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Route

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a major railway line in the United Kingdom, linking London and Edinburgh on a 396 mile route which runs via the East of England, Yorkshire, North East England and the Scottish Borders. The Network Rail definition of the ECML includes four separate lines:

Differing from the Network Rail definition the ECML is sometimes regarded as extending beyond Edinburgh to Aberdeen, running mostly right on the east coast via Kirkcaldy, Dundee and Arbroath. North of Edinburgh it includes the world-famous red cantilever Forth Bridge, and at Dundee the curved Tay Bridge both crossing wide river estuaries.

In 1983 the opening of the Selby coalfield saw the line diverted between Colton, just south of York, and Temple Hirst, just north of the M62 motorway crossing. 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 140 mph (225 km/h) in normal service if in-cab signalling was installed; they have operated at speeds of up to 260 km/h (161 mph) in test runs. British Rail experimented with 140 mph running by introducing a fifth flashing green aspect to existing signalling between New England North and Stoke Tunnel; this is still available for special test runs. The high speeds are possible because the line goes through the flatter eastern areas of England such as Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, allowing for a straight track. In contrast, the West Coast Main Line has to traverse the Trent Valley and the mountains of Cumbria, which means more curves, and used to mean a lower speed of 110mph (177 km/h). This has been addressed in recent years by the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line and the introduction of Pendolino tilting trains, leading to 125mph running.

History

The line was built piecemeal 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).

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.

The cuttings and tunnel entrances just north of King's Cross make a memorable smoky appearance in the 1955 Ealing comedy film The Ladykillers. Also during the 1950s, the line featured in the advertising short Elizabethan Express. Later, the 1971 British gangster film Get Carter features a journey from London Kings Cross to Newcastle Central Station in the opening credits.

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 work began in 1985 and the initial section between King's Cross and Leeds went into operational trials in 1988. The full 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), Hull Train's Pioneers (Kings Cross - Hull) and the older HST sets working services north of Edinburgh towards Inverness and Aberdeen. Midland Mainline also operate a limited service of HST's over a portion of the route between Doncaster and Leeds.

The ECML is one of the busiest lines on the rail network and there is currently insufficient capacity on parts of the line to satisfy all the requirements of both passenger and freight operators. Although it has four tracks south of Peterborough, a bad bottleneck remains in the twin-track Welwyn viaduct just north of London. There is also a flat crossing with the Nottingham-Lincoln line just north of Newark station. There have been other criticisms - according to Christian Wolmar's book On The Wrong Line, the late '80s electrification project was allegedly cost cut to the point wherea the overhead line equipment was simply not built to the same standard as that on the WCML. As a result, heavy winds frequently bring down the power lines along the route causing serious delays.

Railtrack (now Network Rail) proposed an upgrade of the Route in the late 1990s. This was to have included among other things:

- Four-tracking of the Welwyn Viaduct - Electrification supply upgrades along the route - Introduction of 140mph linespeeds - Abolition of the Newark Flat Crossing - Major remodelling of Peterborough Station

However with the escalation of costs in the Industry - particularly caused by the overspend on the WCML modernisation - this was scaled back by the SRA. The only major parts of this to survive were 'Leeds 1st' and the Allington Chord Line. The Newark Dyke Bridge was also replaced. Some minor incremental capacity improvements may also take place at a later date.

Accidents

The ECML has been witness to a number of serious incidents resulting in death and serious injury:

Operators

The line's current principal operator 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:

The Office of Rail Regulation has given permission for Grand Central Railway to run a service from Kings Cross to Sunderland, which is expected to start in 2007.

Eurostar also hold the right to run five trains a day on the line for services from continental Europe to cities north of London, although such services have never been run. *

Transport in Hertfordshire | Transport in Cambridgeshire | Transport in Lincolnshire | Transport in Yorkshire | Transport in Northumberland | Electric railways

East Coast Main Line | East Coast Main Line

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "East Coast Main Line".

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