East Coast Mainline

East Coast Main Line
An InterCity 125 train on the East Coast Main Line approaching Hadley Wood station and tunnels.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail, Inter-city rail Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Greater London East of England East Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber North East England Scottish Borders Central Scotland
Termini	London King's Cross 51°31′53″N 0°07′24″W / 51.5314°N 0.1234°W / 51.5314; -0.1234 (East Coast Main Line, London terminus) Edinburgh Waverley 55°57′08″N 3°11′20″W / 55.9522°N 3.1889°W / 55.9522; -3.1889 (East Coast Main Line, Edinburgh terminus)
Stations	52
Operation
Opened	1850
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Virgin Trains East Coast Great Northern Hull Trains East Midlands Trains CrossCountry TransPennine Express Northern Abellio ScotRail Grand Central DB Cargo UK GB Railfreight Freightliner Direct Rail Services
Character	Primary
Depot(s)	Hornsey Bounds Green Neville Hill Heaton Haymarket
Rolling stock	Class 43 "HST" Class 91 "InterCity 225" Class 142 "Pacer" Class 144 "Pacer" Class 153 "Super Sprinter" Class 156 "Super Sprinter" Class 158 "Express Sprinter" Class 170 "Turbostar" Class 180 "Adelante" Class 185 "Pennine" Class 220 "Voyager" Class 221 "Super Voyager" Class 222 "Meridian" Class 313 Class 317 Class 321 Class 325 Class 365 "Networker Express" Class 387 "Electrostar"
Technical
Line length	393 miles 13 chains (632.7 km)
Number of tracks	Double track and Quadruple track
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Loading gauge	W9 (via Hertford Loop)
Route availability	RA 7-9, RA 10 in parts between Selby and York
Electrification	Mk 3a/b/d 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE
Operating speed	125 mph (200 km/h) maximum

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a 393-mile long (632 km) major railway link between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle, electrified along the whole route. Services north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness use diesel trains. The main franchise on the line is operated by Virgin Trains East Coast.

The route forms a key artery on the eastern side of Great Britain and is broadly paralleled by the A1 trunk road. It links London, the South East and East Anglia, with Yorkshire, the North East Regions and Scotland. It also carries key commuter flows for the north side of London. It is important to the economic health of several areas of England and Scotland. It also handles cross-country, commuter and local passenger services, and carries heavy tonnages of freight traffic.

The ECML forms part of Network Rail's Strategic Route G which comprises six separate lines:

The core part of the route is the main line between King's Cross and Edinburgh, with the Hertford Loop used for local and freight services and the Northern City Line only used on weekdays for inner suburban services.

The route has ELRs ECM1 - ECM9.

The line was built by three railway companies, each serving their own area, but with the intention of linking up to form the through route that became the East Coast Main Line. From north to south they were

When first completed, the GNR made an end-on connection at Askern, famously described by the GNR's chairman as, "a ploughed field four miles north of Doncaster", with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, a short section of which was used to reach the NER at Knottingley. In 1871, the route was shortened - NER opened a direct line which ran from an end-on junction with the GNR, at Shaftholme, just south of Askern to Selby and then (once over Selby bridge on the Leeds- Hull Line) direct to York