Following on from my previous post about the WCML (West Coast Main Line), this post is about the 2nd busiest train line in the UK, the ECML (East Coast Main Line) that runs mainly from London Kings Cross through to Edinburgh Waverley, up the east side of England and into Scotland.
The main section of the line is:
London Kings Cross – Edinburgh Waverley
Calling at:
- London Kings Cross
- Stevenage, Peterborough
- Grantham,
- Newark North Gate,
- Retford,
- York, Northallerton,
- Darlington, Durham,
- Newcastle Central,
- Morpeth, Alnmouth,
- Berwick-upon-Tweed,
- Dunbar,
- Edinburgh Waverley
We have been on the line a few times, mainly travelling around Newcastle Central, and up to Berwick-upon-Tweed, as well as the section between Edinburgh Waverley and Berwick. The main operator on the route is East Coast, presently owned by the British Government. Other train operators do use the line such as Scotrail between Edinburgh and Musselburgh, North Berwick/Dunbar and Cross Country from Scotland to the south of England etc.
The East Coast trains are quite distinctive, and there are two main types of train on the line:
1) Intercity 125, Class 43 Diesel Engine
This train is mostly made up of 9 passenger coaches and a diesel locomotive at each end. They are used on the main section of the route as well as continuing past Edinburgh Waverley up to Aberdeen and Inverness as not all parts of these routes have been electrified.
2) Intercity 225, Class 91 Electric Locomotive
These operate the main section of the line from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, and use the overhead wires for power.
Other Lines: (With Main Stations)
- Edinburgh Waverley – Aberdeen (Extension)
- (Via Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy, Leuchars, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Stonehaven and Aberdeen)
- Edinburgh Waverley – Inverness (Extension)
- Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow Central (Extension)
- (Via Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Motherwell and Glasgow Central)
- London King’s Cross – Lincoln
- (Via London Kings Cross, Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark North Gate and Lincoln)
- London Kings Cross – Leeds (Extensions to Bradford, Keighley/Skipton, Horsforth/Harrogate)
- London Kings Cross – Hull
We have visited a lot of the towns and cities on the route, and there are many amazing sites to see if you travel up the East Coast Main Line, and below you will find a selection of them:
For more information visit the East Coast Trains website, or to see a route map click here.
The British Isles were the limit, but now the world! 