertford Loop.

It is recognised by rail magazines in their general use of the ECML label, that the line continues, mostly right on the east coast, to Kirkcaldy, Dundee, Arbroath, and Aberdeen. This section is certainly a continuation of the ECML service. Just past Edinburgh it includes the world-famous red cantilever Forth Bridge, and at Dundee the curved Tay Bridge both crossing wide major estuaries.

Related Topics:
Kirkcaldy - Dundee - Arbroath - Aberdeen - Forth Bridge - Tay Bridge

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The line was built in piecemeal fashion by many small railway companies, but mergers and acquisitions led to only three companies controlling the route, north to south the North British Railway, the North Eastern Railway and the Great Northern Railway. In 1860 the companies established the East Coast Joint Stock for through services using common vehicles. In 1923 all three were grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).

Related Topics:
North British Railway - North Eastern Railway - Great Northern Railway - 1860 - 1923 - London and North Eastern Railway

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The ECML is one of the fastest railway lines in the UK, with most of the line rated at 125 mph (200 km/h). The InterCity 225 trains which serve the line would be capable of 225 km/h (140 mph) in normal service if the signalling were to be upgraded to handle the increased speed. They have operated at speeds of up to 260 km/h in test runs. The high speeds are possible because the line goes through the flatter eastern areas of England such as Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, which allow for a straight track. Heading south from Doncaster much of the line is straight. In contrast, the West Coast Main Line has to traverse the Trent Valley and the mountains of Cumbria, which means more bends, and a lower speed of 110 mph (178 km/h) (although this has been addressed in recent years by the introduction of Pendolino tilting trains).

Related Topics:
UK - InterCity 225 - Lincolnshire - Cambridgeshire - West Coast Main Line - Trent Valley - Cumbria - Pendolino

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The ECML has been the backdrop for a number of famous rail journeys and locomotives. The line was worked for many years by the famous steam locomotives "Flying Scotsman" and "Mallard": the latter was officially declared the world's fastest steam locomotive on the Grantham - Peterborough stretch, a title it holds to this day. Steam locomotives disappeared in the early 1960s, being replaced by diesels, firstly the legendary dual-engined Deltic locomotive, which remains the most powerful diesel electric engine ever built in the UK. This was replaced by the InterCity 125 or "HST" (High Speed Train), introduced between 1976 and 1981.

Related Topics:
Flying Scotsman - Mallard - 1960s - Deltic - Diesel electric - UK - InterCity 125 - 1976 - 1981

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In what was seen by many as a surprising action for a Conservative government, the ECML was electrified in the late 1980s using state money. The electrification was completed in late 1990, and the current InterCity 225 rolling stock was introduced. Diesels still operate on the ECML - Virgin's Voyager (operating CrossCountry routes) and the older HST sets working services north of Edinburgh towards Inverness and Aberdeen.

Related Topics:
Conservative - 1980s - 1990

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The line's principal operator today is Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), whose services include regular trains from King's Cross to Leeds and Edinburgh. Other operators of passenger trains on the line are:

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• WAGN: suburban services between King's Cross and Peterborough and between Moorgate and Stevenage via the Hertford Loop
• Hull Trains: between Kings Cross and Doncaster, continuing to Hull
• Central Trains: between Grantham and Peterborough, part of the service that runs between Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich
• Virgin Trains: cross-country services north of Sheffield are routed via either Leeds or Doncaster. Leeds trains use the ECML between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds and then again north of York. Doncaster trains use the ECML north of Doncaster. Services run to and beyond Edinburgh. Occasional services run from Doncaster to Leeds before rejoining the ECML at York
• Midland Mainline: between Doncaster and Leeds, extensions of services running to/from Sheffield, Leicester and London St Pancras
• TransPennine Express: between York and Newcastle and between York and Northallerton before they divert off the ECML to Middlesbrough
• Northern Rail: suburban services from Doncaster to Leeds and Morpeth to Newcastle and infrequent services between Newcastle and Darlington that continue to Middlesbrough and Saltburn
• First ScotRail: services between Edinburgh and North Berwick