Infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line

The infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line comprises the tunnels, viaducts and bridges on the East Coast Main Line as well as the lineside monitoring equipment. The line is mainly quadruple track from London to Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham, with two double track sections: one between Digswell Jn & Woolmer Green Jn, where the line passes over the Digswell Viaduct, Welwyn North station and the two Welwyn tunnels; and one between Fletton Junction (south of Peterborough) and Holme Junction, south of Holme Fen. The route between Holme Junction and Huntingdon is mostly triple track, with the exception of a southbound loop between Conington and Woodwalton. North of Grantham the line is double track except for quadruple-track sections at Retford, around Doncaster, between Colton Junction (south of York), Thirsk and Northallerton, and Newcastle.

With most of the line rated for operation, the ECML was the fastest main line in the UK until the opening of High Speed 1. The high speeds are possible because much of the line is on fairly straight track on the flatter, eastern side of England, through Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, though there are significant speed restrictions because of the line's curvature particularly north of Darlington and between Doncaster and Leeds. By contrast, the West Coast Main Line crosses the Trent Valley and the mountains of Cumbria, with more curvature and a lower speed limit of . Speeds on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) were increased with the introduction of tilting Pendolino trains and now match the 125 mph speeds on the ECML.

Tunnels, viaducts and bridges Major civil engineering structures on the East Coast Main Line include:

+Tunnels, viaducts and major bridges on the East Coast Main LinePhotoRailway structureListed statusLength in chainsEnd mileage Start mileageELRNext station Previous stationDistance from Edinburgh WaverleyCalton North Tunnel230 miles 27 chains 0 miles 50 chainsECM8Edinburgh Waverley MusselburghCalton South Tunnel180 miles 29 chains 0 miles 47 chainsDunglass ViaductA636 miles 02 chains 36 miles 08 chainsDunbar Berwick-upon-TweedPeelwalls BridgesC149 miles 48 chains 49 miles 49 chains150 miles 08 chains 50 miles 09 chainsDistance from NewcastleRoyal Border BridgeI3366 miles 74 chains 66 miles 41 chainsECM7Berwick-upon-Tweed ChathillRiver Aln ViaductII1035 miles 50 chains 35 miles 40 chainsChathill AlnmouthRiver Coquet ViaductIIThe viaduct has one entry for each parish it is in:930 miles 01 chains 29 miles 72 chainsPegswood ViaductII917 miles 57 chains 17 mile 48 chainsPegswood MorpethRiver Blyth ViaductII612 miles 23 chains 12 miles 17 chainsMorpeth CramlingtonOuseburn ViaductII*141 miles 18 chains 1 mile 04 chainsCramlington ManorsNewcastle railway station to Pilgrim StreetIIThis section consists of five contiguous entries:290 miles 36 chains 0 miles 00 chainsManors NewcastleDistance from YorkKing Edward VII BridgeII1379 miles 66 chains 79 miles 53 chainsECM5Newcastle Chester-le-StreetAskew Road Tunnel379 miles 29 chains 79 miles 26 chainsChester Burn ViaductII1172 miles 19 chains 72 miles 08 chainsChester Dene ViaductII1071 miles 07 chains 70 miles 77 chainsChester-le-Street DurhamDurham ViaductII*1266 miles 06 chains 65 miles 74 chainsDurham DarlingtonRelly Mill Viaduct665 miles 23 chains 65 miles 17 chainsLangley Moor Viaduct664 miles 39 chains 64 miles 33 chainsCroxdale Viaduct962 miles 18 chains 62 miles 09 chainsRicknall Lane overbridgeII50 miles 37 chainsCroft ViaductIIThe viaduct has one entry for each district it is in:641 miles 11 chains 41 miles 05 chainsDarlington NorthallertonDistance from King's CrossBalby Bridge Tunnel4155 miles 38 chains 155 miles 34 chainsECM1Doncaster RetfordAskham Tunnel3134 miles 40 chains 134 miles 37 chainsRetford Newark NorthgatePeascliffe Tunnel44108 miles 29 chains 107 miles 65 chainsNewark Northgate GranthamStoke Tunnel40100 miles 79 chains 100 miles 39 chainsGrantham PeterboroughBytham Viaduct4092 miles 63 chains 92 miles 59 chainsGrantham PeterboroughNene ViaductII375 miles 68 chains 75 miles 65 chainsPeterborough HuntingdonDeard's End Lane BridgeII25 miles 30 chainsStevenage KnebworthWelwyn North Tunnel4823 miles 12 chains 22 miles 44 chainsKnebworth Welwyn NorthWelwyn South TunnelII2022 miles 31 chains 22 miles 11 chainsDigswell ViaductII*2321 miles 60 chains 21 miles 37 chainsWelwyn North Welwyn Garden CityPotters Bar Tunnel6512 miles 00 chains 11 miles 25 chainsPotters Bar Hadley WoodHadley Wood North Tunnel1010 miles 70 chains 10 miles 60 chainsHadley Wood South Tunnel1810 miles 39 chains 10 miles 21 chainsHadley Wood New BarnetBarnet Tunnel287 miles 70 chains 7 miles 42 chainsOakleigh Park New SouthgateWood Green Tunnel325 miles 73 chains 5 miles 41 chainsNew Southgate Alexandra PalaceCopenhagen Tunnel271 mile 12 chains 0 miles 65 chainsFinsbury Park King's CrossGasworks Tunnel240 miles 46 chains 0 miles 22 chains

Junctions Major junctions on the East Coast Main Line include:

PhotoJunction MileageELRConnects toNext station Previous stationPortobello Junction303 miles 1 chain 299 miles 76 chainsECM8Borders RailwayEdinburgh MusselburghDrem Junction285 miles 9 chainsNorth Berwick BranchDrem East LintonMorpeth North Junction266 miles 6 chainsECM7Northumberland LinePegswood MorpethMorpeth Junction265 miles 42 chainsBenton North Junction253 miles 0 chainsCramlington ManorsNewcastle East Junction248 miles 70 chainsDurham Coast LineManors NewcastleKing Edward Bridge South Junction268 miles 02 chainsECM5Tyne Valley LineNewcastle Chester-le-StreetFerryhill South Junction244 miles 57 chainsStillington Branch Durham DarlingtonDarlington North Junction232 miles 76 chainsTees Valley lineDarlington South Junction223 miles 21 chainsDarlington NorthallertonNorthallerton High Junction218 miles 49 chainsNorthallerton–Eaglescliffe lineLonglands Junction217 miles 41 chains 217 miles 28 chainsSkelton Junction190 miles 10 chainsHarrogate lineThirsk YorkYork North Junction188 miles 62 chainsYork–Scarborough lineColton Junction182 miles 79 chainsECM4Dearne Valley lineYork DoncasterHambleton Junction174 miles 58 chainsECM3Selby LineHambleton South Junction174 miles 15 chainsTemple Hurst Junction169 miles 16 chainsECM2Shaftholme Junction160 miles 16 chainsECM1North Doncaster ChordMarshgate Junction156 miles 26 chainsSouth Humberside Main Line Wakefield lineSouth Yorkshire Junction155 miles 59 chains 155 miles 56 chainsDoncaster–Swinton lineDoncaster RetfordDecoy North Junction154 miles 13 chainsDoncaster–Lincoln lineBlack Carr Junction153 miles 18 chainsRetford West Junction138 miles 56 chainsSheffield–Lincoln lineNewark Crossing South Junction120 miles 51 chainsGrimsby–Lincoln–Newark lineRetford Newark NorthgateGrantham North Junction106 miles 34 chainsNottingham–Grantham lineHelpston Junction81 miles 56 chainsBirmingham–Peterborough lineGrantham PeterboroughWerrington Junction79 miles 34 chainsPeterborough–Lincoln lineCrescent Junction76 miles 25 chainsHereward LinePeterborough HuntingdonFletton Junction74 miles 69 chainsNene Valley RailwayHitchin North Junction32 miles 53 chainsCambridge lineArlesey HitchinCambridge Junction31 miles 11 chainsLangley Junction26 miles 59 chains 26 miles 45 chainsHertford Loop lineStevenage KnebworthWood Green North Junction5 miles 7 chainsHertford Loop lineNew Southgate Alexandra PalaceHarringay Junction3 miles 29 chainsGospel Oak to Barking lineHarringay Finsbury ParkFinsbury Park Junction2 miles 33 chainsNorthern City Line North London lineFinsbury Park King's CrossCopenhagen Junction0 miles 64 chainsHigh Speed 1 Midland Main LineBelle Isle Junction0 miles 57 chainsThameslink Core

Notes

References